Toronto Blue Jays Free Agent Splash Providing Very Little Excitement Thus Far
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The Toronto Blue Jays have been desperately attempting to spend money over the last few offseasons, but no players wanted to take their cash.
That changed this past winter when they were finally able to make a splash in free agency by signing slugger Anthony Santander away from their American League East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles.
In need of an infusion of power alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays and Santander agreed to a massive five-year, $92.5 million deal that could be worth as much as $110 million over six seasons.
Once the contract was announced, it always felt as if the team was overpaying.
Santander was coming off a career-best 44 home runs and 102 RBI in 2024. Based on his track record to that point, it seemed more likely that his performance last year was a one-off compared to what could be expected going forward.
So far, the skeptics have been proven right, as the switch-hitting All-Star has provided Toronto with next to nothing in terms of production.
Overall, Santander has a .216/.301/.351 slash line. It took him until April 12 to hit his first home, which he now has two of, to go along with four doubles and only six RBI.
His 90 OPS+ and 87 Rbat+ would both be the lowest single-season numbers of his career since becoming a full-time player in 2019.
He is beginning to show signs of coming alive, currently riding a seven-game hitting streak. But he isn’t quite on fire by going 8-for-29 (.276 batting average), even though five out his six extra-base hits have come during this time.
Slow starts aren’t anything new for Santander with a lowly career .663 OPS in April.
But, there is certainly cause for concern about his outlook, as what was shown in 2024 may be the best he will do in his career.
“What's under the hood doesn't look much better. Beyond his generally poor batted ball metrics, Santander has also lost 1 mph off his average bat speed from 2024,” wrote Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report in a piece highlighting first impressions of players who changed teams this past offseason.
There is a lot of blue on Santander’s Baseball Savant profile, which is discouraging.
He is hitting the ball with authority with an average exit velocity of 90.7 mph, which is in the 62nd percentile. But he isn’t finding many barrels or hitting the ball hard with much regularity.
That is a major reason why his numbers are so underwhelming out of the gate.
The team hopes he can eventually figure it out.
Given that he provides zero value as a fielder or base runner, he needs to start hitting to prove this investment worthwhile.
