Whether a game is played in 2020 or not, George Springer is slated to become a free agent for the first time this coming winter. The Astros, however, hope to broker a long-term deal with their star outfielder, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. While he was overseeing the baseball ops department in between the firing of Jeff Luhnow and hiring of new GM James Click, owner Jim Crane “made it clear” to Springer’s representatives at Excel Sports Management that his club was interested in a long-term deal, Rome writes. Such talks aren’t permitted during the league’s transaction freeze, though the two sides can come back to the table once that freeze is lifted.
Crane made that desire clear not only in his words but also through his actions. As we noted at the time the two sides avoided arbitration, it’s uncommon these days for a team and player to agree on a one-year arrangement after arbitration numbers are filed. But Crane not only bucked the “file-and-trial” trend that permeates the game with regard to Springer — he inked the slugger at a $21MM rate that checked in north of the $20MM midpoint between Springer’s $22.5MM submission and the club’s $17.5MM figure.
Paired with Rome’s report on the situation, that seems like a clear show of good faith that the club hopes to keep Springer around for the long haul — keeping him in Houston alongside already-extended stars Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve. Bregman’s five-year, $100MM extension and Altuve’s $151MM extension both run through the 2024 campaign.
Keeping Springer would be a critical move for the Astros, who currently stand to lose four of their nine 2019 everyday players to free agency this winter. Beyond Springer, each of Michael Brantley, Josh Reddick and Yuli Gurriel is slated to hit the open market. While top prospect Kyle Tucker should be ready to slot into one of those outfield vacancies and Abraham Toro could perhaps occupy first base, that still leaves the club with a pair of holes in the lineup.
The financial feasibility, of course, remains to be seen. Houston has $116MM on the books in 2021 — including $134MM in total luxury tax obligations. That’s not including what should be significant arbitration raises to Roberto Osuna (earning $10MM in 2020), Carlos Correa ($8MM in 2020) and Lance McCullers Jr. ($4.1MM in 2020) — plus smaller raises for Chris Devenski ($2MM in 2020), Aledmys Diaz ($2.6MM in 2020) and Joe Biagini ($1MM in 2020). The Astros barely spent in free agency this winter as the team seemingly eyed a 2021 dip under the luxury threshold, but there’s certainly room to pay Springer on a long-term deal and still successfully make that luxury maneuver next season.
Springer, 31 in September, landed third on MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings back in late February — trailing only Mookie Betts and J.T. Realmuto. Skeptics will surely question the legitimacy of his excellence at the plate in the wake of the team’s sign-stealing scandal — and it’s only fair to point out that Springer had one of his best seasons amid that trash-can scandal in 2017. But the slugger’s best season was actually in 2019, when he laid waste to opposing pitching with a .292/.383/.591 slash line (150 OPS+, 156 wRC+) and ripped 39 home runs in just 122 games/556 plate appearances.
It should also be emphasized that while Springer and his teammates surely benefited from that sign-stealing operation, his offensive ability has never been in doubt. He was the 11th overall pick in the 2011 draft and posted an OPS of .900 or better at each minor league level (plus in the Arizona Fall League) on his way to the big leagues. Springer posted a 129 wRC+ in three seasons prior to that nefarious 2017 campaign and, over the course of his MLB career, has been 31 percent better than the league average hitter per OPS+ and 33 percent better per wRC+. He also rates well defensively in both center field and right field.
A long-term deal for Springer would be likely be expected to cover at least five years under normal circumstances, although the loss of revenue presents some uncertainty as to what to expect with regard to contract negotiations — extensions and free agency alike — whenever transactions do resume.
Insert stupid movie quote that has nothing to do with baseball here. Aren’t I so witty and cute? It’s all about me getting attention!
Imagine thinking this even moderately irks me.
We have the full Monty.
Way more annoying and pointless than whatever it is you are trying to make fun of
Get it together
tHeY cHeAteD
They did? When did that happen? None of us heard anything about it…
Do U not understand sarcasm? Why do u think I typed it in differently smfh
So… talk about not understanding sarcasm… Sorry, didn’t realize you needed a special kind of typing to aid your perception!
Not a clue.
“Man accusing people of not understanding sarcasm doesn’t understand sarcasm.”
Gotta love the irony!
Oh gawd. I hate ironing.
No… Wait…
Even your lame attempt at sarcasm is getting old…. need new material !!
Cry about it
Just skip reading your b s from now on ….. you are a waste on time……
You probably got confused and took your wife’s estrogen pill last night….
Another clown letting the Astros live rent free in their head 24-7, love it!
You’re team cheated the game. Prepare for the backlash that comes with it.
Did they Astros fans cheat ? No they didn’t but yet stupid kids like you keep on bringing it up
My team is in the NL so they’re not my team but move on kiddo
LOL this was the biggest scandal in modern MLB histroy but yeah we can’t talk about it because it makes Astros fans uncomfortable. Great insight.
