Blue Jays Desperate for Free Agent Splash To Provide Power Boost to Lineup
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Just as the Toronto Blue Jays were beginning to show signs of life, sweeping the San Diego Padres last week, the team has fallen off the wagon once again.
The Blue Jays followed up that magnificent performance against the National League West powerhouse by getting swept by their American League East rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays.
They split the first two games of their series against the Texas Rangers, setting up a rubber match on May 28.
During the recent poor stretch of play, there has been one culprit; their offense.
Toronto has been shutout twice in their four most recent losses, scoring a grand total of two runs. In their one victory over the Rangers, the team won 2-1.
Sporadic offensive production has been an issue for the team throughout the campaign. Their power numbers have been startlingly low, hitting only 46 home runs, which is tied for 26th in the MLB.
Where would the team be without Daulton Varsho, who has played in only 21 games with 82 plate appearances but has a team-high eight long balls?
Anthony Santander Has Suffered Power Outage With Blue Jays
One of the players who has failed to step up when the team has needed them most is designated hitter Anthony Santander.
He agreed to a massive contract with the team in free agency, defecting from their AL East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, to bring some pop to the middle of the Blue Jays lineup.
Coming off a 2024 in which he hit a career-high 44 home runs with 102 RBI, Santander hasn’t come close to providing that kind of powerful impact and has been an early bust.
That is why he has landed on a list put together by Jared Greenspan of MLB.com highlighting players who need to get on track to help their floundering teams start winning some games.
Through May 27, Santander has only six home runs and five doubles, producing a slugging percentage of .315.
Last year, he had a slugging percentage of .506, which is what Toronto believed they would be receiving when they signed him to a five-year, $92.5 million deal that could be worth as much as $110 million over six years.
With a -9 Batting Run Value, per Baseball Savant, he is bringing nothing positive to the table for the Blue Jays currently. He doesn’t provide impact as a base runner or fielder, putting all his value into his bat.
Right now, he is providing the team with none, as an injury seems to be changing his approach at the plate, leading to middling results.
