Royals made three-year offer to Santander before Blue Jays deal.

The Kansas City Royals sought a powerful bat in the offseason, targeting Anthony Santander with a three-year, $66 million offer, which included deferred payments and an opt-out clause after two years.

Of course, Santander declined that proposal in favor of a five-year deal with the Blue Jays.

That was initially reported as a $92.5MM contract, though extreme deferrals dramatically cut the net present value.

For luxury tax purposes, Santander's deal with Toronto was valued just below $68.6MM.

He can opt out of that contract after three seasons, though the Jays could override that by preemptively exercising a 2030 club option.

The deferrals in Kansas City's offer would have also trimmed its net present value to some extent. Without specifics, it's impossible to know the exact NPV.

However, it's likely that K.C.'s offer would have had a stronger average annual value than the approximate $13.7MM mark on his contract with Toronto.

Santander's decision to go to the Blue Jays could be a matter of timing more than anything else.

Rosenthal writes that the switch-hitting slugger was already «committed» to the Jays once Kansas City made its strongest offer.

A few days after Santander came off the board, Jurickson Profar inked a three-year deal with the Braves. He received a $42MM guarantee.

The Royals had been tied to Profar as far back as November. Rosenthal writes that the Royals were unwilling to go to three years on Profar, who turns 32 next month.

Santander and Profar were the two big remaining unsigned outfielders.

The Royals redirected funds initially intended for Santander into their bullpen, finalizing a two-year, $22 million deal with Carlos Estevez ( another Blue Jays offseason target) while bolstering their pitching staff.

However, they continue to lack a strong outfield presence, with their current alignments showing vulnerabilities.

The team remains focused on finding a significant addition to complement key hitters like Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez.

The Royals may continue to explore additional outfield options to complement their key hitters, alongside evaluating how their new bullpen additions impact overall performance.

There could be further roster adjustments as spring training approaches.

The Royals face a challenge in enhancing their lineup while their pitching looks strong.

Their failure to land Santander and lack of robust outfield options could hinder their competitiveness in upcoming games, emphasizing the need for strategic improvements.

Meanwhile the Blue Jays are still looking to add another big bat into their starting lineup, which would definitely put them into the upper echelon of the American League.

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