Aggressive AL East Team Has Extended Offer to Baltimore Orioles Slugger

One of the more aggressive AL East teams has reportedly made their offer to former Baltimore Orioles star slugger.

Jul 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander (25) celebrates hitting a seventh inning solo home run against the San Diego Padres at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles knew they would have their hands full this winter if they were going to stay competitive in the AL East, and so far, their newfound money that was brought on by the change in ownership has allowed them to land some high-profile names.

With Anthony Santander and Corbin Burnes hitting the open market, the expectation was they wouldn't be able to retain either of them. And while that's looking like the case considering the Orioles already signed Tyler O'Neill and Burnes inked a deal elsewhere, they've also handed out some of the most lucrative deals to free agents in franchise history.

But still, it's clear Baltimore doesn't quite have the ability to compete for expensive players like other teams around the league, especially in a competitive division consisting of three major market teams.

One of those teams, the Toronto Blue Jays, is searching for a way to get this core group of players over the hump.

They've been trying to land stars in free agency, but have yet to land the "big fish."

That could be coming this time around, though, with them heavily going after Orioles slugger Anthony Santander to get his power bat into their lineup.

After continued reports of interest from the Blue Jays, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reported they have now extended an offer to the star player.

"Both the Tigers and Blue Jays also have interest in outfielder Anthony Santander, with the Blue Jays having an offer in, a league source tells KPRC 2," he writes.

While the Detroit Tigers are a club to watch in the race for the power hitter, all reports are indicating they are more focused on handing elite third baseman Alex Bregman a contract to overhaul their third base position than bringing in Santander.

Toronto, on the other hand, needs a star.

They have come up short in their quest to bring another elite player into the mix alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. While they did previously do that with George Springer, he hasn't quite been what they were envisioning.

However, adding Santander, who is coming off the best offensive performance at the plate in his career, would certainly boost that lineup and create an offense that would better compete in the AL East.

The Orioles would hate to see their star end up with the Blue Jays, but considering they already pivoted to O'Neill and were more focused on re-signing Burnes than Santander, there's a chance they will be competing with their former slugger for division titles during the next half-decade.