The Toronto Blue Jays finally landed a high-profile free agent Monday when they added Anthony Santander to their roster, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract is pending a medical review. The value of the contract and its duration were not immediately known.
Toronto made an offer for Shohei Ohtani last year and was in the running to land Juan Soto before he joined the New York Mets in December. The Blue Jays were also reportedly among the finalists to land Roki Sasaki, before the Japanese pitcher agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But they managed to place Santander in their formation alongside Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Santander had career highs of 44 homers, 102 RBIs and 91 runs scored in 155 games with the Baltimore Orioles last year. The outfielder maintained a .235 batting average, with a .506 power average, while being selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.
Santander, who celebrated his 30th birthday in October, became the first ambidextrous hitter to hit 40 or more home runs since 2006. He is the fourth ambidextrous hitter to hit at least 44 homers in a season, joining Mickey Mantle ( twice), Lance Berkman and Chipper Jones.
-The Venezuelan helped the Orioles reach the playoffs for a second straight year, but they were swept by the Kansas City Royals in the first round.
Santander signed with the Cleveland Guardians as an international free agent in July 2011. He was selected by the Orioles in the Regulation 5 draft in December 2016.
After being sidelined by an inflamed right elbow, he made his major league debut with the Orioles on August 18, 2017, but only appeared in 13 games that year.
Santander broke out in 2022, with a .240 batting average, 33 home runs and 89 RBIs in 152 games. He established himself as one of the good players in this young group in Baltimore, which went 83-79 after losing 110 games the previous season.
Santander posted a career-high .257 batting average with 28 home runs, 95 RBIs and 41 doubles for the Orioles in 2023, helping the team to the AFC East title. under a 101-61 filing. The Baltimore squad was swept by the Texas Rangers in the sectional series.
