The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to sign free agent center fielder George Springer. The deal is for six years and $150 million, Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ confirms.
Springer, 31, spent the first seven years of his career with the Astros, making three All-Star teams and posting some of the best postseason power numbers in recent memory along the way.
In the shortened 2020 season, Springer hit .265/.359/.540 (140 OPS+) with 14 homers, 32 RBI and 37 runs. In 2019, his season was shortened to 122 games due to injury, but he hit .292/.383/.591 (150 OPS+) with 39 homers, 96 RBI and 96 runs. He finished seventh in MVP voting despite the abbreviated campaign.
In 63 career playoff games, Springer has hit .269/.349/.546 with 15 doubles, 19 homers, 38 RBI and 43 runs. He won the 2017 World Series MVP after hitting .379 with a 1.471 OPS, three doubles and five home runs in the seven games. In 14 career World Series games, he is a .339/.456/.839 hitter. He's fourth in career postseason home runs behind Manny Ramirez, Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter.
The postseason pedigree seems a nice fit with a relatively-inexperienced group that was bounced in two games against the Rays in the first round last year.
There's a some serious thunder in this Blue Jays' lineup, too, with Springer slotting ahead of the likes of Cavan Biggio (122 OPS+ last year), Bo Bichette (127), Teoscar Hernandez (146) Lourdes Gurriel (139) and Vladimir Guerrero (115).
After a trio of fourth-place and under-.500 finishes, the Jays went 32-28 last season, securing the eighth and final AL playoff spot, though they had a better record than the Astros, Springer's now-former team, who occupied the sixth slot due to finishing in second place in the AL West. The young Jays started 7-11 and also had a six-game losing streak in September. The hope would be with the extra year of experience for some of the position players, the addition of Springer and the full season, they'll be both more consistent and not as harmed by smaller bouts of inconsistency.
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January 20, 2021 at 11:03AM
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MLB Free Agency: Blue Jays, George Springer agree to terms on six-year deal - CBS sports.com
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