Jays reach $150M deal with George Springer, reports say,
Centre-fielder Springer agrees to $150M deal, pending a physical
The San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox and to a lesser extent the New York Yankees had their day in the spotlight earlier this off-season. On Tuesday it was the Blue Jays’ turn to become the centre of attention.
After not making a move for more than two and a half months, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins made up for lost time by getting the bulk of his work done within 24 hours. The flurry of activity started with signing right-hander Tyler Chatwood, continued with the addition of veteran closer Kirby Yates and reportedly concluded with the biggest transaction of all: signing centre-fielder George Springer.
According to multiple reports late Tuesday night, the Blue Jays have reached an agreement with Springer on a sixyear deal worth $150 million (U.S.). Toronto nearing an agreement with Springer was first reported by local blogger Brendon Kuhn, with the contract details later revealed by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Springer likely will have to pass a physical before the deal is officially announced.
The Jays had been in the mix for almost every prominent free agent in the market, but Springer had long been considered the club’s top target.
There were multiple reasons for that and most of them centred around his bat. Springer is a career .270 hitter with a .361 on-base percentage and .852 OPS to go along with a pair of silver slugger awards and a World Series MVP. The 31-yearold has five 20-plus homer seasons on his resumé and while he doesn’t steal a lot of bases, his speed and athleticism are assets as well.
The second reason Springer was such a high priority was because of his position. Centre field has been a revolving door for the Blue Jays ever since Kevin Pillar was traded mere days into the 2019 season. Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez, Jonathan Davis, Derek Fisher and Anthony Alford are just a few of the players who have appeared there since. None were considered viable long-term fits.
There was some talk of eventually transitioning players like Cavan Biggio or prospect Austin Martin to centre, but the preferred route was adding someone from outside the organization. The Jays’ biggest issue is that there wasn’t a lot of depth at centre in this year’s free agent market, with even fewer premium options expected to be available in the fall. Short of adding a midtier option like Jackie Bradley Jr., it was Springer or bust.
Springer spent the bulk of his career as the leadoff man for the Astros, where he was part of the sign-stealing scandal that marred the 2017-18 seasons and resulted in the suspensions of multiple coaches and former GM Jeff Luhnow. Springer’s market didn’t appear to be impacted by the recent controversy and he’ll likely stick to the top of the order with the Blue Jays as he headlines a lineup that also includes Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
This marks the second consecutive year the formerly stingy front office of Atkins and president Mark Shapiro pulled off a major signing. Last winter, the Jays agreed to a four-year deal worth $80 million with lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu. At the time, it was the highest free agent contract handed out by the Blue Jays.
The signing also allows Atkins and Shapiro to fulfil their longstated goal of adding a “high impact” player this off-season. t The Mets, who were considered the other finalist for Springer, likely had trouble topping Toronto’s offer because of concerns about surpassing the competitive balance tax threshold.