General manager Ross Atkins might have started the off-season by claiming that power was “low-hanging fruit” but this week he essentially admitted what everyone else knew: The Blue Jays’Â lineup was in desperate need of more home runs.
The Jays got the big bat they were looking for Monday. It wasn’t the superstar they wanted in Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto, but it was a guy who has gone deep at least 28 times in each of the last three years. Not even Vladimir Guerrero Jr. can claim that.
Based on the team’s numerous pursuits of other players, Anthony Santander clearly wasn’t the Jays’ main priority this winter. Yet, outside of the top tier of free agents, he was the most obvious match and, as their alternatives began to dwindle, the Jays pounced on the player affectionately known as Tony Taters.
“Anthony is about as good of a fit as we can find,” Atkins said during a news conference over Zoom to announce Santander’s five-year contract. “Doing it from both sides of the plate. Putting the ball in the seats at a very regular amount. His ability to do damage on a nightly basis is exactly what we were looking for.”
The Jays’ offence didn’t stand a chance until the deficiencies in the middle of its lineup were resolved. The club ranked 23rd with 4.14 runs per game last year and Guerrero was the only player to surpass 20 homers. With an aging pitching staff, the need for reliable production is only set to increase.
The No. 4 spot is typically reserved for one of the team’s best hitters and yet the Jays performed worse there than almost anywhere else. A revolving door of players combined to produce a .688 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, the third-lowest in the majors. Their 12 homers ranked last.
Santander slugged nearly four times that number on his own. The tradeoff is that he doesn’t do a lot of other things well: He’s a defensive liability, is slow on the basepaths and has a below-average on-base percentage. But the Jays signed him to swing for the fences and that’s what he intends to do.
“I’m looking forward to playing with Vladdy,” Santander said. “I don’t know where (manager John Schneider) is going to put us in the lineup, if I’m going to hit in front or behind him. I’m sure it’s going to be a powerful duo. I know we’re going to do a lot of damage.”
What’s unclear is how long they’ll be together. While Santander is signed through 2029, Guerrero is eligible to become a free agent in the fall. Guerrero has set the start of spring training as the deadline for contract talks, but that topic was off-limits to reporters Tuesday.
Atkins sidestepped questions about Guerrero’s future because he wanted the focus to remain on Santander. It was an understandable approach for a front office that has been drowning in negative attention. The narrative for over a year has been about the Jays’ inability to sign top players. This was a rare opportunity to celebrate someone saying yes.
According to Atkins, Santander had been a top focus for months. To back it up, he told a story about how the Jays had been keeping a jersey with Santander’s name on it since the start of the off-season. Left unsaid was how many others received the same treatment before signing elsewhere.
One might wonder if Santander had been such a priority, why did it take this long to get him signed? Atkins pointed to the complex negotiations: The Jays deferred approximately $35 million, which makes the present-day value of the deal closer to five years and $70 million, while Santander also secured a player opt-out after 2027.
“Like any negotiation, there’s always back and forth, and also a lot of respect for what that process means for someone who is a free agent and wanting them to have a full understanding of the market,” Atkins said. “It was a very thorough process, with a lot of man hours and an incredible commitment from Anthony.”
When Atkins made the “low-hanging fruit” comment, he wasn’t trying to dismiss the importance of power. He was trying to say that home runs were just one part of the package. They weren’t going to solve all the Jays problems, they needed to be accompanied by other skill sets.
Santander doesn’t offer much else, but the Jays still have time to add. Free-agent outfielder Jurickson Profar would be a better fit for the leadoff spot than George Springer. First baseman Pete Alonso offers more power and a decent walk rate. Third baseman Alex Bregman does a bit of everything. And there’s room for another starting pitcher.
There are lots of things the Jays can do over the next couple weeks to improve but, before this team could be taken even somewhat seriously in the AL East, it needed to add a reputable cleanup hitter. That addition finally happened this week. The rest of the roster remains a work in progress.
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