Blue Jays Are Thriving Despite Major Offseason Acquisition Being Shocking Bust
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The Toronto Blue Jays have been looking to make a splash in the offseason for years, but have never found any success luring free agents to the franchise.
That changed this past winter when they agreed to a deal with Anthony Santander. He was coming off a career year with their American League East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, hitting 44 home runs with 102 RBI, both career highs. In search of an infusion of power and run production to their lineup, Santander looked the part.
The two sides agreed to a massive five-year, $92.5 million deal. It could be worth as much as $110 million over six years if options were exercised. There was some risk involved, given how little he impacts the game in other facets. He isn’t a great base runner and offers little as a defender, with all of his value being tied to his bat.
Anthony Santander Has Been Massive Bust For Blue Jays
Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, everything that could have gone wrong for Santander has. His impact has been nonexistent. Through 50 games and 209 plate appearances, he hit only six home runs. He had an abysmal .179/.273/.304 slash line with a 60 OPS+. Since 2019, his OPS+ had been below 100 only once.
And now, he is dealing with a shoulder injury that could keep him sidelined for the duration of the campaign. Despite career-low production from a player who was expected to be a big part of the puzzle, Toronto has thrived. Anyone skeptical of this deal from the start had a strong argument, but even the most pessimistic of people couldn’t have seen this level of production coming.
Santander has brought nothing to the table for the team, but things have gone well for them regardless. The Blue Jays sit in first place in the AL East with a 77-55 record, five games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the division and a half-game behind the Detroit Tigers for the best record in the AL. Several teammates have stepped up and provided the kind of impact Toronto was expecting from their big free agent addition.
First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., shortstop Bo Bichette and outfielder George Springer are producing big numbers. Unheralded role players such as Myles Straw, Addison Barger and Ernie Clement have become integral pieces to the puzzle. Things have all worked out in lieu of Santander looking like one of the worst investments in the MLB currently.
