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Manager John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays
Until the final three innings of Game 7 of the World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays‘ season could not be said to contain many disappointments. The Jays took the American League East pennant with 94 wins, more than any other team in the AL.
The lone Canada-based franchise in MLB powered through the playoffs, surviving a seven-game duel with the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS before coming just two outs short of locking up the third World Series win in franchise history before it all fell apart.
Even with the World Series defeat, Toronto’s season cannot be said to be anything less than a success. Just last year the Jays finished with a sub-.500 record, and it was as recently as 2019 that the Blue Jays bottomed out with a 95-loss season. So a trip to the World Series can’t be judged a letdown.
Nonetheless, there was one serious disappointment for the Blue Jays this year, and that came in the form of the team’s prized free agent acquisition from last offseason who simply did not live up to the $92.5 million contract they gave him, or even come close.
Injuries Destroyed All-Star’s Campaign
Anthony Santander, who was an All-Star with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, blasting 44 home runs — second in the AL behind the New York Yankees‘ Aaron Judge (58) — signed with the Blue Jays after his career year and promptly began to suffer from multiple injuries.
First it was a shoulder injury that kept him out from May 30 until he was able to return with only four games remaining in the regular season.
Next, it was some sort of back “tightness” that ruled the 30-year-old out of the second game in the ALCS. The injury forced the Blue Jays to drop Santander from the roster for that series, which under MLB rules eliminated him from eligibility to play in the World Series as well.
In all, the season was a total bust for Santander, who stroked only six home runs with a .565 OPS in 221 plate appearances all season, and his five-year contract paying him $18.5 million per year was looking like a complete debacle.
But his manager still has faith in Santander, and delivered that message on Tuesday.
Schneider’s 8-Word Message For Star Slugger
Speaking to reporters at baseball’s annual Winter Meetings, Blue Jays fifth-year skipper John Schneider made a prediction that stood in direct contradiction to recent reports that the team might look to dump Santander, likely through a trade.
“Tony is going to be huge for us,” Schneider predicted, as reported by The Athletic Blue Jays correspondent Mitch Bannon.
Why was Schneider so optimistic about “Tony,” despite Santander’s thoroughly underwhelming 2025? Simply put, Santander is healthy again, at least according to the manager who placed second in AL Manager of the Year voting.
Santander Restored to Health, Schneider Says
“Shoulder is good. Back is good,” Schneider said of the Blue Jays outfielder, as quoted by Blue Jays Central. “He’s just feeling normal.”
What Schneider did not mention, however, is how the Blue Jays’ pursuit of free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker could affect Santander’s status.
Tucker’s “contract and left-handed bat would likely displace Santander from the roster if a signing comes to fruition,” wrote Brandon Glick of Jays Journal on Thursday.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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