Blue Jays Top Concern Should Be Effectiveness of Star Slugger
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As the Toronto Blue Jays seek to hold off the surging Boston Red Sox in the American League East, the team will be hoping to get some reinforcements soon.
After the sluggish start to the season, the Blue Jays have been playing very well for the most part. The strong stretch resulted in them taking over first place in the division, and at the trade deadline, they made some moves to hopefully solidify their spot.
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With a need to improve the pitching staff, this was the focus of Toronto. The Blue Jays were able to trade for Cleveland Guardians starter Shane Bieber, who, while he is currently on a rehab assignment, is a former AL Cy Young award winner.
Furthermore, the bullpen saw some significant upgrades with the additions of Seranthony Dominguez and Louis Varland. While it might not have been a star closer that came over, both are solid relief pitchers.
Despite the new faces coming over, there are still some concerns about the team.
Bradford Doolittle of ESPN recently wrote that, after improving their bullpen, the biggest concern for the Blue Jays would be the potential return of Anthony Santander.
“The other big need was a middle-of-the-order bat, a void Toronto thought it filled when it signed Santander. Santander has been out since the end of May and contributed little before that. The Blue Jays need Santander's recovery to pick up and for him to be a thumper.”
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Few offseason signings were bigger than Toronto landing the former Baltimore Orioles slugger to a massive contract.
2024 was a fantastic campaign for Santander. He was the best power hitter on one of the most effective offenses in baseball, and he was certainly deserving of what he received as a free agent.
Last season, the slugger slashed .235/.308/.506 with 44 home runs and 102 RBI. That type of production, alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the middle of the lineup, was the plan for the Blue Jays. Unfortunately, even before the injury, he didn’t perform like that.
So far this year, Santander has slashed 179/.273/.304 with six home runs and 18 RBI in 50 games played. There was always some concern that if the power numbers dipped for the slugger, his ability to help a team would quickly diminish.
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That has been the case so far with Santander not boasting a high batting average or on-base percentage.
While it hasn’t been a good first year of the deal, that can all change if the slugger returns and has a positive impact on the lineup. However, the early struggles are certainly a reason to be concerned.
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Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.