The Toronto Blue Jays are just over one week away from Opening Day and have just four more games in Dunedin before the team makes the trek North. There are still a handful of roster decisions to be made – mostly with bubble players like the horde of infielders that remain in big league camp and maybe a few bullpen spots – but a large part of the core is already set in stone.

One of those players is George Springer, the veteran outfielder who signed the largest contract in Blue Jays franchise history (monetary value) during the 2020/2021 offseason. Springer is not some newbie on the block, this will be his 12th season in the big leagues and his fifth with the Blue Jays. While the deal was met with initial fanfare considering the Jays were adding a top-notch bat with the ability to anchor the leadoff position, recent trends have started to cast some doubt on the future of Springer and his ability to find the same form that earned him MVP consideration and two Silver Slugger Awards when he was with the Astros.

Ask any fan and they will likely tell you spring training stats don’t matter. For the most part, they are right – not many big leaguers look back and reflect on how they performed in the spring. The stats matter more to those bubble players and prospects looking for a shot in the big leagues, an audition of sorts to prove to the front office that you can hang with the big boys, but for the likes of Springer, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., it’s that time of year where you get back into the swing of things and get ready for the upcoming season.

While spring stats don’t matter at the surface, a player of Springer’s calibre struggling out of the gate can be cause for concern – mostly because his recent history isn’t backing him up. So far in 2025, Springer is sporting a .107/.324/.143 slash line with a .467 OPS through 12 games and 28 at-bats. He has just three hits and two RBIs with the Jays this spring training and his five strikeouts compared to seven walks. While the power hasn’t crept in like we are used to seeing – he usually nets at least a couple of home runs during the spring – the outfielder only has one double to his credit so far, which makes up 33% of his hits.

When asked about his spring so far, Springer said all the right things to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson, “I feel great, actually… For me, it’s about the process. It’s not about the results. I want to make sure that I’m swinging at the right pitches and getting my swing off. Yeah, obviously everyone would like to see the ball hit the grass, but for me specifically, I’m working on the mechanical side of it.”

Again, this makes sense for a veteran player like Springer – he’s not going to lose his roster spot and no, the Blue Jays aren’t going to send him to the waiver wire anytime soon – and while he is saying all the right things, the results do cast a bleaker picture heading into a pivotal season for the Jays. This is a season where all the chips seem to be on the table, especially with Guerrero, Bichette, and Bassitt all pending free agents and a front office likely needing a successful season to keep their jobs. While Springer doesn’t need to carry the team on his back, a message echoed by manager John Schneider, having him repeat his 2024 season would be an anchor of a different kind for this team, one that is already seeing him fall further down in the lineup and away from his usual leadoff spot in the lineup.

While nothing is set in stone, Springer has yet to don the No. 1 spot in the order this season, with the honour bestowing to Bichette and newcomer Andres Gimenez instead. This makes sense for the most part, both infielders are boasting better numbers at the plate this spring, but it feels almost like a passing of the torch moment – Springer was the go-to in that spot and now, he won’t be. And considering he has yet to find his power, could he be slotted even lower into the lineup than say the fourth to sixth area? Only time will tell there.

For what it’s worth, Springer isn’t the only veteran outfielder struggling to find their groove this spring training. Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has just three hits through 23 at-bats and zero home runs while Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker had just one hit through 23 at-bats this past spring (although it was a home run) and he went hitless in the first game of the season for Chicago in their Tokyo Series opener against the Dodgers. These are both two players you would expect to be lacing the ball wherever they play and yet, they haven’t found a groove to start the 2025 year.

The difference between Judge and Tucker compared to Springer is both are coming off strong seasons, amongst other differences (both players are younger as well). Tucker crafted a 4.7 bWAR while earning his third straight All-Star appearance while appearing in just 78 games due to injury and Judge one his second AL MVP Award on the back of a 10.8 bWAR campaign where he led the league in home runs (58), RBIs (144), OBP (.458), SLG (.701), and OPS (1.159).

Springer on the other hand is coming off his lowest bWAR campaign of his career (1.1) and one of his worst statistical seasons at the plate, posting a .220/.303/.371 slash line with a .674 OPS. His 92 OPS+ was the lowest of his career as well as each of his slash line metrics. The power was still present to some degree, with 19 doubles, three triples, and 19 home runs to his credit, but his statcast metrics from last season see him feature about the middle of the pack in most regards, and even lower when it comes to his average exit velocity (20th percentile) and launch angle sweet-spot (6th percentile). Some unfortunate luck hit him in 2023 when it came to his batted balls in play, as he posted a .291 BABIP but struggled to a ,732 OPS with a .405 SLG – both of which are now the second-lowest numbers of his career following his 2024 campaign.

It is true to some degree that spring training stats don’t matter for a majority of players, especially veterans. For example, Bichette posted a .345/.367/.483 slash line last spring and while he dealt with injuries in 2024, when healthy, he was abysmal at the plate, putting forth a .225/.277/.322 with just four home runs. So while Springer is having some troubles out of the gate, there is still some hope that he can return to the same form that netted him the monster payday in the first place.

The problem for Springer and the Blue Jays is the 2025 season is a pivotal year for the franchise and both sides don’t have the necessary time to figure things out. While Springer provides the ability to play right field (and now left field with the Santander signing) and isn’t a hindrance on the defensive side, the Jays need to put up runs this campaign in the worst way and Springer’s bat might not be the best option. The Blue Jays can’t afford a slow start out of the gate, especially when they face the Orioles and Red Sox twice through March/April and face the Yankees, Astros, Mets, and Braves in the same month, the strength of the schedule is not in favour for Toronto to start the season.

There is a chance Springer is just suffering the spring blues and only time will tell if these at-bats carry over into the new season. The hope for Blue Jays fans is that this article looks terrible in a few months and Springer finds his form in the batter’s box to compliment Guerrero, Bichette, and Santander in the lineup, making spring stats a moot point. On the flip side, if his bat tanks and he’s struggling at the plate similar to last season, tough decisions might be on the horizon depending on how Toronto’s season is shaking up and Springer might see his playing time dwindle as the year goes on.