Anthony Santander spent the first eight years of his career with the Baltimore Orioles, eventually developing into one of the best outfielders in the American League. Watching him depart in free agency, especially to join an AL East rival in the Toronto Blue Jays, undoubtedly stung for Orioles fans. In hindsight, though, the Orioles might be better off without him. Santander's stock has fallen exponentially from the moment the ink dried on his Blue Jays contract.
Santander signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Blue Jays, giving them what they thought would be a big bat to plug behind the dynamic duo of Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in their lineup.
Instead, what they've gotten so far is a below-average hitter and overall player.
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Blue Jays need much more from Anthony Santander than what they've gotten
Santander is slashing .192/.272/.325 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 38 games played. Among the 164 qualified position players, Santander's 72 WRC+ is tied for 141st. His -0.4 fWAR has him tied for 154th. He has, objectively, been one of the worst position players in the game thus far, and yet, he's hit third in every game he's appeared in, behind Guerrero, Toronto's best player.
To put it plainly, Toronto needs much more from Santander than what it's gotten thus far. I will say that it's only mid-May of his first year north of the border, so Santander has plenty of time to get things turned around, but right now, it's hard for Jays fans to be excited by what they've seen.
What's frustrating about this outcome is that Santander felt like a perfect fit on paper. Sure, he might not be a great defender, but the Jays are arguably the best defensive team in the majors. What they needed was a big power bat, and that's what Santander, a 30-year-old who hit 44 home runs last season and averaged 35 long balls in his final three seasons with Baltimore, was supposed to provide.
The Orioles have their own long list of problems. Santander's replacement, Tyler O'Neill, has underwhelmed thus far in Baltimore. Still, while this season has been a disastrous one for the Orioles, letting Santander go feels like the right call in hindsight right now.