The now-former Baltimore Orioles slugger signed a five-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason, but not before the Royals officially submitted a three-year bid.

The Kansas City Royals made Santander a three-year offer and increased it to $66 million, according to sources briefed on the talks. But by the time they presented Santander with their enhanced proposal,

Estévez heads to a Kansas City team that had been looking to shore up the bullpen heading into the 2025 season. The Royals had turned to Lucas Erceg down the stretch to serve as the closer and bringing in Estévez helps give them more options.