‘I said ‘I know, Varsho has it. I want another number.’ It was a process. I tried to convince her but she said ‘No, I want 25.’
Before he was officially introduced as a Blue Jay earlier this week, Anthony Santander had some other business to take care of beyond signing the third-largest contract in franchise history.
Ready for a fresh start with his new team, the slugging outfielder — who signed a five-year, $92.5-million US deal with the Jays this week — opted to settle on jersey number 53, given that the No. 25 that he had worn throughout his big league career wasn’t available.
The Jays were at the ready and had a jersey made up with the new number waiting for the native of Venezuela in his locker at the team’s player development complex where he was to be introduced via a video press conference on Wednesday.
“I’m not a guy who has to play with the same number all the time and I just picked 53,” Santander said in a promotional video of the signing that appeared on the Jays’ YouTube channel. “I said let’s start with 53.”
Just one problem: Santander’s mother, Yoleida, wanted him to stick with that No. 25 he wore throughout his career to great success with the Baltimore Orioles.
That led to another potential complication, given that the number so dear to his mother’s heart had been worn by centre fielder Daulton Varsho in his two years with the team.
You think negotiating a long-term deal with deferrals and opt-outs is complicated? Try telling your mom of a decision that wasn’t going to sit well.
“(She said) what happened with 25?,” Santander explained. “I said: ‘I know, Varsho has it. I want another number.’ It was a process. I tried to convince her but she said: ‘No, I want 25.’ We all have to do whatever it takes to make momma happy.”
What followed was a conversation (and likely negotiation) with Varsho to make a deal. And just in time, too. In his tour of the Jays clubhouse, the team’s video showed Santander switching jerseys just before the press conference started, complete with Yoleida’s jubilant reaction.
The first hint that something was happening came on the Jays’ official MLB transaction page on Tuesday, showing that Varsho officially had switched his number to 5. The deal, in whatever form it took, was done.
Some players are more attached to their numbers than others and it remains to be seen what — if anything — it cost Santander to extract No. 25 from his new teammate and fellow outfielder, details which we may hear of when spring training gets under way next month.
As for its place in Blue Jays history, players sporting No. 25 on the back of their jerseys include a trio of all-stars: Starting pitcher Marco Estrada, slugging first baseman Carlos Delgado and World Series-winning centre fielder Devon White.
And the next man to do so will wear it proudly to keep Tony Tater’s biggest fan happy.