The Toronto Blue Jays made several surprising moves during the 2026 trade deadline. However, one of the bigger surprises was a move they didn’t make. George Springer remains a Blue Jay.

Springer was one of the top trade candidates for the Blue Jays leading into the trade deadline. Their disappointing season positioned the Blue Jays to be sellers, and Springer is a pending free agent. While he hasn’t maintained his form from 2025, he has looked better recently and is a known playoff riser.

“We just felt like it was important for him to be here,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters after the deadline. “We wanted him here as we continue to push forward.”

While Springer’s time with the Blue Jays has had its fair share of ups and downs, he’s been a key part of the franchise over the last six seasons and helped the Blue Jays to two Wild Card appearances and their first World Series appearance since 1993.

Springer joined the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2021 season after signing a six-year, $150-million contract. At the time, it was the largest free-agent signing in Blue Jays history.

Springer had spent his entire career to that point with the Houston Astros. He was a three-time All-Star (2017-2019) and a two-time Silver Slugger (2017 and 2019). He was also named the MVP for the Astros’ controversial World Series win in 2017. Springer tied Chase Utley and Reggie Jackson for the most home runs in a single World Series with five.

Springer joined the Blue Jays after the team had gone 32-28 in a shortened season due to COVID-19. They made the postseason for the first time since 2016 but lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in two games in the Wild Card. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette had finished their second seasons in MLB. Springer brought experience to a young team with high potential.

Injuries marred Springer’s first season with the Blue Jays. He missed the start of the season with a quad injury. Multiple trips to the IL meant that Springer only played 78 games with the Blue Jays in 2021. When he was healthy, he played well. Springer slashed .264/.352/.555 with 22 home runs. He was named. the AL Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks between July 26 and August 8.

The Blue Jays finished the 2021 season with a 91-71 record. Their .562 win percentage was the highest for the team since they won the division in 2015. However, the Blue Jays finished fourth in the AL East and missed out on a Wild Card spot by one game.

Springer earned the fourth All-Star nod of his career in 2022. He slashed .267/.342/.472 with 25 home runs. The Blue Jays finished second in the AL East with a 92-70 record and earned a Wild Card berth.

Springer had two hits in Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Seattle Mariners, but the Blue Jays lost 4-0. In Game 2, the Blue Jays led 8-1 through five innings.

In the eighth inning, the Mariners had the bases loaded and two outs. The Blue Jays’ lead had already been cut to 9-6. J.P. Crawford hit a fly ball to shallow centre field. Springer and Bichette collided on the play, and Springer had to be carted off the field.

The hit allowed the Mariners to tie the game. They went on to win 10-9, ending the Blue Jays’ season. It’s the second-largest comeback in postseason history.

On June 25, 2023, Springer hit the 55th leadoff home run of his career, moving him ahead of Alfonso Soriano for second all-time. Since then, Springer has added 10 more leadoff home runs, putting him at 65 but still well behind Rickey Henderson’s 81 for the most all-time.

Springer batted .258/.327/.405 with 21 home runs in 2023. The Blue Jays finished third in the AL East with an 89-73 record. For the second year in a row, the Blue Jays advanced to the Wild Card round. Springer had two hits in Game 2 against the Minnesota Twins, but the Blue Jays failed to win a game in the Wild Card round for the third time in four years.

The 2024 season was a disappointing year for Springer and the Blue Jays. He put up the worst slash line of his career (.220/.303/.371) with just 19 home runs.  The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East with a 74-88 record.

After his disappointing 2024 and a poor showing during spring training in 2025, expectations were low for Springer and the Blue Jays in 2025.

Springer had one of the best seasons of his career in 2025. He slashed .309/.399/.560 with a team-leading 32 home runs. It was the third time in his career that Springer had hit more than 30 home runs and the first time since 2019.

On Canada Day in 2025, Springer hit a grand slam against the New York Yankees. It was the second game in a four-game series between the Yankees and Blue Jays. The Blue Jays swept the series to take the lead in the AL East and secure the season series against the Yankees.

The Blue Jays held on to the division lead for the remainder of the 2025 season. The Blue Jays won their division for the first time since 2015.

The Blue Jays advanced to the ALCS after beating the Yankees in four games in the ALDS. They lost the first two games against the Seattle Mariners in Toronto. The Blue Jays fought back to send the series to a deciding Game 7.

The Blue Jays trailed the Mariners for most of Game 7. Springer came to the plate with two on in the seventh inning and the Blue Jays down 3-1. He hit a three-run home run off Eduard Bazardo, giving the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead, which they held on to for the rest of the game. For the first time in 32 years, the Blue Jays were headed to the World Series.

The Blue Jays lost the World Series to the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in heartbreaking fashion in Game 7. Still, Springer’s three-run shot in the ALCS will live on as one of the most iconic moments in the Blue Jays’ history.

The Blue Jays haven’t been able to replicate their success from 2025. They sit last in the AL East, seven games under .500 and 3.0 games back of the final AL Wild Card.

Springer has also been unable to replicate his 2025 form. He’s slashing .238/.321/.404 with 12 home runs. He’s looked better as the season has gone on and notched his 300th career home run in June.

Despite being on an expiring contract, the Blue Jays did not trade Springer at the deadline. Instead, Atkins made it very clear that he is important to the team.

There have been highs and lows over his six seasons with the Blue Jays, but Springer played a major role in one of the most successful seasons in Blue Jays history and gave fans a moment that they will remember forever.