The Toronto Blue Jays made a big splash by signing Anthony Santander last offseason, but the deal didn’t pan out.
Santander dealt with injuries last season, as he had a shoulder dislocation, but was able to return in the playoffs. Yet, in the playoffs, he had a back injury, which ended his season; it was a disastrous season for Santander in the first year of his five-year, $92.5 million deal.
Now, after a brutal first season in Toronto, MLB analyst Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic named Santander the fourth-worst contract in all of baseball.
“The Blue Jays have chased many big-ticket free agents hard in recent years,” Stavenhagen wrote. “Most of them chose to sign elsewhere (though Dylan Cease recently joined up on a long-term deal). Santander took Toronto’s money. But the Blue Jays made the World Series largely in spite of Santander’s first season in Canada. Santander played only 54 games in his age-30 season. He hit .175 with six home runs. Left shoulder inflammation plagued him for most of the season, and a back injury even made for a premature end to his postseason.
“Santander has a chance to rebound if he can stay healthy in 2026. But his lifetime on-base percentage is only .305, and he provides little defensive value. It’s a risky profile and one the Blue Jays might be stuck with for the next four seasons. The deferred money makes it a bit easier to swallow for now. But it will feel worse in the future if Santander can’t turn it around.”
It’s a brutal reality check for the Blue Jays as Santander was supposed to be a key part of Toronto’s lineup, but that was far from the case in 2025.
Blue Jays GM Thought Santander Was the Perfect ‘Fit’
Toronto’s big move of the offseason last year was Santander, and the Blue Jays felt like it was a great fit.
The Blue Jays needed a power bat, and Santander was that. General manager Ross Atkins called it a great fit when the signing was made official.
“Anthony is about as good of a fit as we can find,” Atkins said. “So doing it from both sides of the plate, putting the ball in the seats (regularly), his ability to do damage on a nightly basis is exactly what we were looking for and a great addition to this lineup.”
Santander also said Toronto was a great spot for him and was eager to join the Blue Jays.
“I’m happy for this opportunity,” Santander said. “I can’t wait to be with my brothers. It starts on day one of spring training. Work hard, get better every single day and go after the championship. That’s what we’re looking for. That’s what I’m here for.”
In his first season, Santander appeared in just 54 games, hitting .175 with 6 home runs and 18 RBIs. The year prior, he hit .235 with 44 home runs and 102 RBIs.
Toronto Looking to be Active This Offseason
The Blue Jays were two outs away from winning the World Series this season, so Toronto is expected to be active this offseason.
Toronto already signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal, but the Blue Jays are looking to add another impact bat.
“I love this time of the year,” Atkins said. “It’s so efficient. It’s an extremely productive time to have this many people in the room, on the agent side and on the team side, to start to cut to the chase a little bit and learn where the priorities are and where the opportunities may be. But there’s still a lot of dialogue and work to happen.”
The Blue Jays are tied for the seventh-best odds of winning the World Series at +1600.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Blue Jays Get Brutal Reality Check on Anthony Santander appeared first on Heavy Sports.