Where does Blue Jays' Anthony Santander signing rank among Ross Atkins' best moves?

Anthony Santander is a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, and we should give credit where credit is due. Jays General Manger Ross Atkins needed to make a move like this, and he did so with a sneaky bit of financial wizardry. He got Santander to sign on the dotted line for $92.5 million over five years, but with an impressive amount of that money being deferred each season.

Even though, as one insider has already pointed out, it is a move that could backfire, Santander currently projects to make the Blue Jays a much better team at the onset of the 2025 season. If Santander does go on to put up big power numbers in a Blue Jays lineup that needs it, this could end up being one of the best moves of Atkins' tenure as GM. As of this moment, where would it rank among some of the other good deals he’s made?

With the benefit of hindsight, lets go back and examine the moves Atkins has engineered that truly made the Blue Jays a better team.

Best moves of Ross Atkins' career as Blue Jays GM

Pitching helps the Blue Jays return to the playoffs:

Atkins made some impressive moves during his first trade deadline as GM in Toronto. Those moves included:

May 31, 2016: Blue Jays receive Jason Grilli from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Sean Ratcliffe.

July 26, 2016: Blue Jays receive Joaquin Benoit from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Drew Storen.

August 1, 2016: Blue Jays receive Francisco Liriano, Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez from Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Drew Hutchison

Grilli and Benoit were instrumental in providing the Blue Jays with help in the bullpen. Grilli had a 118 ERA+ with 58 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched with the team. Benoit had a ridiculous ERA of 0.38 in 23.2 innings and held opposing hitters to a .205 batting average. They combined for a 2.0 WAR.

Liriano, at 32 years old, pitched like he was 22 all over again. In eight starts, Liriano was excellent, holding batters to a .288 OBP with a 25% strikeout rate, and allowing more than two earned runs just twice, pitching 6+ innings in six of those games. Atkins gave up Hutchison, who was not good with the Pirates, throwing just 11 innings with an ERA of 5.56 in the 'Burgh.

The fact that Atkins managed to also pry McGuire and Ramirez out of Pittsburgh’s system was an absolute steal at the time. McGuire was ranked as the Pirates' No. 8 prospect, while Ramirez was ranked ninth.