In fact, Santander wasn't a priority. TOR turned around when Theosca, whom he met first, stayed in LAD
Jan 21, 2025
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Toronto announced on the 21st (Korea time) that it has agreed to a five-year, $92.5 million contract with Anthony Santander.
His agency Beverly Hills Sports Council confirmed that the contract included opt-out rights, and that size would grow to six years and $110 million once the club's options are implemented in 2030 under the terms of the salary escalators.
Santander is the third FA hired by Toronto this winter after right-hander Jeff Hoffman ($33 million for three years) and right-hander Lee Mi-García ($15 million for two years). It is also the highest ransom among fielders signed by Toronto since George Springer ($125 million for six years) in 2021.
In other words, Toronto recently suffered the bad luck of being turned away at the last minute even after struggling to get the FA it wanted in the offseason.
Toronto has been scrambling for the FA that it wanted so badly in the last two years, but not a single one has succeeded. Ohtani in 2023 and Juan Soto in 2024, Corbyn Burns and Sasaki Loki are the big-name FA Toronto missed even after advancing to the final stage of negotiations.
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However, after missing Soto, Toronto reportedly contacted Teoscar Hernández, the same outfielder, first before Santander.
Hernandez signed a three-year, $66 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 28. The Sinning Bonus is $23 million, and a club option of $23.5 million was added in 2028. Toronto also had enough conditions to offer. leave Hernandez behindJuss and Toronto and the Boston Red Sox competed.
At the time, Canadian media SportsNet reported that the Blue Jays and Red Sox were connected to Hernandez, but now they have to change direction and find another power-heating outfielder.The Blue Jays actively sought to recruit Hernandez, who is also a close friend of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whom Toronto is discussing this winter's extension contract with 'Hernandez was a player who would fill the Blue Jays' big void. Toronto has been desperately looking for a power heater outfielder since trading him to the Seattle Mariners after the 2022 season, he wrote.
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In other words, Toronto's priority for outfielders was Hernandez, not Santander, and it must have been more painful for him to hold the Dodgers' hand on a three-year contract.
Toronto is nothing short of Hernandez's home. I worked from 2017 to 2022. It was in Toronto in 2018 that he started his prime. In 2021, he hit a career high with a batting average of 0.296, 32 homers, 116 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.870 . But Toronto sent him to Seattle in November 2022. It was a condition of receiving Adam Mako and Eric Swanson. Although reinforcing the bullpen was desperate, it was a difficult trade to understand that he sent a big gun that could hit 30 home runs in a season.
Hernandez marked a career-high 192 home runs, OPS 0.808, OPS+ 121, and Santander marked 155 home runs, OPS 0.776 and OPS+ 114, respectively. It is attractive that Santa Dare is a switch heater and two years younger, but Hernandez is ahead of him in recent performances.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
