Astros Seal the Deal on Michael Brantley, Lose George Springer
The Houston Astros re-sign a two year contract with Michael Brantley, but George Springer is moving on to the Blue Jays.
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George Springer, a former Houston Astros baseball outfielder is moving to the Toronto Blue Jays, but Michael Brantley will stay behind.
January 29, 2021
Many Astros fans were left wondering what would happen to this 2017 World Series Champions franchise during the offseason. It was no secret that many contracts were expiring, and no one was quite sure who would be left after the smoke cleared. It was something that not only had Houston fans in suspense, but much of the MLB world as well.
The biggest hit for the Astros this offseason would probably be the loss of George Springer.
He was drafted in the program in 2011, and made his first major league debut three years later in 2014. He hit his first career home run on May 8 of that same year, against the Detroit Tigers. Furthermore, he was the first Astros Rookie to hit 15 home runs before the All Star break.
Throughout his seven years with the Houston Astros, Springer batted .270, hit 174 home runs, and made 458 RBI’s. His 2017 season may have been the best, when he was awarded MLB All-Star, Silver Slugger Award, and 2017 World Series MVP.
However, Springer’s home is no longer in Houston, but Toronto instead. According to Jon Heyman, an insider for MLB Network, this past week George Springer signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. That contract is worth $150 million for six years of playing time.
However, at the age of 31, some wonder if he will be just as good six years from now.
It’s not all bad new for the city of Houston. While they did lose George Springer, the Astros managed to re-sign Michael Brantley in a two year, $32 million contract.
Playing baseball since 2009, Brantley left the Cleveland Indians and joined the Astros in 2019. While playing in Houston, Brantley batted a .295, and hit 27 home runs. Although he signed with the Astros, he was originally looking at moving to Toronto with Springer. That deal did not end up working out, and Houston kept him around for a few more seasons.
It’s been a rough season for Houston fans, especially after the 2017 World Series scandal came out. Plus, losing George Springer was pretty much the icing on the cake for bad news. However, they still have Michael Brantley, and no matter how things turn out, we can always count on the Astros to give it their all.
