Blue Jays' Star Free Agent Signing Has Franchise's Least Valuable Player

Who has been the Least Valuable Player for the Toronto Blue Jays this season?

May 20, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Anthony Santander (25) hits a two-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

As the Toronto Blue Jays continue to see-saw around the .500 mark, the team has to be hopeful that some of the key players they acquired in the offseason start to perform.

It has been a challenging year for the Blue Jays so far. After what appeared to be a strong winter, the team seemingly can't build and sustain momentum this campaign.

As a team that has been just mediocre so far, there have been some bright spots but also some disappointments as expected.

Luckily, the American League appears to be wide open and hovering around the .500 mark could result in an AL Wild Card spot.

However, with a lot of impending free agents and their star of the future locked up long-term, Toronto must proceed carefully this summer. It wouldn’t behoove the franchise in the long haul to give away prospects just for the chance of making the playoffs.

What the Blue Jays are certainly hoping for is that some of their underperforming stars get hot, which could result in some more consistency and wins.

Who Has Been Their LVP?

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Least Valuable Player for the Blue Jays so far this season being their star free agent signing, Anthony Santander.

“The Blue Jays keep waiting for him to snap out of his funk; to look like the slugger who hit 105 home runs over the past three seasons for Baltimore,” he wrote.

The signing of Santander for Toronto figured to give them one of the best power-hitting one-two punches in the league with him and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the middle of the batting order.

Santander was arguably the best power hitter available this winter, totaling 44 home runs in 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles. However, despite him being an excellent run producer, there was some concern about his game.

If the switch-hitting slugger isn’t hitting the ball out of the ballpark, there isn’t much else that he brings to the table. He is a below-average defensive outfielder, and even in his best years hasn’t been a high batting average or on-base percentage player.

So far in 2025, the worst-case scenario has come true for the Blue Jays. Santander is slashing 179/.273/.304 with just six home runs and 18 RBI. Toronto just put him on the 10-day injured list.

The Toronto offense has shockingly struggled at times this campaign and one of the reasons why is the production of their star-free agent signing.

Even though he has got off to slow starts in the past, June is nearly here and he has been very unproductive.