"All Indications" That Santander To Wind Up With "Non-Contending Team"

The biggest bats on the free agent market remain Pete Alonso and Anthony Santander. And while many still believe that Alonso winds up with his incumbent team, the New York Mets, the same can't be said for the former Baltimore Orioles slugger Santander. He is definitely heading to a new location.

According to former MLB GM and now baseball insider for The Athletic, Jim Bowden, he says that "all indications" are that Santander will have to sign with "a non-contending team" in order to get his long-term contract. And Bowden feels that the frontrunner is the Toronto Blue Jays. Yup—that fits with the narrative of a non-contending team.

Where will free agent Anthony Santander end up?

"There is a lot of buzz in the industry about the Blue Jays being all-in on him," says @JimBowdenGM.

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— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) January 6, 2025

"There is a lot of buzz in the industry about the Blue Jays being all-in on him," while also noting that the LA Angels and San Francisco Giants (two more non-contenders) appear to be considering him as well.

The Jays have had plenty of big-name free agents turn down their offers already this winter... Will Santander buck the trend?

Free agents are no doubt looking, in addition to the money, at the long-term viability of a team's chances to win, and Toronto is far from being viable on that front.

With their two remaining stars, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, heading into their final year of team control before hitting free agency, and a very weak farm system, the team's future seems bleak. But sometimes (actually, most of the time) money talks.

This is Santander's big chance to cash in at the age of 30. If Toronto can take some of those many multi-millions that they've already offered the likes of Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Teoscar Hernandez, and top everyone else's offers for Santander, perhaps he'll bite.

The former Oriole hit a career-high 44 home runs with 102 RBIs last season, earning him his first All-Star selection as well as a Silver Slugger award in the outfield. Never mind his .235 average, he posted a robust 134 OPS+.