Former UConn Star Puts Blue Jays In Bind: ‘Contract Is Impossible To Move’
A former UConn Huskies star and World Series champion with the Houston Astros is now entering a different phase of his career.
35-year-old outfielder George Springer has had an epic decade in Major League Baseball, and he’s got the hardware to show it. Springer is a four-time All-Star, World Series MVP (2017), and two-time Silver Slugger. Father time is undefeated, however, and Springer has displayed signs of decline of late.
The Toronto Blue Jays — Springer’s current team — are experiencing the deficits of that decline, as communicated by FanSided’s Zachary Rotman.
“George Springer's albatross contract is impossible to move,” Rotman said. “In the 2020 offseason, Ross Atkins made the decision to hand George Springer a six-year deal in free agency worth $150 million to come to Toronto.”
“This felt like a major get for the Blue Jays who landed a marquee free agent, and for the first couple of seasons north of the border, Springer performed like the star he was expected to be.”
“He had a 141 OPS+ in the 2021 campaign, and followed that up by making the AL All-Star team in 2022 and hitting 25 home runs as the leadoff hitter. He took a step back in 2023, though, and this past season, looked completely unrecognizable.”
“The 35-year-old slashed .220/.303/.371 with 19 home runs and 56 RBI. The power production was decent, and he was able to steal 16 bases, but the decline is extremely noticeable from Springer at this point. He had a 92 OPS+ overall, making him eight percent below league average as a hitter.”
“Springer is set to make $24.1 million in 2025 and 2026 - quite the price tag, especially for a 35-year-old who is clearly regressing. The Jays might be able to offload the contract if they eat a sizeable chunk of it or attach a prospect, but chances are, Springer will be back as their everyday right fielder, presumably leading off, because Atkins was the one who gave him a six-year deal. He got a couple of good years out of him, but this is often how these large contracts to older players work out at the end.”
Toronto is looking to bounce back in 2025 from a disappointing season.
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org