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Blue Jays zeroing in on Anthony Santander as pressure increases

Eric Cole
Eric Cole

Jays Journal

Wild Card Series - Kansas City Royals v Baltimore Orioles - Game 2 / Greg Fiume/GettyImages

The news that the Toronto Blue Jays missed out on Roki Sasaki was an absolute gut punch to a fanbase desperate for good news and a franchise that can't seem to make any of the moves they want to. However, that also radically increased the motivation (and, frankly, desperation) the Blue Jays have to close the deal on at least some of the moves they have been working on in the background.

One such target that is getting renewed focus is for free agent Anthony Santander. While not a perfect fit, as he has some real OBP and defensive questions, Santander is an impact bat that would certainly give Toronto a boost of power in their lineup.

While Toronto has had interest this offseason, there has seemingly been little in the way of progress towards an actual deal with Santander.

At least, that was the case before Sasaki ended up going to the Dodgers. Now, it appears as though the Blue Jays are moving with more urgency when it comes to Santander and they are making some progress towards getting a deal done.

Blue Jays making progress towards a deal with Anthony Santander

One thing to keep an eye on here is what sort of deal Santander is looking for at this juncture. While he initially was looking for a longer-term commitment earlier this offseason, there have been some whispers that he would take a short-term deal with a high AAV in the right situation. It is very unclear as to which sort of deal it would take for Santander to sign with the Blue Jays, but it is probably fair to guess that it wouldn't be at his original high price tag.

Would Santander solve all the Blue Jays' problems? No, he would not. He will almost certainly hit 30-40 homers, which is great, but that is pretty much all the value he would provide on the field, given his other deficiencies. That said, many have noted that Santander was an extremely positive influence in the Orioles' clubhouse over the years, and having a steady veteran voice in Toronto can only help their chances. Taking one from the Orioles also helps.

Importantly, Santander is not the only name mentioned in this report, as it also indicated that the Blue Jays are still engaged in Pete Alonso's market and are still looking for pitching help. That interest certainly doesn't mean that any deal of note is going to actually get done, as Blue Jays fans are far too aware, but it does seem like Toronto isn't giving up this offseason without a fight.

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Eric Cole

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.