Anthony Santander throws some shade at his former team.
The Baltimore Orioles saw a key part of their lineup depart this offseason when Anthony Santander signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The slugging outfielder, who had spent the past eight seasons with Baltimore, made it clear that the Orioles’ offer was nowhere near competitive.
Speaking after facing the Orioles for the first time in a spring training game, Santander was asked if there was any chance he would have accepted Baltimore’s offer. His response was blunt.
“Nah. Zero chance. Zero chance at all,” Santander said, per The Baltimore Sun. “They made an offer, but it wasn’t even close. We get it. We understand. It’s a business side. Mike [Elias] is really smart about it. We’re smart about it too. We had to be patient, and for us, Toronto just gave us an opportunity.”
Santander’s departure stings for an Orioles team that is coming off back-to-back playoff appearances. The switch-hitter is coming off a career-best season in which he slugged 44 home runs, earned his first All-Star selection, and won a Silver Slugger award.
Losing such a productive bat in the middle of the lineup is a tough blow, but the Orioles had already signaled their willingness to move on by signing outfielder Tyler O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal in December.
Anthony Santander starts new journey with Blue Jays
Baltimore also has high expectations for young outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad, and the team is confident that its deep farm system will provide internal replacements. Still, letting go of a player like Santander, who was a key contributor during the franchise’s rebuild and resurgence, is not easy.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, who coached Santander for nearly his entire big-league career, admitted it felt strange to see him in a Blue Jays uniform.
“I don’t like seeing him in blue,” Hyde said. “He’s one of my favorite players I’ve ever had. I love everything about the guy.”
Santander’s path to becoming a major league star was anything but conventional.
The Orioles selected him in the Rule 5 Draft in 2016, and he gradually developed into a cornerstone of the franchise. His perseverance through multiple 100-loss seasons made Baltimore’s recent success even sweeter.
“When you go through free agency, you want to stay with the team that gave you the opportunity,” Santander said.
“But at the same time, it’s a business. Just looking forward to playing the next five years against them.”
Santander’s presence in Toronto adds another layer to an already fierce AL East rivalry.
The Orioles will face the Blue Jays at least 13 times this season, starting with Opening Day on March 27.
“It’s not going to be fun playing against him because he’s so good,” Hyde added. “They got a quality person and a quality player over there. It’s going to be hard to face him.
He’s dangerous from both sides, and we know him so well. Hopefully, we pitch well against him.” Santander may no longer be wearing Orioles orange, but he left an undeniable mark on the franchise. Now, Baltimore will have to find a way to replace his production while trying to contain him as an opponent.
