Earlier tonight, reports indicated that George Springer was close to signing with Toronto. That article has since been updated from PSE to reflect that he and the Blue Jays have agreed to a six year pact. The terms are now known: six years worth $150M, or an AAV of $25M per season. The 31 year old has spent parts of seven seasons with the Houston Astros, where he hit 174 homeruns, had a robust .270/.361/.491 slashline. He was elected to three All-Star games and was the 2017 World Series MVP when he slugged 1.000 in the Fall Classic.

That World Series has since drawn the ire of controversy as it was revealed two years later that the Astros were involved in the largest sign-stealing saga in MLB since the 1919 Black Sox. However, unlike players such as Joe Jackson, Springer didn’t receive any form of punishment.

It’s a fresh start for Springer, as this deal North of the border will keep him in Toronto until he’s 37. The team is looking to contend, having made the postseason in 2020 and also looking for veterans with postseason experience. In the last four years, Springer has played in the ALCS four consecutive occasions. If Springer can perform, the monkey of the Astros scandal will be off of his back. For the Blue Jays, tonight has to be a sigh of relief as they’ve been in on every major free agent and even at one point were the frontrunners to land DJ LeMahieu before he re-signed with the division-rival New York Yankees. They finally signed two, as closer Kirby Yates joined the club in addition to Springer tonight. Perhaps, these moves mixed with the players lost by the Rays and Yankees could propel them to their first AL East Championship since 2015?

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