NEW YORK — It has become a rite of the summer, a sad one in some cities. MLB teams have to decide whether to “go for it” and trade young players for veterans who can help in a playoff push, or throw up the white flag and bail out on the season.
The Toronto Blue Jays, who were a play at the plate away from winning the World Series last year, had fallen below .500, last in the AL East and five games back of the last playoff spot — even in a very mediocre American League. It was a forgone conclusion they’d be deadline sellers, and UConn’s George Springer, in the last year of his contract and noted author of October dramatics, seemed sure to go.
But a funny thing happened on the way to oblivion. Though the Jays were starting to play better, they did trade several key players, starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, closer Jeff Hoffman, and outfielder Daulton Varsho. On Aug. 1, less than 72 hours before the deadline, Springer singled and doubled, knocked in two runs to help Toronto beat the Cardinals. Then he railed against surrender, after teammates drenched him with Gatorade, in an interview showed inside the Rogers Centre.
“… Be present, be in this great place to play with all these fans,” he said. “No one gives a (bleep) what happens, just go play, win the game and do whatever it is you can to help this team win.”
Jays fans roared their approval. Springer, with much of his family still in the 8-6-0, including his sister, Lena, who coaches softball at Trinity, had been mentioned as a fit for the Red Sox, or his former team, the Astros. With more than 10 years in the majors and five with his current team, he could veto any trade. Apparently it never got that far, and when the deadline passed on Aug. 4, Springer was still with the team he vaulted into the World Series with a dramatic Game 7 ALCS home run, GM Ross Atkins citing the value of his leadership. “It wasn’t something I thought about,” Springer told The Courant following Toronto’s loss to the Yankees Friday night. “I knew I loved this team and I’m glad I’m here.”
His message was as vivid as his green, Whalers-themed batting gloves. There would be no white flag, the season was not over. It resonated, evidently.
“(His leadership) is huge in uncertain times,” manager John Schneider said, before the Blue Jays began their weekend series in New York. “That day in particular, it’s a lot for a lot of different people. He’s remarkably aware of how things can change, he doesn’t panic and I think that rubs off on everyone. His will to say, to say, ‘yeah, I’m going to do whatever it takes to win today,’ has kind of rubbed off on some guys.”
The Blue Jays also acquired a few veteran major leaguers, an novel approach to the deadline, and they won 12 out of 18 games, winning series against the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays, to surge to within a half-game of the final wild card spot. Springer, who missed time earlier in the season with a broken toe, looked more like his old self in July, though he’s been struggling with some nagging injuries lately. After going 3-for-5 on Saturday and 1-4 with a double on Sunday, he’s hitting .241 with 12 homers and 41 RBI.
“For me, it’s pretty obvious, I love this team, I love these guys,” Springer told The Courant, following Friday’s game. “I believe in it. Everybody understands it’s an uphill battle, but it’s a fight I wanted to fight with these guys and here we are. At the end of the day, we’re a good team. The guys in this locker room believe in each other, and even the guys who, unfortunately, aren’t here, believed in this team. For us right now, it’s about not being concerned about stats or about numbers and just go play, do whatever you can do to win that day.”
New Britain’s George Springer hits homer to send Blue Jays to World Series
Springer, the New Britain native and Avon Old Farms grad, was also loyal to his state and helped lift UConn baseball to new heights in 2010 and ’11 before the Astros drafted him in the first round. He was a big part of two World Series teams, MVP of Houston’s 2017 victory over the Dodgers. Their accomplishments were shadowed by the sign-stealing mess that erupted in Houston in 2020, but Springer took more than his share of responsibility. The booing he heard in New York when he was announced as a pinch-hitter indicates not all fans have turned the page, even though sign-stealing has been part of baseball for as long as the game has been played.
Of course, it’s different in Toronto. When he became a free agent, Springer signed a six-year, $150 million contract with the Jays and became the steady veteran presence the organization wanted for its young stars. In 2025, he had one of his best seasons, hitting .302 with 32 homers and 84 RBI. “I think I could play better and I would love to play better,” he said, “but I’m not concerned with stats or numbers.”
But 13 major league seasons, played with such a high level of force, has taken its toll. A four-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, long one of the best outfielders in the majors, Springer has DH’ed almost exclusively this season, which will likely limit his options when he is a free agent again.
“I haven’t gotten that far,” Springer said. I’m focused on the moment, I’m focused on winning, I’m focused on now, and when I get to the end of the season, the future will be what comes.”
Numbers and trivia don’t inspire him, so when Springer, with 305 career home runs, was reminded he needs only 23 to catch Mo Vaughn for the most by a Connecticut native (Jeff Bagwell was born in Boston), Springer just laughed. With 65 lead-off homers, he’s second only to Rickey Henderson (81), but he doesn’t lead off much any more. His postseason record, with 23 homers in 83 games, will be at the core of his legacy.
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer (4) shows off his batting gloves after hitting a home run during seventh inning MLB baseball action against the Tampa Bay Rays, in Toronto, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
“In the playoffs, you’ve just got to be able to slow the game down and have as much fun as you can,” he said. “Some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten, you have to enjoy the moment because you never know if you’re going to get back there or not. There are guys who play their entire career just to play one playoff game.”
His mark is imprinted in Toronto, where the Whaler gloves he wore for his pennant-winning homer are now on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. So as long as he had a say, he was staying in the fight with the Jays, and the notion that, if they can get to the tournament, whatever their record, they can channel their experiences from last season.
“For a 36-year-old dude, he’s still having fun,” Schneider said, ” and still affecting people around him.”