News and Notes: Angels and Blue Jays are seen as the front-runners to sign Anthony Santander

The off-season is nearly two months old and one big question persists: Where is Anthony Santander going to end up?

The Toronto Blue Jays’ interest in the power-hitting outfield is well-known. However, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Angels are the favourites to sign him, while the Detroit Tigers also have an interest as well.

Funnily enough, both the Jays and the Tigers had a 55-63 record on Aug. 10. One team (spoiler: not the Blue Jays) finished with a 31-13 record to make the postseason, followed by a two-game series sweep of the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Series. It makes sense that they’re interested in him, as they also have an interest in third baseman Alex Bregman.

The Angels are a curious case though, as they finished with a 63-99 record in 2024 after losing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani last off-season. Regardless, they’ve already made a surprising move this off-season, signing former Blue Jay Yusei Kikuchi.

Santander declined a qualifying offer, meaning the team that signs him will lose a draft pick and some international money. For a team that is in dire need of a rebuild, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Angels to sign him. You can make the same case for the Blue Jays if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and/or Bo Bichette aren’t re-signed as quickly as possible.

If the Jays lose out on Santander to the Angels, it may be time to burn it all down.

Josh Bell signs with the Nationals

Another free agent is off the board, as first baseman Josh Bell signed a one-year deal worth $6 million.