TORONTO — The Blue Jays have finally found a finish line with a player who’s made sense all along, agreeing to terms on a five-year deal with outfielder Anthony Santander.
The deal was announced by the club late Monday as a five-year, $92.5 million contract, and according to Santander’s agency, it includes an opt-out for Santander with an escalated option provision that could bring the deal to six years and $110 million in total.
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Santander represents the immediate offensive boost the Blue Jays’ lineup needs and should slide in right behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is entering his final year of club control and is positioned for another big year. This offseason, Santander did just what Guerrero is hoping to do by hitting the market at exactly the right time.
Santander is no mystery to the Blue Jays or their fans, fresh off a 44-homer season with the Orioles. That power is real, delivering 28 and 33 home runs the two seasons prior, and that element is desperately needed in Toronto to complement a lineup that has otherwise focused more on contact. Once Juan Soto landed with the Mets in December, the Blue Jays shifted their attention to the second tier of hitters on the market, and it’s useful to compare Santander to old friend Teoscar Hernández, who was another option.
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