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George Springer, already (arguably) the greatest UConn baseball player of all time, became the program’s highest-earning graduate of all time on Wednesday when he signed a new six-year, $150 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. It would be the largest contract given out in team history, as well the largest contract ever signed by a former UConn athlete, pending a physical examination.
George Springer’s deal with the Toronto Blue Jays is for six years and $150 million, as @JonHeyman said. In this market, that is a massive deal. Toronto paid a premium price for a premium player.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 20, 2021
Springer was one of the headliners of this year’s free agent class, and it’s easy to see why. He’s the owner of a World Series MVP, three All-Star Game appearances and two Silver Slugger awards, and was perhaps the integral piece of the Astros’ rapid (and controversial) rise from the worst record in the league to World Series champions, batting .270/.361/.491 for his career with 832 hits, 174 home runs and a 131 OPS+.
Springer spent three seasons at UConn, from 2009 to 2011, and broke a number of records in the process. His 220 runs scored and 46 career home runs are both school records, in addition to single-season records in runs (84 in 2010) and walks (60 in 2010) as well as home runs as a freshman (16).
Springer even set records upon leaving, his selection to the Houston Astros with the 11th pick of the 2011 MLB draft is the highest a Husky has ever gone in any professional draft. He stayed with the Astros for nearly 10 years of his career, before signing the big money contract that brought him to Toronto.
The center fielder from New Britain, Connecticut reportedly wanted to return to his home region and was heavily rumored to be part of new owner Steve Cohen’s project at the Mets, but instead chose to join the young core at Toronto, where he will still play plenty of games every year in New York and Boston.
Springer was reportedly the Blue Jays’ No. 1 target in free agency this offseason, and he joins a young core of players that went 32-38 in the 2020 season, finishing third in the AL East with exciting young players like Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrerro Jr.