Blue Jays payroll flexibility after Santander signing
Photo credit: Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays held their introductory press conference for high profile free agent acquisition Anthony Santander on Tuesday. According to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, Ross Atkins made it clear that the Toronto Blue Jays still have payroll space even after signing Santander.
The Toronto Blue Jays dipped narrowly below the luxury tax threshold last year. They're well beyond the $241MM base number this season.
According to FanGraphs-RosterResource, it calculates Toronto's CBT figure around $263MM - $2MM above the second penalization tier.
That includes an $18.5MM estimate for Santander, though the deferrals in his contract are expected to push the «true» average annual value closer to $14MM.
That could drop the Toronto Blue Jays back into the first tier once the Santander terms are fully reported, but any acquisition of significance is likely to push them back into the second tier.
Toronto will pay a 20% tax on spending between $241MM and $261MM and will be taxed at a 32% rate for spending between $261MM and $281MM.
The penalties escalate further if they go past $281MM, which would also push their top pick in the 2026 draft back by 10 spots.
The Toronto Blue Jays are not done adding, with position players and pitchers both on their radar following the acquisition of Santander, the third biggest free-agent deal in franchise history behind George Springer and Kevin Gausman.
The free-agent market is still full of names who would help, including first baseman Pete Alonso and outfielder Jurickson Profar, and Toronto remains involved in the market for a veteran starter.
Ross Atkins said that the Toronto Blue Jays are working «around the clock» to continue to add to the team, and even after Santander's deal, the club has the financial flexibility to push further.
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