Former Blue Jays World Series champ nominated for prestigious Players Choice Award

The World Series has yet to be decided, so the Toronto Blue Jays are stuck in limbo for now, waiting for the official beginning of the offseason. However, with the playoffs winding down, it means awards season is upon us.

On Monday, the MLB Players Association announced the finalists for the 2024 Players Choice Awards. While one current Blue Jay, reliever Chad Green, is up for the 2024 AL Comeback Player of the Year, a familiar name from the team's past also emerged as a nominee for one of the prestigious honors.

Former Blue Jays World Series champ Dave Winfield nominated for the Curt Flood Award

Dave Winfield is one of two nominees for the Curt Flood Award, along with Scott Sanderson. Per the MLBPA's release, the Curt Flood Award is given to a former player, living or deceased, "who in the image of Flood demonstrated a selfless, longtime devotion to the Players Association and advancement of Players’ rights."

Winfield was only in Toronto for one season, in 1992, but had a huge impact on the team and the city. In his age-40 season and primarily a designated hitter at that point in his career, the decorated veteran led arguably the greatest Blue Jays team franchise history to its first World Series title.

A longtime San Diego Padres and New York Yankees star through the 1970s and '80s, Winfield had his last great season in a Blue Jays uniform. He hit .290 with an .867 OPS, 26 home runs and 108 RBI and was integral in getting the fans involved, famously asking for more noise from the usually sold-out SkyDome.

Winfield was a player representative with the Padres and Yankees, and was pivotal in maintaining player unity during the 50-day strike in 1981 to protect free agency, according to the MLBPA.

"He remained a forceful advocate for player rights in the 1980s and throughout the longest strike in baseball history in 1994-95 before his retirement. A longtime board member of the union’s philanthropic arm, The Players Trust, Dave joined the MLBPA staff in 2013 as senior advisor to Executive Director Tony Clark."

Known for his philanthropic work, Winfield was the first active athlete to establish a charitable foundation. The David M. Winfield Foundation, which ran for 22 years, provided health care, holiday meals, game tickets, educational scholarships, and hope to underprivileged families, according to the Society for American Baseball Research.

Celebrated as one of the greatest athletes ever, Winfield retired after the 1995 season and entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.