The MLB offseason is far from over, but it hasn’t been a great season yet for the Toronto Blue Jays.
If you were super enthusiastic about the Andres Jimenez/Nick Sandlin trade and Yimi Garcia signing, you could dispute that statement, but the doubters would be in the minority. After an 88-loss season, the Blue Jays reportedly face a huge gap in negotiations with a foundational player and have yet to sign an impact free agent — though they have already done so. Sufficient efforts were made.
There are still some quality free agents left. However, the word “couple” in this sentence is not far from the literal meaning. The trade market is always rich in theory, but the Blue Jays’ middling farm system leaves them with limited leverage at the table.
All in all, it’s a tough situation, but there’s one player in particular who has the ability to shake up the team’s offseason in a way that no one else can: Anthony Santander.
Let’s take a step back.
Santander is not a perfect player, nor is he a cheat code whose presence guarantees the team’s ability to compete. For example, he may offer less overall value than Alex Bregman, but he’s the best player on an MLB team.
What we’re talking about here is the idea of ​​team building around strengths and weaknesses, and how well Santander (who the Blue Jays have reportedly made an offer to) would fit perfectly with the team Toronto has built thus far.
To be fair, building a balanced team is not a universally accepted goal. You might say that talent accumulation is what really matters. The Blue Jays underwent a mini-transformation between 2022 and 2023, swapping limited right-handed strength on defense for more lefties in the lineup and better glove work, arguably in the name of balance.
It didn’t elicit rave reviews.
On the other hand, when the Blue Jays acquired Jimenez, they came under scrutiny for adding a player who has objectively provided a ton of value in recent years but is similar to other defense-first players on the roster.
Perception of the move could change significantly if the Blue Jays add Santander to the mix, as he’s almost the polar opposite of Jimenez. Among the 129 qualified hitters last season, the former ranked third in homers (44), and only six players had fewer at-bats than the latter (9). Meanwhile, Jimenez ranks ninth in total defensive rating (+15.7 points) and Santander ranks 96th (-9.5).
If you were told the Blue Jays made two key additions this offseason, a no-power player and a questionable outfielder, you probably wouldn’t be excited, but the Jimenez/Santander combo is solid .
Here’s what it’s been like over the past two seasons:
These aren’t superstar numbers, but they are a pair of above-average starters with average home run totals in the mid-20s and above-average contributions on both offense and defense.
The 2023 production resembles two Matt Chapman productions…
…Last year, we were not far away from having two better defensive players in Tyler Ward:
Considering Chapman earned himself a $151 million contract through the 2023 season, Taylor Ward Highly sought after He could give a contender a boost this offseason, and a general manager who can clone either one of them and add both to their roster will receive huge praise.
More of the praise will relate to the successful clone than the baseball trade, but it’s still good business.
The idea isn’t to congratulate the Blue Jays on a pending move or make broad claims about an offseason that’s looking bleak as time goes on. It’s interesting that having one free agent target at a position of need in the outfield tempers what Toronto has done so far in such an obvious way.
Since teams may be placing too much emphasis on glove players, they have the opportunity to explore players whose lack of defensive value may make them less attractive. Santander is the cleanest team left and arguably has been for some time.
There’s a big difference between identifying a player who will perform well for your team and agreeing to sign a contract with him. The Blue Jays have lived with that gap all winter.
