The Toronto Blue Jays have had a genuinely disappointing season, sitting last in the American League East just one year removed from a World Series trip.
Toronto was both buyer and seller at the deadline, trading away Daulton Varsho, Kevin Gausman and Jeff Hoffman while acquiring Jose Soriano and Spencer Arrighetti for next year's rotation.
One impending free agent Toronto didn't trade, though, was George Springer, and his future with the organization remains genuinely uncertain heading into the offseason.
This season is the final year of Springer's six-year, $150 million deal, and his age and recent injury history complicate any decision about what comes next.
"It's been a rough year for almost everyone in Toronto, and with Springer's six-year, $150 million contract expiring at the end of the season, any club considering him, the Blue Jays included, has to wonder how much he has left in the tank," MLB.com wrote.
The gap between his 2025 and 2026 seasons makes that question especially real. "He rebounded brilliantly in 2025, hitting .309 with 32 home runs and a .959 OPS," MLB.com noted, "this year he's been much more subdued."
Why age and health complicate any decision here
Springer is hitting .239 with 12 home runs across 82 games this season, and a left big toe fracture has limited him to just 82 games overall.
At 37, his future in the game will almost certainly be at designated hitter regardless of which organization he ends up with, a reality that likely holds true whether he stays in Toronto or signs elsewhere.
A freak toe injury doesn't necessarily mean he's become injury-prone, but interested clubs will reasonably wonder how much longer his body can hold up over a full 162-game season.
It's a bit like evaluating a reliable car with one unusual breakdown, the incident itself doesn't prove anything long term, but it still raises the question of what comes next.
Does Springer's brilliant 2025 season suggest this year is simply an outlier, or does his age and recent injury make a DH-only future the more realistic path regardless of where he plays next season?
Springer's future ultimately comes down to whether Toronto believes a full-time DH role fits its roster vision for 2027, a decision that remains genuinely unresolved as this season winds down.
Should the Blue Jays re-sign George Springer for the 2027 season?
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