Blue Jays expected to land 1 All-Star slugger in free agency

Aug 14, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The Toronto Blue Jays logo during batting practice against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays’ long streak of free agent disappointments may soon be coming to (somewhat of) an end.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that the Blue Jays are “nearly everyone’s best guess” for the eventual landing spot of power-hitting right fielder Anthony Santander. Heyman notes too though that the Boston Red Sox are the industry’s next best guess after Toronto.

Santander, 30, was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2024 on the strength of a 44-home-run, 102-RBI season for the Baltimore Orioles (though on just a .235 batting average). The switch hitter remains unsigned though almost two whole months into free agency.

After whiffing in their pursuit of Juan Soto this offseason, the Blue Jays have not done a lot on the free agent market. But they did recently make a trade for a notable Gold Glover and could now be poised to secure a major power bat in Santander.