The city of Toronto received a Boxing Day gift today from the Blue Jays in midfielder Kevin Kiermaier He is reportedly close to a reunion with the club, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. According to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, the deal is agreed upon and a physical exam is pending. According to Nicholson-Smith, the new pact is a one-year agreement worth $10.5 million before incentives.
Kiermaier, 34 years old in April, was selected by the Rays in the 31st round of the 2010 draft and quickly emerged as one of the smarter late-round picks in recent memory. After making his major league debut in a single game during the 2013 season, Kiermaier took over the club's everyday midfield role in early 2014 and remained in that role for nine seasons, establishing himself as a generational defender in the outfield while hitting a respectable .248/.308/.408 during his time with the Rays. He left the club last offseason and joined the Blue Jays on a one-year deal that worked out well for both parties as the veteran posted a 104 wRC+ in 129 games, marking only the third time in his career that he reached 120 Games mark in a year exceeded season.
As a standout defender in center who bats left-handed and hit a respectable .260/.321/.431 against right-handers last year, Kiermaier still makes sense for a Jays club that has few left-handed hitters and had a vacancy in the Outfield. However, the club was often linked Cody Bellinger up to this point in the offseason and with a strong midfield defender Daulton Varsho Those still on the roster were widely expected to seek a more offensive-minded addition to their lineup this winter. The club's reunion with Kiermaier is therefore a surprise.
Nevertheless, Kiermaier is certainly a quality player himself; His decent offense and strong defense earned him the 31st spot on MLBTR's annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list, where we have him slated for a two-year, $26 million deal. That forecast ended up at a one-year high and over $15 million. If the Blue Jays had valued Kiermaier similarly, they might have felt that reuniting with the veteran at a relative discount was valuable enough to outweigh concerns about the club's overall offensive output in the outfield, which added up to one last year WRC+ of 99 led, which is only 20th in the majors. Among playoff teams in 2023, only the Marlins got less production from their outfield unit than Toronto.
It's also important to note that Kiermaier's return doesn't necessarily prevent the club from adding Bellinger or another slugger to the outfield. As talented as Varsho is, the 27-year-old is coming off a miserable season in which he slashed just .220/.285/.389 in 158 games, and even in his strongest season with Arizona, he posted a wRC+ of just 107. That kind of thing of performance falls short of the typical everyday left fielder, and it would certainly be justifiable for the Blue Jays to move Varsho to a part-time role and back up veterans Kiermaier and George Springer if that would mean adding a bat to the club's lineup. If the club decides to go this route, the addition of a bat-first player such as Jorge Soler to the outfield mix could still make a lot of sense.
If we're talking about Bellinger specifically, the 28-year-old's experience at first base both in 2023 and throughout his career could also help the Blue Jays incorporate him into their position mix if they choose to do so. One can at least imagine a scenario in which the club adds Bellinger and uses him in both the outfield and at first base, where he could spell Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and allow the club's franchise first baseman to spend more time at DH. RosterResource projects the Blue Jays will have a $213 million payroll in 2024 after adding Kiermaier, a figure essentially identical to last season's $214 million payroll. That being said, the club certainly has room for more signings as they are reportedly looking for expensive superstars such as Shohei Ohtani And Yoshinobu Yamamoto both in free agency and Juan Soto about trade.
While the remaining space in the budget could certainly be used to further strengthen the outfield, it is possible that the club would prefer to focus its attention on the infield. The departures of Matt Chapman And Whit Merrifield In free agency, the Blue Jays are left without an established, surefire starter at second or third base. While young pieces like Davis Schneider and Eddy Romero have shown promising success Cavan Biggio And Santiago Espinal To add depth at both positions, adding at least one infielder should be the club's top priority this offseason.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays addressed a weak spot on the roster by bringing back a four-time Gold Glover to a premier defensive position. Kiermaier's quality work in 2023 played a major role in Toronto's 3.8 fWAR in the middle of the pack, tied with Boston for the eighth-best performance in baseball at the position, and he should provide the club with similar production next season, if he can stay healthy this season 34-year-old campaign.