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Orioles used Blue Jays' free agency failure against them with 2025 MLB Draft steal

The Blue Jays' decision to sign Anthony Santander has already been questionable, and it may have gotten worse
ByJose Alfonso Taboada|
2025 MLB Draft
2025 MLB Draft | Jamie Squire/GettyImages

When the Toronto Blue Jays signed outfielder Anthony Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million deal in this past offseason, the Baltimore Orioles received a compensatory pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Santander originally rejected a qualifying offer from the Orioles which then in turn granted Baltimore to make that pick after the first round.

Unfortunately, Santander's 2025 hasn't panned out the way the Blue Jays where hoping for so far, and the Orioles may have just capitalized on that in the this years draft. With their second compensatory pick in the opening round, the Orioles selected Wehiwa Aloy, a 21-year-old shortstop from the University of Arkansas. Aloy was ranked 17th in MLB's Top 250 Draft Prospects.

Per The Athletic's Keith Law, Aloy was on the Blue Jays' radar, going into the draft. A lot of mock drafts had the Blue Jays taking a shortstop, which they did, getting Jojo Paker. That speculation was built around the fact that Toronto would focus on building their depth in the middle of the infield with shortstop Bo Bichette set to hit free agency at the end of the 2025 season.

Aloy began his collegiate baseball career at Sacramento State University, winning Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023. The Hawaiian native would then transfer to Arkansas, where he broke out in 2025, hitting 21 home runs with 68 RBIs in 65 games. Aloy would also go on to win the Golden Spikes and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.

Aloy is likely a long way from his MLB debut, but the Blue Jays have what suddenly feels like a long five-year commitment with Santander. The switch-hitting 30-year-old has a wRC+ of just 63 in the 50 games he has played this season.

It's one thing to lose out on a top prospect, it's another for said prospect to go to a division rival. The hope is that once Santander recovers from his multiple early season injuries, he can provide the power hitting the Blue Jays were looking for when they signed him.