He’s back. On Tuesday, it was reported by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that Kevin Kiermaier is returning to the Blue Jays on a one-year deal worth $10.5 million. Kevin Kiermaier is closing in on a deal...
He’s back.
On Tuesday, it was reported by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that Kevin Kiermaier is returning to the Blue Jays on a one-year deal worth $10.5 million.
Kevin Kiermaier is closing in on a deal to return to the Blue Jays, per source. Believed to be one year for ~$10 million.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 26, 2023
The 33-year-old centre fielder had a good 2023 season, slashing .265/.322/.419 with eight homers for a 104 wRC+ in 408 plate appearances. This gave him a 104 wRC+, the highest total in 400+ plate appearances since 2017, and tied for his third wRC+ in his long career.
However, Kiermaier brought the most value with the glove. He won his fourth career Gold Glove in centre field, posting 18 Defensive Runs Saved and 13 Outs Above Average. This was his highest DRS since 2017 when he had 20, and his highest OAA since 2019 when he had 18.
KEVIN KIERMAIER, WHAT A CATCH ? pic.twitter.com/FpolrQb5iA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 1, 2023
Of course, this leads to more questions than answers about what the Blue Jays will do this off-season. It was said last season that Kiermaier was expecting to be a full-time player, and I couldn’t see that being any different heading into 2024.
Does this mean the Jays are out on Cody Bellinger? The Jays still need a power bat, and that could still be found with signing a designated hitter, but it still feels like the Jays need to upgrade their outfield offense.
Ideally, the Blue Jays sign Teoscar Hernández to platoon with Daulton Varsho in centre field. It’d be nice if they moved George Springer to the designated hitter role full-time, as that’s where he’s been most successful with the bat since coming to Toronto.
Either way, the Blue Jays still have a lot to do to make this team better. They still need to make a big acquisition, and while they may be in on Matt Chapman, I don’t think that’s enough to make Jays fans happy.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D. I don’t mind this signing at all, I just hope they do more than bring back Chapman and try to go into 2024 with the same roster.
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