Report: Blue Jays, Springer agree to 6-year, $150M deal

George Springer is flying north.

The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a contract with the free-agent outfielder, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Completion of the deal is pending a physical. Springer now is en route to the team's complex in Dunedin, Florida, to undergo the exam, per Passan.

It will be a six-year, $150-million contract, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

That would make it the largest contract ever handed out by the Blue Jays, topping Vernon Wells' seven-year, $126-million extension, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Russell Martin's five-year, $82-million deal in 2015 was the franchise's previous record deal in free agency.

By average annual value ($25 million), Springer's contract is the second-highest ever given to a center fielder, trailing only Mike Trout, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Toronto beat out the New York Mets to land Springer. The Mets had been aggressive in their pursuit of the former World Series MVP, but pulled back after acquiring star shortstop Francisco Lindor from the Cleveland Indians last week, SNY's Andy Martino reported.

Momentum for Toronto picked up considerably on Tuesday, leading to the reported agreement.

Springer, 31, spent his first seven seasons with the Houston Astros, where he was an important part of their success over the past decade. The two-time Silver Slugger winner is a lifetime .270/.361/.491 hitter with 174 home runs, 458 RBIs, and 26.6 WAR during the regular season; in the playoffs, he owns a .895 OPS with 19 homers over 63 games.

Defensively, he's primarily played as a center fielder since 2017, but also has plenty of experience in right. Springer has accrued 14 career defensive runs saved in center.

Springer was tied to draft-pick compensation after rejecting Houston's qualifying offer at the beginning of the offseason. As a result, the Blue Jays will forfeit their second-highest pick in the 2021 draft (No. 54 overall) and will also lose $500,000 from their international bonus pool.

Meanwhile, the Astros will receive a compensatory draft pick in 2021 following the fourth round.