Biggest scandal in mlb history ? Um no the Blacksox were
Maybe if you had a life it would help
Let’s see. Black Sox. Pete Rose. Steroids. Cards hack Astros computers. Those 4 rank higher than garbage can banging.
Damn drama queen
And if Your favorite team signed any of them you would shut up about it and become a fan.
Thorshair – Surprised it took until the third comment for “they cheated”. I do not like the Astros, but you and all the “cheat” comments are boring and tiring. Get Some new material…….
How about a happy ending joke about Robert Kraft?!?!?
Makes sense they *want* to extend him, the odds of that happening are another matter entirely. The one thing going for the Astros is skepticism around the league about how good he really is if they’re not cheating, which could depress his market enough that the Astros can afford him. More likely, I think, is that an up-and-coming team with a need in the OF takes a chance on him. The Red Sox may be in the mix, too, since they’d like to get as close as possible to a replacement for Mookie.
Sounds like they’re trying to secure a core through 2024; if they went $21MM this season, what do you think? 4 years, $110MM to $120MM area?
Over the past 4 years, he’s been worth 4.8 WAR/yr, but last year, he had 6.4 WAR in only 122 games. With the depressed market from COVID and the shortened season and other teams’ skepticism, the AAV is plausible, but I still believe another team that offered him the same AAV over six years would win out over hometown loyalty.
There’s also the question of, if they have to let some players go, and can’t afford to sign stars to replace them and have next to no help coming from the farm, is it time to trade off who they can for prospects, greatly shorten their rebuild, and contend in another 3-4 years for another 6-8? The Giants waited too long and it’s costing them. I think the Indians and White Sox/Braves have the two best approaches I’ve seen so far. The Indians wait until a guy is a year or two from FA and trade him. The White Sox and Braves sign their young studs early to team-friendly extensions. A little late for the latter approach, but the Indians’ approach could work pretty well.
In the end, if I had to pick, I’d say the Red Sox get him. They have some bad contracts, but they won’t have Mookie, will pay Price only half, and I expect JDM to walk because his contract is set to go down and a couple teams could use a big upgrade at DH.
I think you’re the only human besides me who i’ve seen say that the Astros should consider starting to build their next potential superteam now… Fiscally, I just don’t see how anybody could afford to keep all the names on that roster, so I agree with you.
Correa needs to be traded. I would have no issue with Brantley, Reddick and Yuli going away. Astros have the replacements either on the bench or in Round Rock. It would also allow them to sign another front end pitcher to go with Verlander and Grienke.
Sorry hyrax, but the Red Sox will still be in lux tax jail next year. Since the luxury tax will not reset this year for anyone, that will make large contracts verboten for the Sox until after 2021.
Javia, if they have that much coming off the books, they’d have room to bring Springer on. They’re also seeing Rusney’s contract finally come to an end and JBJ hitting FA. You can take on a big contract even if you’re in “lux tax jail.” The penalties only apply if you keep going over. Losing that much salary and adding Springer would still put them under for 2021, so no issue.
And to be clear, I’m a White Sox fan, not a Red Sox fan. I’d honestly like to see him come to Chicago, but I highly doubt Jerry will open up his wallet wide enough. I just see the Red Sox having the need, the willingness, and the ability to add him and stay under the cap next year if they let a couple people go.
Why does Correa need to be traded? He’s only getting paid $7.4M and is a 4+ WAR player even if he only plays 110 games. He’s a bargain at what they are paying him and they don’t have a viable replacement (Bregman is not the SS Correa is).
I just doubt that the Red Sox will make a play for Springer. They should theoretically have around $50 million to play with. Maybe. But do the Sox need bats or arms? They have offense, they need pitching.
I know everyone likes to think that free agents will be coming cheap next year but I can guarantee that players are thinking differently. Springer will be looking for $300 million. If he doesn’t get it I expect he will be looking for a 1 or 2 year deal at $40 million per year, a la the Dodgers. He will take up all of the Sox free payroll space. It could happen, I just seriously doubt it.
Springer is going to be 31 before next season, he isnt getting 300m
$35 million per year times 9 years = $315 million. Who would pay someone $35 million in a year when they are 40yo? Well, Strasburg will be getting that at 38yo and he is a PITCHER. My point is that Springer will be making over $30 million per year if he gets a 7-10 year contract, and he will probably be making over $40 per year if he goes year-to-year.
($21m Springer)+ ($16m Brantley)+($13m Reddick)+ ($9m Yuli) + ($4m Peacock) = $63 million coming off the books. They have the money to extend him. If he goes to free agency then he’ll sign to the highest bidder.
You have those guys coming off, but who will replace them? Reddick is easy enough, but Yuli, Brantley, and Peacock are a bit harder at those prices. It’s not like they have that much coming off the books and nothing coming back on.
