The Blue Jays came up short on most (but not all) of their many pursuits of star free agents this winter, and the ship may have already sailed on the team's efforts to sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a contract extension. Amidst all the pessimism surrounding the Jays' future, the team did make some notable moves to try and reload the roster after a disappointing 2024 campaign.
Major League Signings
- Anthony Santander, OF: Five years, $92.5MM (includes buyout of $15MM club option for 2030; opt-out after 2027 season, but Blue Jays can void opt-out by guaranteeing 2030 option for $17.5MM salary, and adding $2.5MM to 2028 and 2029 salaries; $61.75MM of Santander's deal is deferred)
- Jeff Hoffman, RP: Three years, $33MM
- Max Scherzer, SP: One year, $15.5MM
- Yimi Garcia, RP: Two years, $15MM
- Dillon Tate, RP: One-year split contract, $1.4MM (prorated over Tate's time on the active roster)
- Josh Walker, RP: One year split contract, $760K (prorated over Walker's time on active roster)
2025 spending: $59MM (not counting Tate/Walker)
Total spending: $156MM
Option Decisions
- None
Trades & Claims
- Acquired 2B Andres Gimenez and RP Nick Sandlin from Guardians for 1B Spencer Horwitz and minor league OF Nick Mitchell
- Acquired OF Myles Straw, $3.75MM in cash considerations, and $2MM of international bonus pool money from Guardians for cash considerations or a player to be named later
- Claimed RHP Angel Bastardo from Red Sox in Rule 5 Draft
Notable Minor League Signings
- Ryan Yarbrough, Jacob Barnes, Christian Bethancourt, Richard Lovelady, Eric Lauer, Amir Garrett, Ali Sanchez, Michael Stefanic, Adam Kloffenstein
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Horwitz, Jordan Romano, Genesis Cabrera, Brett de Geus, Luis De Los Santos, Paolo Espino, Brandon Eisert
Toronto hitters combined for only 156 home runs and a .389 slugging percentage in 2024, so a 44-homer bat like Anthony Santander should bring some much-needed thunder to the lineup. The Blue Jays made a hefty $92.5MM investment that Santander can build on the career year that saw him hit .235/.308/.506 over 665 plate appearances for the Orioles, while handily topping his previous high of 33 homers (in 2022).
Santander's overall hitting profile is a concern, as evidenced by the low batting average and OBP. However, Santander still posted an above-average walk rate despite the low on-base number, and his strikeout rate remained above average in 2024 even though chasing pitches has been an issue for his entire career. The switch-hitter is certainly a power-first (if not quite a power-only) type of batter, yet the profile fits for a Jays team lacking in pop and in left-handed hitting balance.
Santander will step right into the lineup as the everyday left fielder, and he'll probably get a decent share of DH time given that his glovework is considered only passable. As defense-focused as the Blue Jays have been over the last couple of years, they continued to move in that direction with a surprising trade for arguably the sport's best defensive second baseman.
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
Missed out on a 3B and a DH. This is going to be a long season.
Seems like Varsho may be DHing for a while and Springer will gets lots of AB’s there as well. Myles Straw is actually having a really good spring so maybe that will carry over to the regular season. At 3B, Addison Barger, Ernie Clement, and Orelvis Martinez are all having decent springs and perhaps one of the kids (Barger, Martinez) steps up and claims the job this season
@Rsox
Not much publically available advanced stats for minor leagues but for context, Martinez has over 50 errors in less than 200 games at AAA. That’s a DH’s glove.
Its tough to “miss out” on the DH. Lots of teams cycle players thru there.
As for 3B, Clement put up a 3.4 WAR in a little less than a season. Thats a decent base to work from. And they have Wagner, Orelvis, Barger to develop there. I think Wagner has a real chance. He can hit and apparently has a pretty good arm
To me the biggest fail of Atkins is his inability to keep things in house (they are in every fricken rumour) and the lousy farm system.
@Ducey
Wagner doesn’t have the arm for 3B (a 40 or 45 on his 20/80). While his Hit tool is above MLB grade, his Power tool is below MLB grade. Not ideal for a 3B but best suited for a PH. Martinez just can’t field (see reply to Rsox). Add to that he has a 40% wiff rate on bendy pitches. He’s not going to see a fastball if he’s on the 26.
Most of Clement’s WAR was with the glove. By wRC+ he was average to below average. Great for a utility player, as a starter, not so much to meh.
I like Barger the best, but he’s a huge gamble for a team with playoff aspirations.
they can give this team one more shot at a title.at worst, if it doesnt work by midseason.then trade and sell everyone worth value at the trade deadline and have a fire sale.until then,see how it goes.
@slimray
“they can give this team one more shot at a title.at worst”. PECOTA has them winning 84/85 games. That gives them a shot at getting a wildcard spot, at best.
Very much a C-grade offsets.
Still didnt get another bat…not sure what they are doing.
Guerrero and Bichette will both be gone after this season (if not before) and Kirk, Varsho, and Kevin Gausman will be gone after next. They will be unrecognizable after 2026. That’s a lot of freed up payroll and a lot of turnover.
@RotiniRick
If there’s a serious injury to Gausman, Berrios, or Bassett I’d expect the Jays to be taking calls from other teams.
I’d be surprised if at least one of Varsho or Kirk weren’t extended by then, unless they decide to go full scale rebuild.
Could easily see it Jdgoat. They have the money. It will be interesting to see which way they go.
Mr. Polishek writes well. But here he flails at a pitch in the dirt:
“Santander’s overall hitting profile is a concern, as evidenced by the low batting average and OBP. However, Santander still posted an above-average walk rate despite the low on-base number…”
This is a contorted way to say, “His batting average is pretty bad”, which we knew already.
For 15 year deal that Vlad wants, they were off by $50 million. $3.33 mil a season. That’s a below-average backup catcher. A 7th inning reliever. For 15 seasons (the first 5 of those 15 seasons before the price goes up). Atkins has to go.