Just days after signing big-time pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, the Baltimore Orioles have reportedly put themselves in position to sign the remaining top-tier hurler on the free-agency market in Ervin Santana, a source close to situation reported on Tuesday.

The Orioles have already made their presence felt around the league following their acquisitions of Jimenez (four year, $48 million contract) and All-Star slugger Nelson Cruz (one year, $8 million deal) last week.

Baltimore has been a solid contender in the tough American League East for the past couple of years, but the World Series crown appears to be in the Birds' sights next season.

Blue Jays Out of Equation

In the latest buzz on the free-agency front, the Toronto Blue Jays are now pulling out of negotiations to sign Santana. According to ESPN, the Jays are unlikely to commit a lucrative deal with Santana, despite the Orioles' bold move to sign Jimenez last week.

"Teams and agents Toronto has spoken with told ESPN.com that even as the shopping list for veteran starters has dwindled, the Blue Jays haven't shown a willingness to do what the Baltimore Orioles did to sign Ubaldo Jimenez this week -- add extra years or dollars to get a deal done," ESPN MLB insider Jayson Stark reported.

"Unless Santana eventually were to "fall in their lap," in the words of one AL executive, the overwhelming feeling in the industry is that the Blue Jays are likely to pass on signing the right-hander and hope one of their young starters can fill their last remaining rotation hole," the leading sports media outlet added.

Orioles and Rangers in the Mix

While they have already committed a big chunk of money to their two newest acquisitions, the Orioles are still open to bringing in another expensive free-agent to further boost their roster.

Santana, who went 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA and 161 strikeouts last season with the Kansas City Royals, could still be signed by the Birds, if the franchise agrees to surrender a third pick after surrendering a few in the Jimenez and Cruz deal.

"The Orioles are already prepared to give up their first- and second-round picks for Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz, so they'd surrender a third-round pick if they also sign Santana," NBC Sports reported.

The Rangers are another ideal team for Jimenez, who could give them some stability on the mound while Derek Holland (knee injury) and Matt Harrison (back injury) recover from their injuries.

Mystery Team for Santana  

NBC Sports indicated that there is a mystery National League team that expressed interest in Santana. NBC MLB insider D.J. Short speculated the unknown team could be the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Cardinal Rockies.

"As for who the mystery NL West team could be, you can never rule out the Dodgers. The Rockies have the biggest need among the other teams in the division, though Santana would seem to be a poor fit for Coors Field," via NBC Sports.