The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to make major moves this off-season, and have reportedly offered center fielder George Springer a five year contract.
The Toronto Blue Jays have an exciting young core of players, and they’re looking to make some big moves to compete in the AL East. So it seems the next thing on their to-do list is locking up free agent George Springer for the next five years.
On Baseball Night in NY, @Jim_Duquette says he has heard the #BlueJays have made an aggressive 5 year offer to George Springer. However, that offer is not in the $150M range so it still may be awhile
— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) January 4, 2021
The Blue Jays have also been heavily involved in the DJ LeMahieu sweepstakes, but Springer makes much more sense for them. They already have a capable second baseman in Cavan Biggio. Sure, Biggio can move to the outfield. He’d probably even become a plus defender as a right fielder. But adding Springer in center field and pushing Randal Grichuk to a corner spot would be a much better defensive fit for the Blue Jays.
Unfortunately, their competition for Springer comes in the form of the new richest owner in Major League Baseball. After acquiring the New York Mets this off-season, Steve Cohen is looking to make a splash to bring his team back into the playoffs. And since he didn’t own the team during the 2020 season, he has no “lost fan revenue” to fall back on as an excuse not to pursue big name free agents. He can easily match any offer the Blue Jays give to Springer, and the Mets are much closer to contention.
With a new owner that seems committed to putting together a winning product every year, the Mets are becoming one of the hottest free agent destinations for veteran players. They have the same outfield need that the Blue Jays have, and much deeper pockets to address it.
And according to Jim Duquette’s report, the Blue Jays didn’t offer Springer nearly enough to warrant serious consideration. If they want Springer, they’re going to have to beat Cohen to the punch. They can’t wait around to see how the free agent market plays out, because they will end up either overpaying for Springer or missing out on him entirely.
The five year contract is a good start, but if the Toronto Blue Jays think George Springer is their center fielder for the next five years, they need to pursue him much more aggressively before Cohen and the Mets steal him.