Kyle Tucker whiff puts Toronto-sized spotlight on Anthony Santander

For a while there, it felt like the Toronto Blue Jays were really going to land Kyle Tucker. They were the only team to offer deals at the length which Tucker was asking for, and they clearly had the green light to spend this offseason after adding Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto.

Then, like Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki before him, Tucker eschewed Canada for the warmth (and money) of Los Angeles.

That's a lot of cash to give to one player, even as good as Tucker. Including deferrals and luxury tax payments, the Dodgers will spend roughly $120 million on the right fielder alone in 2026. Complain all you want about the Blue Jays not landing him, but that's an absurd amount of money to have tied up in just 1/26 of your team.

In conjunction with their whiff on Bo Bichette, it's easy to say that the Blue Jays missed their best chance to significantly upgrade the offense this offseason. Now, they'll need to hope for some in-house improvements, especially from their biggest bounce-back candidate.

Anthony Santander can't replace Bo Bichette, but Blue Jays need him at his best in 2026

Santander signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract in free agency last winter after a 44-homer campaign with the Baltimore Orioles, only to debut in Toronto with arguably the worst season of his career, hitting .175/.271/.294 with just six home runs in 221 plate appearances. His 61 wRC+ was his lowest since 2018, and his -0.9 fWAR was his worst mark ever.

In fairness, the 31-year-old outfielder struggled with shoulder and back problems all season. The good news on that front is that manager John Schneider has already confirmed that Santander is back to full health and is progressing well ahead of spring training.

Even at his best, Santander is a far cry from the well-rounded Tucker; whereas the Blue Jays' slugger makes his money exclusively at the dish, the Dodgers' newest star is brilliant on the basepaths and with the glove as well. In order to earn his keep in Toronto, Santander will need to go back to being the middle-of-the-order threat he was with the Orioles.

From 2020-24, he posted a 118 wRC+ or higher in four out of five campaigns, and he hit at least 28 home runs in each of the latter three seasons in that sample. That's the player the Blue Jays bought in free agency, and that's the player they'll need to make up for the loss of Bichette to the Mets.

It may be a lot to ask of an older outfielder with an injury history, but as one of five players on the team set to make more than $20 million in 2026, Anthony Santander will need to carry a huge load in the Blue Jays' lineup to keep the team atop the AL East.