One day after signing Johan Santana to a minor-league contract Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos shared some details about the deal.
If he’s called up to the majors Santana will get $2.5 million in guaranteed money and can earn more via incentives. If he’s not called up to the majors Santana has the ability to opt out of the contract and hit the open market again as a free agent on April 28.
Most opt-out clauses are for late-March, with the idea being that players signed to minor-league deals can part ways if they don’t crack the Opening Day. However, in Santana’s case he’s been hurt for so long and is no sure thing to even be healthy enough to pitch in the majors by Opening Day, so the deal gives the two-time Cy Young winner an extra month to assess the situation.