{"id":154035,"date":"2022-12-10T20:10:10","date_gmt":"2022-12-10T20:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kevin-kiermaier-agrees-to-deal-with-blue-jays-sources\/"},"modified":"2022-12-10T20:10:10","modified_gmt":"2022-12-10T20:10:10","slug":"kevin-kiermaier-agrees-to-deal-with-blue-jays-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kevin-kiermaier-agrees-to-deal-with-blue-jays-sources\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Kiermaier agrees to deal with Blue Jays (sources)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TORONTO — The Blue Jays have reached an agreement with Kevin Kiermaier to add the longtime Rays cornerstone to their new-look outfield, sources told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand and Juan Toribio on Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Kiermaier’s deal, first reported by Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, is pending a physical and has not yet been made official by the club.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The 32-year-old played 10 seasons with the Rays, and the Blue Jays became all too familiar with his defensive excellence as he collected three Gold Glove Awards with the American League East rival. That glove is at the core of Toronto’s attraction to Kiermaier, but his exact role could depend on whether another outfield addition is coming.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Last season, Kiermaier was limited to 63 games with the Rays, batting .228 with a .649 OPS in a down year. He battled hip inflammation throughout the year, though, receiving cortisone shots beginning in Spring Training, and he eventually underwent surgery on that hip to address an impingement and repair a torn labrum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Following the season, the Rays declined Kiermaier’s $13 million club option for a $2.5 million buyout, making him a free agent. At the time, Kiermaier was still expected to return to full activity early in the new year and be ready to go for Opening Day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What the Blue Jays are hoping for here is something closer to Kiermaier’s ’21 season, his last healthy stretch of strong play when he hit .259 with a .716 OPS. In the field, Kiermaier was worth 12 outs above average during that season, the third-highest among MLB center fielders behind only Michael A. Taylor and Harrison Bader. Kiermaier brings some legitimate speed, too, and while it doesn’t show in stolen base totals, he could step in as one of the fastest players on this roster from Day 1.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Outfield defense could be even more important next season, too. As the Blue Jays renovate Rogers Centre, they’ll also be changing the outfield wall’s dimension and shape. It’s not expected to drastically tilt the stadium in favor of pitchers or hitters, but club president Mark Shapiro recently hinted that it will \u201ccreate some uniqueness\u201d and add some \u201cinteresting outcomes with balls in play.” That arrow points to a need for improved outfield defense.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Kiermaier also brings a sturdy reputation in the clubhouse, which will be welcomed by a club that’s looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking Wild Card Series loss to the Mariners and get over the hump in ’23.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The fascination is in the fit, though.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Kiermaier has almost exclusively played center field in the big leagues, a position currently occupied by George Springer in Toronto. Kiermaier has the defensive talent to move around at this stage of his career, of course, and we’ll continue to see more of Springer in right field as the years go on, but this creates an interesting positional dynamic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The likely answer is that we won’t have the full picture yet. After dealing Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez to the Mariners earlier this offseason, the Blue Jays were left with Springer and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. as their clear starting outfielders, with Whit Merrifield, Cavan Biggio and others available as depth. Instead of viewing Kiermaier as a starter, it’s very possible that the Blue Jays will make another more offensive-minded addition to the outfield alongside him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Following the trade of Hern\u00e1ndez for reliever Erik Swanson, this is the Blue Jays’ first notable step into free agency this offseason. They are expected to remain particularly aggressive in the starting pitching market, and all eyes remain on their young trio of catchers, which could be used as major trade chips.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TORONTO — The Blue Jays have reached an agreement with Kevin Kiermaier to add the longtime Rays cornerstone to their new-look outfield, sources told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand and Juan Toribio on Saturday. Kiermaier’s deal, first reported by Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, is pending a physical and has not yet been made official by the club. The …<\/p>\n

Kevin Kiermaier agrees to deal with Blue Jays (sources)<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[662,663,661],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nKevin Kiermaier agrees to deal with Blue Jays (sources) - harchi90<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/__i\/rss\/rd\/articles\/CBMiN2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm1sYi5jb20vbmV3cy9rZXZpbi1raWVybWFpZXItYmx1ZS1qYXlzLWRlYWzSAQA?oc=5\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kevin Kiermaier agrees to deal with Blue Jays (sources) - harchi90\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"TORONTO — The Blue Jays have reached an agreement with Kevin Kiermaier to add the longtime Rays cornerstone to their new-look outfield, sources told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand and Juan Toribio on Saturday. 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The deal is pending a physical. It'll be just the second team Kiermaier has played for, having spent ten big league seasons with the AL East rival Rays. He became a free\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.mlbtraderumors.com\/files\/2022\/12\/USATSI_18528801-245x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":154365,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/quick-hits-kiermaier-dodgers-red-sox-marlins-bellinger-bell-rays-diaz-reds\/","url_meta":{"origin":154035,"position":1},"title":"Quick Hits: Kiermaier, Dodgers, Red Sox, Marlins, Bellinger, Bell, Rays, Diaz, Reds","date":"December 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Kevin Kiermaier is off the market after agreeing to a deal with the Blue Jays earlier today, and the former Gold Glover was drawing interest elsewhere on the market. the dodgers \u201cwere in the running down to the end\u201d on Kiermaier, according to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9929,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/rays-to-place-wander-franco-kevin-kiermaier-on-10-day-injured-list\/","url_meta":{"origin":154035,"position":2},"title":"Rays To Place Wander Franco, Kevin Kiermaier On 10-Day Injured List","date":"July 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Rays have lost two regulars to the 10-day injured list, as Wander Franco and Kevin Kiermaier have both been sidelined. As reported earlier, Franco left today's game due to an injury in his right hand and wrist area, and manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25508,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kevin-kiermaier-mike-zunino-to-undergo-season-ending-surgery\/","url_meta":{"origin":154035,"position":3},"title":"Kevin Kiermaier, Mike Zunino To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery","date":"July 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Rays will be without two key players for the rest of the season. Manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and Joe Trezza of MLB.com) that center fielder Kevin Kiermaier has elected to undergo surgery to address a labrum issue with his left\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11484,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wander-franco-to-miss-5-8-weeks-due-to-hand-surgery\/","url_meta":{"origin":154035,"position":4},"title":"Wander Franco To Miss 5-8 Weeks Due To Hand Surgery","date":"July 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Rays' shortstop Wander Francowho was placed on the IL yesterday due to an injury to his hamate bone, will undergo surgery to repair it. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relayed the news, noting that Franco will be out 5-8 weeks. Long considered one of the top prospects in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img.mlbstatic.com\/mlb-images\/image\/upload\/t_2x1\/t_w1536\/mlb\/cpawwxywzp6kgtdrbzf1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154035"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154035\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}