Blue Jays Slugger Enters Game 162 After Season That Could End Run in Toronto

George Springer arrived in Toronto to raise the competitive level of a franchise that already had Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and other young talents on the rise.

Six years later, his $150 million contract is about to end, the Blue Jays have already been eliminated and Springer reaches Game 162 with the possibility of playing his final game with the team.

Springer’s decline in performance in his age-36 season is an argument for the Blue Jays to make a decision about the future of the team. In 2025, he hit .309/.399/.560 with 32 home runs, 84 RBIs, 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts and produced a 166 wRC+. He accumulated 4.8 bWAR, his best mark since the 6.5 he produced in 2019, the best of his career with the Houston Astros.

He then shined in the postseason, and his thunderous home run in Game 7 of the 2025 ALCS was decisive in eliminating the Seattle Mariners and giving the Blue Jays a trip to the World Series for the first time in 32 years.

But here is an important point: Springer rebounded in 2025 after falling to a 94 wRC+ with the worst OPS (.674) of his career in 2024. This was not completely unexpected, since some signs of regression were already appearing, even though that rebound in 2025 changed the perspective on what he could still provide as a designated hitter.

So this 2026 season has been the trigger for his offensive problems almost full-time as a designated hitter, without providing defensive value. Springer is hitting .248/.320/.402 with a 104 wRC+. The differences are considerable, but what carries the most weight here is the way Springer has stopped being an offensive leader within the lineup.

Against left-handers, his bat has not been able to contribute enough, with a .209/.282/.367 slash line and an 81 wRC+. A year ago, that same matchup produced a 132 wRC+. His slumps on the road have also been a problem, as he has hit just .223/.282/.353, with a 78 wRC+, after being one of Toronto’s most productive hitters on the road in 2025, when he posted a 149 wRC+.

What changed between the 2025 and 2026 versions of Springer

Toronto Blue Jays right fielder George Springer (4). Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In 2025, Springer’s swing made the kind of decisive impact it has throughout his career against fastballs, producing 19 home runs and a 201 wRC+. This year, Springer has hit 15 home runs in total, four fewer than his entire production against fastballs last season. His .333 batting average and .597 slugging percentage have fallen to .262 and .395 against fastballs this year. But that is not all. Springer also crushed breaking balls often in 2025, hitting .305 with a .556 slugging percentage: he has plummeted to .247 with a .442 slugging percentage this year.

There is much of the difference between his last two seasons, but there are also similarities between the regressions we saw in 2024 and those of this year. Even so, Springer had some improvements at the plate during this final stretch of the season, and he has hit .286/.342/.438 since the All-Star Game. He has done much better with a .312/.348/.468 slash line over his last 31 games, but this streak came too late to change the course of his season and help the Blue Jays.

To be fair, Springer fulfilled much of what Toronto expected when he arrived in 2021 as an established star and World Series champion. Five years later, his production has declined and his contract is coming to an end without guarantees about what comes next. That is why Game 162 could end up being the final chapter of Springer as a Blue Jays.

All numbers verified through Statcast.

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