George Springer may have seen his final pitch as a Houston Astro.
Patrick Creighton of ESPN 97.5 Houston reported this week that the three-time All-Star outfielder does not want to return to Houston. Springer is a free agent this MLB offseason.
Astros writer Michael Schwab added to Creighton’s report that Springer “loves” the team but wants to be near family. The 31-year-old is a native of New Britain, Conn. and played college baseball for the UConn Huskies.
Springer hit .265 with 14 home runs and 32 RBIs in the shortened season. He was drafted by the Astros in 2011, made his MLB debut in 2014, and has been with them ever since. Springer has become a core player for Houston and was the World Series MVP during their championship run in 2017.
Free agency certainly appeared to be on Springer’s mind during the Astros’ ALCS run this year. With players like Carlos Correa, Michael Brantley, Yuli Gurriel, and Josh Reddick hitting either free agency or arbitration this offseason as well, a Springer-Houston split could just be inevitable.