Peacock isn’t hard to replace at 4 million although pitching is the issue they have to address more than any after next year
Brantley and Yuli will be hard to replace because if you sign springer long term you will need the money that is left for pitching. Straw could be a replacement level player in center but I don’t see the answer for 1B anywhere in the system
Baseball execs don’t doubt how good he is, they are smart enough to realize his talent and ability are legit. Now there are fans who aren’t smart enough to realize it and they will continue to rant, and I guess it’s possible that some GMs would be more leery of signing him because of a fan backlash, although history tells us when a hated player goes to someone else’s team and does well, fans quickly turn to cheers.
He likely signs an extension with the Astros, next offseason is going to be a terrible time for any free agent from any team looking for a new deal with the financial situation the league and nation will be in
Giants will probably sign him to a huge contract because they can’t develop outfielders to save their lives and he will fall off a cliff.
Good, that bug-eyed POS deserves to spend his career with his cheating ilk in Houston. No chance he continues to hit that well once he doesn’t know what pitch is coming anymore.
Yes, let the hate flow through you.
what? asstros cheated other teams, players and fans! effin’ cheaters!
You don’t say.
rent free clown
And if any of these guys signs with your favorite team you’ll be the first guy to go buy a jersey I guarantee it
He didn’t know what was coming in 2019 and had his best season. Going through life fat, lazy and stupid is not a good way to live.
He had his best year in 2019 with no cheating. He also smashed baseball in dodgers stadium to secure his mvp. People that think they were the only team cheating are naive. They just had better players. Im a yankee fan.
Buzzers say otherwise.
Cmon man. Fake news. Zero credibility. Dont you think some other rat teammate(like Mike Fiers) would’ve come out with those facts. Zero validity to the buzzers.
Springer should have been banned. #FreePeteRose
Pete Rose will be in the hall when he can no longer damage the game. Dude is a liability, it makes perfect sense
For hitting better on the road?
I’ve always loved Springer since day 1 in the bigs, look for him to get paid
Of course they need to resign Georgie. He knows where the band-aids are stored and the trash can sequence.
MLB trade rumors should divide/filter its comments into 1. Comments about the article written 2. Gripes, sarcasm (or lame attempts), male on estrogen comments, comments from those who think they are God…..
While I agree with your sentiment, would this be under the “those who think they are God” filter?
Best to let him go. Phillies or Mets seem like a nice fit
Astros are cheating scumbags!
And in other news from the past….women are now allowed to vote, prohibition is over, and JFK got shot
If you only knew what was going on in the big leagues…you would be singing a different tune.
BANG
No tax in Texas, better off with a contract from Houston.
Watching MANY Astros games, I thought it odd how Springer struck out. It often seemed like he knew what was coming so he’d swing for the fences and it looked so awkward.
Anyone else think it was an odd decision to have him consistently bat lead off?
Dwight Evans also hit leadoff for years. A high power/ High BB% guy. Springer gets on base and gives his team a chance to take a 1-0 lead right off the bat.
Ralph Houk, Evans’ old manager for a short time was asked why he had him hitting leadoff and gave the reply.. “I like having a 1-0 lead to start a game. Having a .380+ career OBP and close to 400HR didn’t hurt either.. Same with Springer. He’s got base running smarts, if not blinding speed like Evans had and knows how to take a walk.
I’d say a pretty nice guy to have up top for a quick lead, or get on base.
But Altuve has better leadoff stats
Will Astro FAs want to re up or will they try to distance themselves from the inevitable circus?
Astros free agents will follow the money, just like every free agent who has come before them.
Yea free agents will go where the money is, especially in a ruined economy where big contracts won’t be handed out like before
Agreed. There are other factors if it’s close, like team contention status and weather, but cash is king.
why would he want to return to cheaters other than the fact he is one
Wow! Been some backlash against posters making the same tired jokes about the Astros. Does this mean we can ACTUALLY start talking baseball even when the Astros are mentioned?
Springer by WAR the last 5 years: 6.4, 2.7, 5.0, 5.1, 4.2
Pretty consistent production. I think his age will mean more to FA than any scandal. Right field is also pretty deep and not a premium position. So maybe something like 5 years $120 million? That might be a little high considering how much money has been lost but we’ll see.
I think your AAV is low. I’d say he gets somewhere between $28-$32M/yr, depending on how he does this year.
thats low, really low.
I could see that deal. Maybe 5/130. He’s about to be 31 and players over 30 haven’t been getting the $30M contracts recently.
I doubt many teams will lineup to sign these guys
Why not just start fresh with Yordon ,Tucker and Ferguson
5 years 30 mill per year… Otherwise he walks. Just an educated guess.
Springer’s value will be lowered because no GM wants to spend big $$$ to bring a guy who is likely to be hated by the rest of the roster. Astros know this and they’ll give him a low-ball offer.
Bang, buzz, karma!
Not a chance he is hated by the roster. He is a high energy high effort guy who always has a smile and produces.
EVERY roster in baseball would embrace him and be happy he is on their team helping them win
Yeah, because no one is upset over the Astros stealing fame and $$$ from players on other teams. His smile will win them over. lol.