Whether we as fans like to admit it or not, most long-term contracts signed by veterans eventually sour before they’re through. It’s something we should all recognize and admit to ourselves when our favourite teams open their wallets to acquire a win-now piece, but it’s always difficult to see a big name on the lineup card that just isn’t producing for the Blue Jays.
That’s exactly what I was bracing myself for coming into the 2025 season with George Springer, who slashed just .220/.303/.371 in 2024, including just 19 home runs, 19 doubles, and 56 RBIs over 545 at-bats, basically representing a full MLB season. For someone who has battled injuries so much in recent years, it was a pleasant surprise that Springer was able to appear in 145 games in 2024, but unfortunately, the improved health didn’t come with better results.
That said, the former World Series MVP turned back the clock to start the 2025 campaign and was slashing .306/.406/.482 through the end of April, and at times it felt like he was the only bat in the lineup that was producing at or above expected levels. Unfortunately, that production has come crashing back to earth for the 35-year-old, as he was slashing just .174/.305/.362 here in May heading into Tuesday night’s game, and in particular has really floundered over his last 15 games, posting a dreadful .149/.286/.298 slash line with one home run, three RBIs, while striking out 11 times.
Every MLB season is going to have ebbs and flows, but for a player that’s much closer to the end of his career than the beginning of it, the signs around Springer’s performance are concerning. The Blue Jays have struggled to produce offensively throughout the year, and having a corner outfield bat hitting below the Mendoza line recently certainly doesn’t help their cause.
So what should John Schneider ultimately do about Springer’s struggles?
There are a handful of options, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Blue Jays’ bench boss navigates the situation in the coming weeks if Springer can’t get back on track. I would be surprised if he lost his starting role in the near future, mostly because there is a lack of viable options to replace him at the moment. Daulton Varsho is having a fantastic season since coming off the IL on April 29th, but otherwise, the outfield depth chart has been pretty underwhelming. Anthony Santander has struggled to the point of being dropped in the order despite being the big-fish free agent signing of the winter. Alan Roden was sent back to Buffalo to get his bat back on track, and Addison Barger has seemingly taken over the starting job at third base after spending time in the outfield corners to begin the year. There are others like Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw and more, but to be the best version of the lineup, this is a team that needs production from their veteran hitters.
Is that something the Blue Jays can expect from Springer going forward? It’s very hard to say. His recent struggles may be a blip on the radar, and if you look at some of his advanced metrics, thanks to Statcast, there is some encouraging data for the four-time All-Star. Obviously, that data is being carried by his early-season production, but those at-bats count just as much as the ones over the last couple of weeks as far as the big picture is concerned. However, for a team that has struggled to score runs throughout most of the season, the recent downturn from Springer has been even more noticeable.
At the very least, it’s time to drop Springer in the batting order until he gets his bat back on track. However, in a perfect world, the Blue Jays need their veteran leader to be producing, and hopefully right in the middle of their best group of hitters. Gone are the days when Springer was the no-doubt name to put at the top of the lineup, but it’s not unreasonable to hope for production that would land in the top half of the order at the very least.
Time will tell if the veteran outfielder can turn things around, and if the Blue Jays are going to be a playoff contender by the time the fall rolls around, they’re going to need a lot more from the 12-year veteran.