MLB Free Agency Blog: Blue Jays make offer to Santander

Blue Jays make offer to Santander

The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly extended an offer to free agent Anthony Santander, per KPRC's Ari Alexander.

Alexander also notes that the Blue Jays are not alone in pursuit of the 29-year-old, with the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers also showing interest.

Santander slashed .235/.308/.506 last season, and set career-high marks with 44 home runs and 102 RBI to help him earn an All-Star selection and a Silver Slugger award.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported last week that the switch-hitting outfielder was looking for at least a five-year deal that eclipsed $100 million. 

The Margarita, Venezuela native would immediately bolster a Blue Jays lineup that lacked in power last season after finishing 26th in home runs across Major League Baseball. Santander has hit 105 homers in his last three seasons, the sixth-most of any hitter in the league during that span.

Santander came in at No. 9 on TSN's Top 75 MLB Free Agents List, and is the third-ranked hitter still on the market behind Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman.

In his first eight MLB seasons, Santander has posted a .246 batting average with 155 home runs and 435 RBI in 595 at-bats.

Arenado sees Red Sox as 'preferred destination'

After reportedly using his full no-trade clause to block a trade to the Houston Astros earlier this offseason, Nolan Arenado would be open to a potential trade to the Boston Red Sox, according to Mass.com's Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam.

Arenado, 33, sees Boston as a ''preferred destination - if not the preferred destination'' to be traded to per the report, although the team's interest level in the eight-time All-Star is currently unknown.

John Denton of MLB.com reported earlier in the offseason that Arenado would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for deals with the Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, or Philadelphia Phillies.

The Red Sox inked their current third baseman Rafael Devers to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract in Jan. 2022, but could opt to move the 28-year-old across the diamond to first base should a deal for Arenado, a 10-time Gold Glove winner at third base, materialize.

Boston's chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters in a media availability last week that he was seeking a ''right-handed bat out of the middle of the lineup'' to help balance out their lefty-heavy lineup featuring Devers, Jarren Duran, Triston Casas, Masataka Yoshida, and Wilyer Abreu, among others.

Arenado slashed .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs and 71 RBI in his fourth season with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is under contract with the team until after the 2027 season, when he will be 37 years old.

Blue Jays among five teams interested in Flaherty

The Toronto Blue Jays are among five teams that have shown interest in Jack Flaherty, according to a report by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. 

Flaherty, 29, is coming off of a bounce-back 2024 season that saw him post a 3.17 ERA with 194 strikeouts in 160.1 innings split between the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Feinsand lists the Blue Jays among five teams that ''remain in the mix'' for the right-hander, alongside the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Tigers.

After Corbin Burnes signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in a surprise move before the New Year, Flaherty is now the second-ranked free agent pitcher still on the market in TSN's Top 75 Free Agents List behind Roki Sasaki.

The Athletic's Will Sammon and Katie Woo reported last week that 2024 World Series winner is searching for a five-year term on his next contract, which would be tied for the lengthiest free-agent deal given to a starting pitcher in Blue Jays' history with Kevin Gausman (five-year, $110 million) in 2022 and Yariel Rodriguez (five-year, $32 million) in 2024.

Flaherty was not eligible for a qualifying offer following a mid-season trade, and is not tied to a compensatory draft pick in free agency.