Blue Jays are the winners of the George Springer sweepstakes
By John Buhler
George Springer is signing with the Toronto Blue Jays in his MLB free agency.
With it whittled down to two MLB teams contending for his services, the Toronto Blue Jays won out over the New York Mets to land former Houston Astros star outfielder George Springer in his free agency.
Springer had spent his entire seven-year big league career with the Astros prior to hitting unrestricted free agency this winter. He won a World Series back in 2017 and was a three-time AL All-Star in Houston. While New York had been thought to be the frontrunner for his services, Toronto gained momentum throughout the week and signed him to a six-year, $150 million deal.
Outfielder George Springer and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a deal, sources familiar with the situation tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 20, 2021
Springer is headed to Dunedin for a physical. And if all goes according to plan, Toronto will get the star it’s been looking for all winter.
As long as this winter has been for Toronto, in the end the Blue Jays land their top target. A huge get for a team that is on the rise and going to be a threat to the Yankees and Rays in the AL East. @_bkuh_ first said Springer was headed to the Jays.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 20, 2021
George Springer’s deal with the Toronto Blue Jays is for six years and $150 million, as @JonHeyman said. In this market, that is a massive deal. Toronto paid a premium price for a premium player.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 20, 2021
What does this mean for the Blue Jays in the ultra-competitive AL East?
Toronto was one of eight teams to qualify for the postseason out of the AL. The Blue Jays did so as the No. 8 seed playing in their AAA ballpark in Buffalo. Toronto bowed out in the AL Wild Card series to the eventual AL champion Tampa Bay Rays. This signing gives the upstart Blue Jays some of that extra firepower they will need to challenge the Rays and the New York Yankees in the East.
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Tampa Bay is poised to pull back a bit after their World Series run. Though the Yankees are seen as the presumptive frontrunners to win the AL East in 2021, Toronto is at the very least Wild Card-caliber, a team certainly capable of winning the division and possibly a postseason series or two. By adding a player like Springer, it gives the Blue Jays the extra bite they will need come October.
This is an expensive move, but it is also a monumental signing for Canada’s lone MLB franchise.