The Toronto Blue Jays did their best Los Angeles Dodgers impression when they signed Anthony Santander this week, and not just by handing out a massive contract.
The Blue Jays on Monday signed Santander to a 5-year, $92.5 million contract. It will be a while before they pay the star outfielder the majority of the money, however.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Santander’s deal includes $61.75 million in deferred money. The present day value is $68.6 million, which represents a bargain at an average annual value of $13.7 million.
The Dodgers, of course, made the deferred money structure more popular when they signed Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million deal last offseason. Ohtani is set to make just $2 million per year while he plays for the Dodgers. He will receive the remaining $680 million in annual payments of $68 million from 2034 through 2043.
By deferring the majority of Ohtani’s contract, the Dodgers have given themselves more flexibility to spend money in the short term while Ohtani is still on their roster. They have certainly done that once again this offseason.
Santander, 30, has spent his entire MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles. He was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2024 on the strength of a 44-home-run, 102-RBI season, though he batted just .235. The switch hitter has been very reliable, appearing in at least 152 games in each of the last three seasons.
The Blue Jays won just 74 games last season and finished last in the AL East, but they have made some moves to improve this winter. They also acquired a three-time Gold Glove Award winner in a trade last month. The structure of Santander’s contract should allow them to make more additions in the near future.
