It’s Official: George Springer is a Toronto Blue Jay

George Springer has passed his physical and his six-year contract with the Blue Jays is now official. For those who are still suffering from the trauma of the Michael Brantley non-signing, there are no takebacks on this deal.

According to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, Springer’s annual salary from his $150-million contract is structured to peak at $28 million in 2022—the slight front-loading of the deal allows the Blue Jays to deal with the expected escalation of money owed to their young core as they enter into their early arbitration years. Springer can also expect bonuses for All-Star Game selections and other major awards. The deal means that the Blue Jays will control him through his age-36 year.

Springer has also negotiated an eight-team no-trade list, which means that for once, we know that a premier player’s no-trade list would not include Toronto.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Springer, the Blue Jays traded pitcher Héctor Pérez to the Cincinnati Reds for cash or players to be named. Pérez made one just one appearance with the Jays in his major league debut on September 16 against the Yankees. This effectively ends the Blue Jays’ remaining ties with former closer Roberto Osuna, with David Paulino being released in 2019 and Ken Giles being declared a free agent this offseason.

Normally, I would be sad when a transaction eliminates a roster linkage on the Roster Tree Route Map, but it’s hard to be upset by this news.

Minor Leaguer

Our partner BreakingT has recently released this SPRINGER DINGERS t-shirt and hoodie to commemorate George Springer signing in Toronto. This is the first officially-licensed piece of merchandise produced after Springer agreed to come north of the border.

Bluebird Banter has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Bluebird Banter and SB Nation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our guiding principles.