The Blue Jays made it clear they do not stand with outfielder Anthony Santander after his anti-Muslim posts following Abdul El-Sayed’s Michigan senate win Tuesday night.
Santander, 32, is two seasons into a five-year, $92.5 million contract he signed in 2025.
“Baseball is for everyone,” the team’s statement read, according to The Athletic, “and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark. Individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs.”
The Venezuelan outfielder caused a stir recently when he posted at least two videos to his Instagram Story knocking the new senator for his Muslim faith.
One video included the caption, “American voted for Sharia last night!” while another said “Muslims are not peaceful.”
El-Sayed’s religion became a major storyline during his heated race with republican Mike Rogers, and he became the first Muslim ever elected to the United States senate.
The Blue Jays have taken strong actions against those on their roster who have made incendiary comments against a group before, having cut reliever Anthony Bass in 2023 after he called for boycotting companies that promoted LGBTQ+ rights.
Toronto general manager Ross Atkins described the transactions as a “baseball decision” at the time, but acknowledged the comments’ effect.
“There’s a myriad of variables,” Atkins said in June 2023 after releasing Bass.
“Performance is usually the driving one and performance was a large aspect of this decision. Distraction was a small part of it and something we had to factor in.”
Moving on from Santander would leave the Blue Jays with at least $57.1 million in dead money when adding in his $5 million buyout clause for 2030.
His play on the field could warrant such a move, though, as he’s appeared in just 54 games with the franchise over two years, all in the 2025 season, and has slashed .175/.271/.295.
Santander underwent left labral surgery in February that ended his 2026 season before it began.
