Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander (25) congratulates outfielder Daulton Varsho (5) after hitting home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning during spring training at TD Ballpark Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Anthony Santander: Orioles’ offer wasn’t even close

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation | By Ryley Delaney | Last updated Mar 13, 2025 7:00 PM ET

Anthony Santander is a Toronto Blue Jay.

On Thursday afternoon, Santander was asked by The Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer if there was any chance that the outfielder would sign the three-year deal the Baltimore Orioles offered. Santander noted that there was no chance and that it wasn’t close.

The Orioles offered Anthony Santander a 3-year contract. Was there any chance he was going to accept it?

“Nah. Zero chance. Zero chance at all. They make an offer, but it wasn’t even close. We get it. We understand. It’s a business side, Mike [Elias] is really smart about it.” pic.twitter.com/qffqqYL1zk

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 13, 2025

Santander wasn’t the only player the Orioles lost in free agency, as starting pitcher Corbin Burnes departed for the Arizona Diamondbacks while Danny Coulombe signed with the Minnesota Twins. To replace Santander, the Orioles signed Canadian outfielder Tyler O’Neill.

Now, O’Neill is a solid player as the 29-year-old slashed .241/.336/.511 and hit 31 home runs in 473 plate appearances with the Boston Red Sox, the second-best season of his career. However, Santander wasn’t just the Orioles’ best power-hitter last season but one of the best power-hitters in baseball last season.

Joining the Orioles in the 2016 Rule 5 draft, Santander made his big league debut the following season and eventually broke out with the team in 2022 where he hit 33 home runs with a 122 wRC+. Last season was his career-best though as Santander slashed .235/.308/.506 with 44 home runs in 665 plate appearances, finishing behind just Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani in the home run category.

In January, the Blue Jays and Santander agreed to a five-year, $92.5 million deal with deferrals, an opt-out after the 2027 season, and a team option for the 2030 season. The Blue Jays surrendered their 2025 second-round pick to sign the outfielder.

The Orioles lost Santander but the Blue Jays gained some sorely needed power with the signing. Last season, the Blue Jays hit 156 home runs, the fifth-fewest in the league and a far cry from their league-leading 262 home runs in 2021.

Hopefully, the Blue Jays can somehow find a way to extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and this team can contend for the duration of Santander’s contract.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

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