The Toronto Blue Jays are not a team that has officially declared a captain on their roster (it’s really more an NHL thing), but if they were to, it would invariably be George Springer. Over his last six seasons in Toronto, Springer has embodied what it’s meant to be a Blue Jay, helping to usher in a new era of contention for this franchise.

If this is the final week for Springer with the Blue Jays, it will be the end of an era. And as a 37-year-old designated hitter coming up to free agency (with a lockout looming, no less), this might be the last time fans see Springer in a Blue Jays uniform.

Like Bo Bichette last year and Kevin Gausman at the trade deadline, losing Springer would be another franchise mainstay walking out the door for the Blue Jays. Baseball is a business, but that won’t make it any less weird if he isn’t around next season. Or could he have another kick at the can in Toronto for a seventh season with the Blue Jays?

Many were surprised Springer wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline this year, and that’s either because the Blue Jays couldn’t find a suitor for the right-handed hitting outfielder, or they preferred to have him ride out the season with the cast of characters that would be left post-deadline.

It was always going to be difficult for Springer to follow up his “fountain of youth” season at age 36 last year. He was the top regression candidate on my pre-season list, simply because you don’t often see consecutive seasons of 5+ WAR from guys in their mid-to-late-30s. He’s sitting at 1.0 fWAR with a handful of games left to play, falling well short of his pre-season WAR projection.

After a 166 wRC+ last year, Springer’s back to his career norms, with a 107 wRC+ this year, more in line with the offensive output he produced in 2023 and 2024. Like many Blue Jays, he battled with injuries earlier this year, which may have hampered his ability to play fully healthy in 2026.

Like other free agents Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber, Springer could test the waters in free agency, barring a lengthy lockout, which may delay the 2027 campaign. But has Springer done anything here in the second half for the Blue Jays to entertain a reunion?

He almost gets a mulligan for his early-season swoon due to his fractured foot. April and May were ugly months at the plate for Springer, with May being one of the worst offensive months of his career. But post-All-Star break, the 13-year veteran had solid numbers in July and August, and has a 128 wRC+ in the second half.

It would be one thing if it were the 2025 iteration of Springer, who the Blue Jays couldn’t live without, but this was the 2026 version, who the Blue Jays had to tiptoe around. A pure DH this year, Springer played only two games in the field, relegating him to full-time designated hitter duty.

Having a mainstay at DH who’s just barely above league average can be difficult for a team like the Blue Jays to navigate, who were trying to squeeze every last bit of offense they could out of this lineup. It still didn’t seem to work, as the Jays are second-last in runs scored in MLB.

The Blue Jays have plenty of salary coming off the books this offseason, Springer’s $24.16 million among the majority of it. Regardless of where he goes, Springer is in line for a significant pay cut.

The only recent precedent was Marcell Ozuna’s one-year, $12 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates last offseason, and then a smattering of DH deals in the $3 million to $14 million AAV range in 2025.

Sad to say, there isn’t a huge market for a 37-year-old DH who’s coming off a 1.0 fWAR season. Springer could even have to fight for a roster spot on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.

The cost being irrelevant, does it make sense for the Blue Jays to run it back one more year with Springer to try to rekindle some of that magic from 2025? It’s the quintessential corporate job interview response: “It’s just not the right fit.”

While it would be nice to have some veteran stability remain in the Blue Jays lineup for 2027, there are better ways for them to utilize the DH spot instead of handing the keys to Springer. The Blue Jays need to aim higher to improve their lineup, and that starts with free agent options like Seiya Suzuki, Brandon Lowe, Randy Arozarena, and Luis Arraez.

If it gets late in the offseason and there’s still a need for a right-handed bat, maybe Springer could make sense for the Blue Jays, but they can’t bank on a Springer bounceback campaign at age 37. A late 30s David Ortiz-esque season from Springer is not walking through that door.

Heading into 2024, the Blue Jays signed 39-year-old Justin Turner as their only free agent bat of significance, and he posted a 111 wRC+ in 91 games with Toronto before being traded to the Seattle Mariners.

There is also the matter of the designated hitter spot tentatively claimed for the 2027 season. Anthony Santander still has three years remaining on his five-year, $92.5 million contract. That comes with a huge asterisk, but the soon-to-be 32-year-old can’t be expected to play the outfield full-time next year and should be given the DH role to ease back into play.

After being dormant for most of the first half, some of the slug has returned to Springer’s bat, but it’s not enough to push this team over the edge. As the Blue Jays showed in August, they play their best when they’re faster, play smarter defense, and are younger in general. Unfortunately, Mr. Springer’s skill set does not lend itself to that philosophy.

When Springer’s time is over with the Blue Jays — whether it’s this offseason or later down the line — fans will look back fondly on his era with the team. The “Springer Dinger” will live on forever, and his owning one of the franchise’s most important home runs is a legacy that won’t be forgotten.