Blue Jays are believed to be “making an effort” to bring the outfielder free George Springer to the group, Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet report. The two sides are expected to reconnect earlier this week, according to the report. On a related note, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweeted yesterday that Springer “could” make a decision by the end of the week. While this is not the most concrete phrase, its juxtaposition with the Sportsnet update seems to suggest that the Springer market is heating up in less than a month before spring training begins.
Earlier this month, SNY’s Jim Duquette said in a television segment that the Jays had offered Springer a five-year deal that weighed below its asking price of $ 150 million. Jon Heyman of MLB Network estimated the offer in the $ 115 million range yesterday (video link), noting that the Mets’ best offer is believed to be at the same level.
The Springer market has been characterized as a two-horse race for weeks, and Toronto’s main competition in Queens has already invested aggressively to acquire Francisco lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann and Trevor May (in addition to retaining Marcus Stroman via qualification offer). It remains to be seen whether Mets would cross the luxury tax barrier to hire Springer. Several reports in the past few weeks have suggested that Springer’s preference is to play near his home in New Britain, Connecticut, but Davidi and Nicholson-Smith write that Springer’s interest in Jays is “genuine”, with geography posing a minimal obstacle.
In terms of payroll capacity, Jays have a relatively clean situation in the future. Toronto has just $ 68 million committed to 10 players for the 2021 season, and of course they need to complete their list with pre-referee players winning somewhere close to the league minimum. The club has only $ 35MM in guaranteed contracts in 2022 and $ 36MM in 2023, with zero dollars in guarantees starting in 2024.
The Blue Jays front line spoke openly about their desire to add top talent this winter, while the organization continues to shift from a rebuild mode to a win-win mentality now. Last year’s signature of Hyun Jin Ryu has set a precedent for the acquisition of top talent, and the Jayes are known to have had an interest in virtually all of the major free agents and commercial candidates in this year’s market.
So far, this has not resulted in much talent acquisition. Toronto signed rebound candidates Robbie Ray and Tyler Chatwood, and they are supposed to be meeting the right-handed Kirby Yates today, as the two sides approach a possible agreement. But the Jays also ended up as runners-up on several notable targets, including DJ LeMahieu and Lindor.
At this point, Springer appears to be the team’s priority among the remaining big fish on the market, although if he rejects his interest and lands with the Mets or an unexpected suitor, the Jays can intensify their search for JT Realmuto and / or Trevor Bauer.