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. The agreement includes an opt-out and a 2030 team option with escalators that could increase the value to $110 million over six seasons, according to his agency, the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

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.

Santander received a qualifying offer after the season, meaning the Orioles will receive a compensatory pick after the first round of this year’s amateur draft. The Blue Jays lose their second draft pick and $500,000 in the 2026 international signing bonus allocation.

Left-hander Brandon Eisert was designated for assignment to make room for Santander on Toronto’s 40-man roster.

Blue Jays land coveted bat after missing out on several big names

Santander was the majors’ first switch hitter to reach 40 homers since 2006. He became the fourth switch hitter to hit at least 44 homers in a season, joining Mickey Mantle (twice), Lance Berkman and Chipper Jones.

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.

Toronto made a play for Shohei Ohtani last year and was in the mix for Juan Soto before he joined the New York Mets in December. The Blue Jays are looking to rebound after finishing last in the AL East in 2024 with a 74-88 record.

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 moves included trading for second baseman Andres Gimenez and reliever Nick Sandlin, both acquired from the Cleveland Guardians, and re-signing reliever Yimi Garcia.

With files from Jay Cohen of The Associated Press