Springer’s riches come early as deal made official

With his physical exam cleared and the details settled, George Springer is now officially a Toronto Blue Jay and with that, owner of the richest contract in franchise history.

The club announced the deal on Saturday afternoon, bringing the former Houston Astros all star into the fold for a front-loaded, incentiveladen contract that could exceed the originally reported $150 million US over the next six years.

According to a source familiar with the deal, Springer will receive a $10-million US signing bonus off the top and collect $22 million in the first year. The source said the richest year of the six will be the second season, when Springer will collect $28 million.

Reductions through the remaining years, which take the base salary to the $22-million US range, would appear to be a key strategic move by general manager Ross Atkins and the front office to manage team payroll down the road.

The club is most certainly looking ahead to later years when young, emerging stars such as Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez would be slated for bigger deals, either through arbitration based on performance or when they exit club control.

As you would expect for a player of Springer’s pedigree, there are several performance clauses attached that could add more than $200,000 annually should he capture (or in some cases place) in voting for awards such as league MVP, Gold Glove or World Series MVP.

Springer, who is expected to be officially unveiled by the club in an introductory press conference as early as Tuesday, a week after he reached a tentative agreement with the American League club. The Connecticut native, who reportedly had narrowed his choice to the Jays and New York Mets, was in Florida earlier in the week to undergo a physical with the Jays medical staff leading to Saturday’s finalization and official announcement of the deal.