The Blue Jays’ offseason already has one of those decisions that can shape everything else around it, and George Springer sits right in the middle of it.
Toronto is coming off a rough season by any measure. A year after reaching the World Series, the Blue Jays are sitting in last place in the AL East and still outside the Wild Card picture.
The deadline reflected that reality, too: Toronto sold and bought at the same time, moving outfielder Daulton Varsho, starter Kevin Gausman and closer Jeff Hoffman while bringing in Jose Soriano for next year’s rotation. The club also added right-hander Spencer Arrighetti from the Houston Astros.
But the biggest unresolved name is Springer, the designated hitter/outfielder who wasn’t dealt despite being an impending free agent.
His situation is tricky because the numbers and the age are working against the same player. Springer is in the final year of his six-year, $150 million deal, and his future in Toronto is tied to how much more he can realistically give. As MLB.com put it, "It's been a rough year for almost everyone in Toronto, and with Springer's six-year, $150 million contract expiring at the end of the season, any club considering him -- the Blue Jays included -- has to wonder how much he has left in the tank,"
The production has bounced around, too. MLB.com noted, "He rebounded brilliantly in 2025, hitting .309 with 32 home runs and a .959 OPS (159 OPS+); this year he's been much more subdued (.234 AVG, 12 HR, .713 OPS)."
Springer is 37 now, and the expectation is that his career path points to DH duties from here on out, wherever he lands next. A left big toe fracture has kept him to 88 games in 2026, though that kind of injury doesn’t automatically define him as fragile. Still, any team weighing a deal for a four-time All-Star has to ask the same question Toronto does: how much longer can his body handle the grind of a 162-game season?
That’s the decision the Blue Jays have in front of them now. Springer’s future is at DH, and Toronto has to decide whether that makes him the right piece for 2027.
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The first look was encouraging, with Tiedemann showing the kind of velocity that made him such an intriguing arm in the first place. What comes next is the bigger Blue Jays conversation: whether his future path still points to starting or whether the club ultimately decides a bullpen role makes more sense as it tries to map out the final stretch of the season. One possibility is already hanging out there if the early outings continue to go well. [Read more 🡒]
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To make the roster math work, the Blue Jays also made a series of corresponding changes around the edges of the roster. Outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment last week, and Toronto continues to shuffle through its depth as it balances immediate pitching needs with the rest of the roster picture. [Read more 🡒]