In 'emotional' day, Santander faces Orioles for 1st time since offseason departure

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- As Anthony Santander peered into the left-field bullpen at TD Ballpark on Thursday afternoon, he saw some familiar faces. The 30-year-old outfielder fist-bumped Orioles catching instructor Tim Cossins and right-hander Bryan Baker. Santander later waved to two other relievers -- Yennier Cano and Cionel P¨¦rez.

¡°I¡¯m happy to say 'Hi' to my old teammates,¡± Santander later said with a wide smile.

At the same time, it was a bit of a weird feeling for Santander, who signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract with the Blue Jays in January. Toronto's 6-4 win over the Orioles on Thursday may have only been an exhibition contest, but it marked the first time Santander played in a game against the O¡¯s, his team for his first eight MLB seasons from 2017-24.

Santander loved the Orioles, who selected him out of Cleveland¡¯s farm system in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft and gave him his first opportunity to be a big league player. ¡°Tony Taters¡± went on to become a fan favorite in Baltimore, for which he clubbed 155 home runs, including a career-high 44 during the 2024 season.

So what was it like for Santander to bat against a former teammate -- left-handed starter Cade Povich, who was a rookie last year -- and see the Orioles¡¯ orange uniforms on the other side?

¡°Kind of emotional, you know? First time, even in Spring Training games,¡± said Santander, who went 1-for-4 with a seventh-inning single off Baker. ¡°Going to face them a lot, so I have to feel comfortable for now, for the next five years when I¡¯m going to face them.¡±

Thursday was also a bit emotional for O¡¯s manager Brandon Hyde, who took the helm ahead of the 2019 season and grew an affinity for Santander. The powerful switch-hitter had a ton of potential at that time, and Hyde quickly took notice of the Venezuelan during his first spring as skipper.

Hyde watched as Santander overcame adversity and injuries early in his MLB career, then became an All-Star and Silver Slugger during what ended up being the final year of his tenure with the Orioles.

¡°It¡¯s not going to be fun playing against him, because he¡¯s so good. They got a quality person and a quality player over there,¡± Hyde said. ¡°He¡¯s one of my favorite players that I¡¯ve ever had, have ever been around.¡±

There¡¯s a lot to like about Santander, both on and off the field.

¡°I love everything about the guy,¡± Hyde said. ¡°I love his family, his parents, they were around all the time.¡±

Maybe not one thing, though.

¡°I don¡¯t like seeing him in blue,¡± Hyde joked.

It became apparent early in the offseason that Santander¡¯s time in Baltimore could be ending. In December, the O¡¯s signed outfielder Tyler O¡¯Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal, giving them a powerful right-handed bat in their corner-outfield rotation.

The Orioles also want to give lefty slugger Heston Kjerstad (a former top prospect and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft) a greater opportunity in the Majors in 2025.

Santander reportedly received a three-year offer from Baltimore later in the winter. However, Toronto ended up giving Santander a contract that he could not refuse.

¡°When you go through free agency, you want to stay on the team that gave you the opportunity,¡± Santander said. ¡°But at the same time, it¡¯s a business. ...

¡°They made an offer, but it wasn¡¯t even close. We get it, we understand. It¡¯s the business side. [Orioles general manager] Mike [Elias] is really smart about it. We¡¯re smart about it, too. You have to be patient, and Toronto just gave me the opportunity.¡±

It won¡¯t be long before Santander faces his former team again. His Blue Jays will be going on the road on Tuesday, when they¡¯ll travel to Sarasota to take on the Orioles in another Grapefruit League matchup. Santander is planning on making the trip, and the O¡¯s should have more regulars in their lineup than they did on Thursday.

Plus, Baltimore opens the regular season with a four-game series in Toronto from March 27-30.

Santander and Hyde will have opportunities to again meet up and share fond memories of the past. Even if they¡¯re now American League East rivals, there¡¯s a bond there that will carry on beyond both of their careers in baseball.

¡°It means a lot. He was great to me all the time from 2019,¡± Santander said of Hyde. ¡°He made me feel comfortable. He gave me the opportunity to go out there and have fun, compete. He gave me the chance to be an everyday player, and I¡¯m so grateful.¡±