Whether it’s been Bo Bichette or Ricky Tiedemann, the Toronto Blue Jays have been no stranger to trade rumours this young off-season. However, a new name was brought to the table on Sunday afternoon special thanks to Sportnet‘s Jeff Blair.

According to Blair, 10-year veteran George Springer might be on the minds of Toronto’s front office in an effort to work around his contract. Springer is entering the fourth year of a six-year, $150 million deal with the Blue Jays. Springer signed with Toronto prior to the 2021 season, one of the first marquee acquisitions in the team’s current competitive window. Furthermore, it still stands as the team’s largest contract in Blue Jays history.

This would mark one of the first times that Springer’s name has come up in trade conversations, and it may come as somewhat of a shock given his contract and that he has been one of the more prominent focal points of Toronto’s offence since his acquisition. In his three seasons with the Blue Jays, Springer has slashed .262/.338/.460 with a .798 OPS, 68 home runs, 198 RBIs, and an 8.4 WAR. He has had some issues with his health, but he is coming off of a season in which he avoided the IL altogether.

Much like his time in Houston, Springer has spent most of his tenure in Toronto as the team’s leadoff hitter. However, amid his own struggles last season, coupled with All-Star-level play from Whit Merrifield, Springer was moved out of the leadoff position for 25 games. While this was a temporary change in Springer’s usage, there was still more to be said about his performance in 2023.

Springer endured some regression in his numbers this season, particularly in the power department. His 21 home runs in 154 games this year were one less than the 22 home runs he hit in only 78 games in 2021. He posted his lowest batting average since his rookie season, and his OBP, SLG, and OPS were all career lows. Furthermore, Springer grounded into a career-high 20 double plays, eight more than his previous high of 12 that he set thrice in Houston. He also posted a couple of major slumps, going 13-for-86 between April 1st and April 24th and a 1-for-43 stretch between July 20th and August 1st.

So, pivoting back to Blair’s comment, does this make sense from Toronto’s perspective?

It makes sense that it’s not a priority, obviously, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and others are clearly at the forefront of Toronto’s off-season plans. It’s not the most nonsensical thing for the Jays to be considering Springer’s regression year over year, even in a year like 2023 in which health was not a major problem.

It would be hard to get another team to eat all the money, and the pool of interested teams likely gets shortened, given Springer’s 8-team no-trade clause. However, he isn’t getting any younger, and perhaps his value would be even lower next year. The Blue Jays are actively looking to make a splash, and this would be a part of it.

It’s also worth considering that “getting out from under Springer’s deal” could potentially mean they want to rework the deal in order to utilize funds elsewhere. Maybe freeing up some money could be related to Ohtani?

At the end of the day, Blair’s comment is what it is: a rumour, discourse, a tweet, and “something I’ve heard.” Springer is clearly a valued member of this franchise and his experience with winning and his veteran presence are things you can’t put a number on.

While we anxiously wait for the Shohei Ohtani decision, potential Juan Soto trade, and other signings, there’s no harm in keeping this one in your back pocket.