LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 29: Manager John Schneider #14 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on before game five of the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
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The Toronto Blue Jays are clearly focused on adding to their roster than subtracting after coming within one run of winning the World Series championship.
The team has signed free agents Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce already and they seem likely to add to the bullpen and potentially welcome franchise shortstop Bo Bichette back with a new contract.
However, at some point in the near future, they could be looking to move some players off of the roster to make more room for additions.
Most notably, the new pitchers seem to have made two-time All-Star Jose Berrios an odd man out of the rotation. That could eventually drive a trade, even if the Blue Jays have to eat some of his remaining contract. And Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith fueled some speculation that the team could also look to move slugger Anthony Santander after his first season with the team proved to be a major disappointment.
“Both players are fully capable of rebounding, but their contracts are now considered ‘underwater,’ to borrow jargon preferred by executives,” Nicholson-Smith wrote. “While their stance on Santander is less clear (than on Berrios), the overall picture emerging is one where the Blue Jays are prioritizing the quality of next year’s roster over past production.”
Following that report, Newsweek’s Aaliyan Mohammaed noted that “the Blue Jays are operating with little attachment to last year’s roster, which puts Santander at risk of being moved.”
But the team’s manager, while speaking at the Winter Meetings, sent a message that should put any speculation that the team will move on from the slugger this winter to rest.
“Tony is going to be huge for us,” John Schneider said, per The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon.
Schneider added that Santander has recovered from the back and shoulder injuries that derailed his first year with the Blue Jays. Santander slashed just .175/.271/.294 and wasn’t a factor in the playoffs as he played in only 54 games due to the injuries. This was a stark dropoff compared to the .235/.308/.506 slash line he posted with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024.
Following up an excruciating World Series loss with an aggressive offseason and a laser focus on next year’s roster is an admirable approach from the Blue Jays. But moving on from Santander at this point would require them to sell so low on the slugger that it is likely untenable, even if the team is exhausting every possible option to get better.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2025/12/10/blue-jays-john-schneider-sends-anthony-santander-message-after-trade-speculation/
