DUNEDIN, Fla. — At a faraway glance, not much about Anthony Santander has changed.

He still has his trademark smile, is still joking with his teammates and is still always on the lookout for “his man” Brandon Quinones, the Orioles’ translator.

And he’s still beloved by the Orioles clubhouse, even though he’s now suiting up for the Toronto Blue Jays.

“I love everything about the guy,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I love his family. I love his parents. They were around all the time. I want to believe we have a great relationship.”

“I don’t like seeing him in blue,” Hyde added.

Well, he might not have had to see him in a different color if the Orioles had offered him a better deal. Santander said, when he got to free agency, he wanted to stay with the team that gave him his opportunity, but there was “zero chance” he was taking what the Orioles offered. Instead, he signed the five-year, $92.5 million contract with the Blue Jays that includes a sixth-year option that could raise the total value to $110 million.

“They make an offer, but it wasn’t even close,” Santander said Thursday after facing the Orioles for the first time in a spring training game. “We get it; we understand it’s a business side. [General manager] Mike [Elias] is really smart about it; we’re smart about it too. We had to be patient, and for us Toronto just gave us an opportunity.”

It was clear early in the offseason that the Orioles were not re-signing Santander, because they replaced him with Tyler O’Neill in December on a three-year, $49.5 million deal. They also expect Heston Kjerstad to be in the outfield mix this season.

Santander, a switch hitter coming off his best season, did not sign until a month later.

“It’s a business,” he reiterated. “Just looking forward to playing the next five years against them.”

Santander came to Baltimore as a Rule 5 draft pick in 2016, making his debut in 2017 and becoming a lineup staple in 2019. He grinded through three 100-loss seasons, helping the team finally get out on the other side. He ended his tenure with the Orioles by helping them reach the playoffs in back-to-back seasons while hitting a career-high 44 home runs and making his first All-Star team in 2024.

Now he’s on a division rival, one the Orioles will have to face a minimum of 13 times in the regular season plus spring training, starting with Thursday’s matinee.

The Orioles did not travel with a robust major league staff for this game, but he’ll get to reunite with most of his former teammates on Tuesday when the Blue Jays visit Sarasota.

“Kind of emotional,” he said. “First [time] in a spring training game playing against my team of the last seven years. They gave me the opportunity to be a big leaguer.”