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David J. Phillip / Associated Press
The biggest free agency news about the off-season broke out on Tuesday night, when outfielder George Springer agreed to a six years, $ 150 million contract with Toronto Blue Jays, by Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
The 31-year-old posted 140 OPS + with 14 home runs and 32 RBI to finish 13th in the AL MVP vote in 2020, and his 21.3 WAR in the past five seasons was second only to Mike Trout (37.4), Mookie Betts (37.0) and Christian Yelich (23.3) among all outfielders.
He has been one of the most important players in the game and is a significant addition to a rising Blue Jays team.
However, the news has widespread implications in addition to its impact on Toronto.
There is a shift in power at stake in both AL East and AL West and a depth chart to be solved in Toronto. The foreign market can also be set to take off, as the other teams that were on the hunt to hire him turn their attention elsewhere.
With all this in mind, we find the biggest winners and losers in the hiring.
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Randal GrichukCarlos Osorio / Associated Press
The Blue Jays became a better team with the addition of Springer, but the outer field was not their most evident need.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (224 PA, 138 OPS +, 11 HR, 33 RBI) and Teoscar Hernandez (207 PA, 146 OPS +, 16 HR, 34 RBI) are both leaving offensive seasons to escape the corner points, while the Veteran Randal Grichuk will earn another $ 31 million over the next three years.
Someone is the stranger with Springer fined for daily central field work.
Assuming that the expelled outfielder slips to DH’s starting position, it could mean that Rowdy Tellez acts as the first baseman and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wants to return to third base.
In this scenario, the prospect of Alejandro Kirk, who scored 9-24 with three extra-base hits in his debut, sees his way to blocked playing time.
However, the Blue Jays could add Justin Turner to play third base or one of the second base players available on the market so that Cavan Biggio could slide into the hot corner. In this case, Tellez seems to take the straw away, despite his potential for significant power.
One way or another, someone just lost playing time in Toronto.
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Jackie Bradley Jr.Michael Dwyer / Associated Press
The external wage bar is set, so that other players can see their markets take shape.
Boston Red Sox’s longtime highlight, Jackie Bradley Jr., is the biggest consolation prize among the available central defenders. He would be a logical replacement for Springer in Houston, although several other teams also make sense.
Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario and Yasiel Puig are among the outfielders on the corner looking for a new home.
Michael Brantley is also waiting for the slow and Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic reported the potential for an “NBA-style package” involving him and Springer, who are close friends. Perhaps the Blue Jays haven’t finished adding to their crowded outside mix.
Further down the hierarchy of the free agent, veterans like Kevin Pillar, Cameron Maybin and Delino DeShields can also see movement before the spring training starts in February, now that one of the biggest names has signed on.
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Deshaun WatsonSam Craft / Associated Press
Ask Houston sports fans to list the best athletes in their city by 2020, and the trio of James Harden, Deshaun Watson and George Springer would probably be near the top.
Harden moved to the Brooklyn Nets after requesting an exchange.
Springer made it clear that he did not want to return to Houston.
And it is written on the wall that Watson will be the next superstar to walk out the door amid growing frustration with the Texan front office.
It’s a tough sports year for a city, especially considering that Astros, Rockets and Texans were all playoff teams in 2019. It certainly didn’t look like the city’s title fight window would close so quickly in all three sports.
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Mike TroutChris Carlson / Associated Press
Astros entered AL West in 2013 as the division’s doormat, losing the 111-game franchise record in the midst of a complete rebuild. They went on with a season of 92 defeats, but quickly moved up the ranks from there.
After getting a surprise wildcard spot in 2015, they unveiled three consecutive division titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and even with a record below 0.500 last season, they slipped into the postseason and advanced to Game 7 of the ALCS.
In a bubble, losing Springer does not make them a non-competitor, but it is only the beginning.
Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers Jr. will be free agents after the 2021 season, as will shortstop Carlos Correa, who is on his way to a big payday and may be ready to abandon the ship with no signs of imminent extension. .
Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez give the team an exciting offensive double strike, and inland advocates Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve are both under contract until 2024. But this squad will not be the steamroller of a few seasons ago.
This bodes well for Oakland Athletics, which beat AL West last year, before the Astros eliminated them in ALDS. It is also good news for a Los Angeles Angels team desperate to fight, a Seattle Mariners team approaching the turning point of a long rebuild and even a Texas Rangers team embarking on a rebuild itself.
The division is up for grabs.
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Kathy Willens / Associated Press
It’s not a good 24 hours for the New York Mets.
First, they fired new general manager Jared Porter on Tuesday morning for sending explicit and unsolicited photos to a reporter in 2016, which included the image of a naked penis, during his time with the Chicago Cubs.
So, in a less serious situation from a real-life perspective, but still a hit in the field, a team on a mission to cause a big bang in this off-season missed one of its main free agent targets a few hours later.
The Mets was my choice as Springer’s most likely landing spot in November, and his interest was no secret since the off-season began.
They arrived with a six-year offer ranging from $ 120 million to $ 125 million, according to Mark Feinsand from MLB.com, leaving them well below the Blue Jays terms.
The Mets will be fine with Dominic Smith, Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto drawn across the field, but it is not a promising start to their newfound purchasing power under billionaire owner Steve Cohen.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press
The Blue Jays signed some major contracts to retain their in-house talent, most notably the seven-year, $ 126 million span that Vernon Wells signed in December 2006, which was the largest contract in the franchise’s history prior to the Springer deal.
However, they rarely attract top-tier free agent talent.
Here’s a quick look at the top 10 free agency deals in the franchise’s history, courtesy of the chart Andrew Stoeten of The Athletic put together, excluding new hires:
- Russell Martin: five years, $ 82 million
- Hyun Jin Ryu: four years, $ 80 million
- AJ Burnett: five years, $ 55 million (opt-out after three years)
- BJ Ryan: five years, $ 47 million
- JA Happ: three years, $ 36 million
- Kendrys Morales: three years, $ 33 million
- Roger Clemens: three years, $ 24.75 million
- Tanner Roark: two years, $ 24 million
- Frank Thomas: two years, $ 18 million
- Randy Myers: three years, $ 18 million
This is not exactly a long story of running over the best free agents, which is why Springer’s signing and Hyun Jin Ryu’s deal last year are so important to pave the way for future negotiations.
With the Blue Jays’ exciting youth core, few teams have a brighter long-term outlook. Their ability to plug holes in the list with external additions can be the determining factor for them to make a title push.
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Eric Christian Smith / Associated Press
In a slow market that was beginning to look like it would not yield a significant multiyear payout to any of the top free agents, Springer emerged as one of the clear winners in the off-season.
MLB Trade Rumors envisaged a five-year contract, $ 125 million, and it reached that annual value while guaranteeing an extra year.
Its reported annual average value of $ 25 million is second only to that of Mike Trout ($ 37.1 million) and Bryce Harper ($ 27.5 million) among all outfielders, and is tied with Joey Votto for the 20th highest salary in majors.
Leaving the only team he met and the “friendly” environment of Minute Maid Park may seem like a handicap, but he performed better on the road during his career:
- House: 0.259 / 0.358 / 0.451, 79 HR
- Road: 0.279 / 0.364 / 0.520, 95 HR
Taking a step further, he raided Toronto with a .358 / .453 / .604 line and three home runs at the Rogers Center in the small sample of 65 plate appearances.
Joining a young and exciting up-and-coming team, whose containment window is just opening, Springer finds himself in an ideal situation after getting the best payout scenario.
All statistics are courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.