The writing was on the wall when the Orioles signed Tyler O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal last month.

Now it’s official: Anthony Santander’s tenure with the Orioles is over. The 30-year-old switch-hitter coming off a career year in which he hit 44 home runs and made the All Star game is staying in the American League East after agreeing to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The five-year contract is worth $92.5 million, according to Santander’s agency, the Beverly Hills Sports Council, and has an option that can drive it to six years and $110 million.

On Tuesday, during Santander’s introductory press conference, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said the club had a jersey with Santander’s name on it floating around the office all offseason. After a winter of free agent misses for the Blue Jays, including Rōki Sasaki and Juan Soto, Atkins shook Santander’s hand after the outfielder put on his new uniform.

“Looks great on me already,” Santander said.

“Of course, a lot of emotions,” Santander later said when asked about leaving Baltimore. “I’m so thankful for Baltimore, because it was the organization that gave me the opportunity to show up as a player. Just hitting my first base hit, my first play, my first homers, going to the playoffs, is something that is going to be in my head. But now we are a Toronto Blue Jay. It’s time to go and face them and beat some games.”

Santander, who came to the Orioles as a Rule 5 draftee in 2016, made his debut in 2017 and was a fixture in the outfield by 2019. He was one of only a handful of players to survive through the entirety of the rebuild, suffering through three 100-loss seasons before playing a key part in the Orioles’ breaking their playoff drought in 2023.

Santander said that when he was first chosen in the Rule 5 draft out of the Cleveland organization, having played no higher than High-A, he “didn’t believe it, honestly.”

“But they gave me the opportunity to be there, and I have the more important, which is hungry, a good mentality, to be able to get better every single day,” Santander said. “That mentality took me here, and I’m so proud of myself and happy.”

Last season, his final year before free agency, was his best one yet. He not only hit the third-most home runs in MLB, but he also won a Silver Slugger, his first major award, and finished 14th in MVP voting. Santander also played a career-high 155 games, developing a routine that kept him on the field after injuries piled up on him earlier in his career.

With Santander out of the picture, the Orioles will rely on O’Neill and left-handed hitters Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins and Heston Kjerstad to man their outfield. Mullins will likely start in center, Cowser in left, O’Neill in right and Kjerstad platooning.

Ryan O’Hearn and Jorge Mateo — who is expected to start the season on time after getting Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in August — can also play in the outfield.

In an Instagram post Tuesday, Santander thanked the Orioles organization and all the fans.

“Camden Yards and the incredible energy of Orioles fans made playing here unforgettable,” he wrote. “Birdland’s support has meant the world to me. From my first Major League hit to my first All-Star season, every step of this journey has been a blessing.”

Baltimore opens the 2025 season on the road with a four-game series against Santander and the Blue Jays.