Kevin Kiermaier will remain with the Toronto Blue Jays on a one-year, $10.5 million deal. The veteran outfielder played his first season in Toronto this year after spending his first ten Major League Baseball seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kiermaier signed a one-year, $9 million contract to join the Blue Jays in the 2023 Major League Baseball season. He won his fourth Gold Glove Award, beating Julio Rodgriguez and Luis Robert Jr., after posting a .989 fielding percentage as a center fielder. He had 257 putouts out of 265 chances, with five assists and only three errors.
The Blue Jays are signing Kevin Kiermaier to a 1-year, $10.5M deal per @BNightengale pic.twitter.com/xu9s2DLsTL
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 26, 2023
With a career fielding percentage of .988, Kiermaier has earned Gold Glove Awards in 2015, 2016, and 2019. He was also voted as the 2015 Rawlings Platinum Glove Award among all the American League Gold Glove winners that year.
In terms of batting, Kiermaier hit .265/.322/.419 with 98 hits, 36 runs batted in, and eight home runs in 370 at-bats. He is a career .249 batter after 11 MLB seasons. He made his MLB debut in 2013, playing one game for the Rays.
Since then, he has become a defensive stalwart for the Florida-based squad. He transferred to the Rays’ division rivals, the Blue Jays, and has signed up for a second season.
His return is welcome news for the team that finished second in the AL East last season at 92-70. They reached the American League Wild Card Series but were swept by the Seattle Mariners. Kiermaier will remain with teammates like Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and George Springer.
-Lance Fernandez