DUNEDIN, Fla. – Five years after his own walk year with the Houston Astros, George Springer has watched the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extension saga unfold “from afar.” The Toronto Blue Jays outfielder recognizes that “every guy is different, every situation is different,” and understands the range of possibilities now facing Guerrero.
“The most important thing is just to be where your feet are. Stay present. Stay with your teammates. If you need help, ask. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that,” Springer said Wednesday after facing Jose Berrios and Bowden Francis in live batting practice. “At the end of the day, it’s not about tomorrow — for all of us — it’s about now and about doing whatever we can for the Toronto Blue Jays in the moment. And whatever happens at the end of the day happens.”
This is the reality the Blue Jays face after failing to reach a long-term contract extension with Guerrero before his Monday night deadline. Had a deal been struck, it would have solidified the team’s future with their star player for years to come. Now, the team must come to terms with the uncertainty and continue striving for success despite the looming instability.
Springer’s former team, the Astros, managed to both survive and thrive after his departure as a free agent in 2020, along with Carlos Correa’s exit in 2021. Alex Bregman, who recently signed with the Boston Red Sox, and Kyle Tucker, traded to the Chicago Cubs in December ahead of his walk year, are the latest high-profile departures from Houston.
With Bo Bichette, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, Chad Green, and Erik Swanson all set to hit free agency this fall, and Springer, Kevin Gausman, Yimi Garcia, Alejandro Kirk, and Daulton Varsho up after the 2026 season, the Blue Jays are facing significant challenges ahead in terms of their team’s future direction.
“I’m very confident in the group that we have, the mentality,” Springer said, adding later, “I’m a firm believer in you play for what’s on your chest and don’t play for what’s on the back. If you play for what’s on your chest, everything else will be OK.”
This season, the Blue Jays are asking the 35-year-old Springer to do exactly that, with at least a partial move out of the leadoff spot and some time in left field—a position he’s played just once in his career, for three innings in 2018.
At the start of spring training, manager John Schneider referred to the batting order as “an open book,” and he’s since had further discussions with Springer about the changes.
Springer has spent 83% of his 2,222 plate appearances since joining the Blue Jays in the leadoff spot, a role he’s held for the majority of his 11-year career, making this move a significant shift for him.
However, after a disappointing 2024 season where he batted .220/.303/.371 with 19 home runs, everything is on the table. Manager John Schneider stated that the Blue Jays are “not going to just be stagnant with what we’re doing one, two, three.”
“We have our idea of guys that are going to be at the top,” Schneider added, “and we’re going to mix and match with each night based on who we’re facing.”
This could include Bo Bichette, Will Wagner, and Andres Gimenez, alongside Springer. Schneider emphasized the goal of having a more balanced lineup from one through nine, aiming to avoid situations that are easy for opposing bullpens to exploit. “We’re just going to try to maximize each night.”
Springer, who worked on some adjustments at the plate over the winter to address issues he identified at the end of last season, is fully on board. He simply stated, “My job is to do whatever I can to help us win, whether that’s hitting first, second, fifth, fourth — I don’t care. I’m going to be the same guy. I’m going to be the same hitter I know how to be.”
In addition to adjusting his batting order position, Springer will also need to get accustomed to left field, a position he plans to discuss with Gold Glove winner Daulton Varsho, who has experience in both left and center field.
The goal, according to Schneider, is to occasionally move Anthony Santander into right field, as the slugger has only played left field once since 2022 and has just 90 appearances in left in 612 career defensive appearances in the majors.
The Blue Jays don’t have a set number of games assigned to each corner for the duo, but Schneider explained, “Some will be ballpark-driven, some is matchup-driven.” He added, “I don’t want to say left is new for Tony, but it’s something he hasn’t done in quite a while, and we know what George can do in right and center. There’ll be days where Tony’s in left and George is in right, as well.”
These moves are part of the Blue Jays’ broader efforts to create flexibility in both their defensive alignment and batting orders, aiming to capitalize on any advantage they can find.
With the pressure of short-term success having long-term implications for the team this season, it’s understandable. But if they hope to retain Vladimir Guerrero Jr. when he hits free agency in the fall, they need to focus on getting the baseball piece right.
“I know what kind of player he is, but the most important thing is he’s a great human,” Springer said of his teammate. “He’s here. He’s here to win. Obviously a guy like that on your team, for however long, is great, and it doesn’t matter what. At the end of the day, we’ll see what happens. But everyone loves Vladimir.”
No doubt there. But if this is indeed Guerrero’s final year with the Blue Jays and they risk losing him for little more than a compensatory draft pick, the pressure is on everyone to make this year count.