Blue Jays agree to 5-year contract with Anthony Santander

The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a five-year contract with free-agent outfielder Anthony Santander, the team announced on Monday.

It’s reportedly worth more than $90 million with a club option, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

Santander, 30, started 129 games in right field for the Baltimore Orioles last year, but he also has 90 career games in left field.

Selected by the Orioles in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft, the Venezuela native evolved into a feared power hitter with Baltimore, averaging 35 home runs per season since 2022. The switch-hitting outfielder is coming off a career-high 44 home runs and 102 RBIs in 2024, leading to his first appearance as an All-Star and his first Silver Slugger award.

That home run total placed him behind only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in the American League and just Judge and Shohei Ohtani in the majors.

Santander also hit 21 career home runs against the Blue Jays, the most of any other opponent in baseball. He was one of the most coveted free agents this winter.

The reported signing comes days after the Blue Jays missed out on 23-year-old Japanese starting pitcher Roki Sasaki, who announced on Instagram that he intended to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On Friday, the club added $2 million in additional international bonus pool room from Cleveland, taking on outfielder Myles Straw and roughly $12 million of what he’s owed through 2026 to get it done.

The Blue Jays recently added Jeff Hoffman to their bullpen, signing the reliever to a three-year, $33 million deal. Their other significant off-season move involved trading for second baseman Andres Gimenez and reliever Nick Sandlin, who were both acquired from the Cleveland Guardians.