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Slugger teams up with charity for new holiday campaign
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Published Dec 03, 2025 • 4 minute read
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George Springer seen prior to Game 7 of the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Center on Nov. 1, 2025. Photo by Gregory Shamus /Getty ImagesArticle content
A little over a month after the Toronto Blue Jays’ heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the World Series, George Springer is taking a breather to enjoy “being a dad.”
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“Spending time with my kids and my wife and just being normal,” Springer said, describing his offseason days during a Make-A-Wish Foundation event at a downtown Jack Astor’s. “It’s been a lot of being dad, and getting some time away from the game … But it’s been a quick month. It’s already December and spring training will be here before you know it.”
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The ball club enjoyed its first return to the Fall Classic in 32 years, and Springer — who joined the Blue Jays in 2021 — praised the team’s “special” bond on-and-off the field this season.
“We just talk all the time … whether I’m on the phone with Daulton (Varsho) or something … it’s a very close-knit group,” the designated hitter and outfielder said. “I think that’s one of the things about our team that was special. To still have these conversations — to still talk to each other as if we’re going to be at the field tomorrow — it shows us how close everybody is.”
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George Springer of the Blue Jays celebrates his go-ahead two run home run against the Twins during the eighth inning at Target Field in Minneapolis, Saturday, June 7, 2025. Photo by Matt Krohn /Getty ImagesBusy offseason so far
The Blue Jays have had a brisk offseason with deadline acquisition Shane Bieber picking up his player option to remain in Toronto, and the team signing free agents Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to new deals.
Cease inked a seven-year deal worth US$210 million this week — the largest free-agent contract in team history — with Ponce set to join the Blue Jays on a three-year, $30-million deal.
Springer said he was napping when those agreements were made, but he’s happy to see the Blue Jays injecting more talent into a team he hopes can make another run at a World Series title next year.
“A lot of that stuff happens way past my bedtime,” Springer joked. “But it’s nice to wake up to see that news and the guys talking about it.”
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The four-time all -star and 2017 World Series MVP had a bounce-back season in 2025, batting .306 and slugging in 32 home runs with 84 runs batted in. During the playoffs, Springer belted four homers, including the three-run bomb that helped send the Blue Jays to the World Series.
Springer called his heroics in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners “hard to describe,” but said the at-bats leading up to his home run encapsulated the Blue Jays’ play all season long.
“I’m just happy I could come through in that moment,” he said. “But I think what gets lost in that whole moment is that if it wasn’t for the bats before me, it doesn’t happen. Guys got on base … we did what we needed to do as a team in that moment … That was a very big team moment for us, and we did it our way by getting a guy on, and getting a guy in.”
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George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning in game seven of the American League Championship Series at the Rogers Centre on October 20, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. Photo by Vaughn Ridley /Getty Images
Blue Jays fan Michael Angeletti caught Springer’s historic home run ball in the seventh inning of Game 7 of the ALCS. But the slugger said that the Etobicoke deserves to keep it.
“He caught it. He earned it. I have the memory, which is incredible,” Springer said.
Springer said he hasn’t thought much about how Game 7 of the World Series ended on Nov. 1, with Toronto losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 in 11 innings.
“It is what it is. You have to move forward. You can learn from everything and it’s on to 2026,” he said.
But after five seasons in Toronto and two other postseason trips that ended in early losses (in 2022 and 2023), Springer said he loved seeing how the city was overcome with Blue Jays fever.
“It was awesome. I think, for us as a team, to see Rogers Centre packed every single day, the atmosphere was so much fun,” Springer said. “The fans were one of the main reasons why we were where we were. It was an awesome year.”
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‘Soft spot in my heart for kids’
Joined by 11-year-old Make-A-Wish Canada ambassador Delfina Budziak, Springer was back in the city to help Jack Astor’s launch its Santa’s Secret Menu in support of the charity. From now until Jan. 4, 2026, a portion of proceeds from select items will go towards granting wishes for children across Canada.
George Springer and Delfina Budziak enjoy lunch at Jack Astor’s in downtown Toronto on Dec. 3, 2025. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /Toronto Sun
“As a dad, this is obviously something that’s very heartwarming for me,” the father of two said. “I want every kid to get what they need in life, so this is a must for me … To be here and hopefully help somebody, it means the world to me … When it comes to kids, I have a soft spot in my heart for kids. You want every child to have every opportunity and to be able to experience life and enjoy it. Anything I can do, I will do.”
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