Former Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier looks to have a new home, agreeing to a deal with the Blue Jays, pending a physical. Terms were not yet available Saturday afternoon.
Kiermaier, 32, became a free agent when the Rays declined a $13 million option for 2023, instead paying a $2.5 million buyout to complete the six-year, $53.5 million contract he signed in spring 2017. He had been with the Rays his entire career, working his way from a 31st-round draft pick in 2010 to one of the top defensive center fielders in the game, winning three Gold Gloves.
“What a heck of a ride it’s been,” he said in November, after his option was officially declined.
Kiermaier was limited to 63 games this past season, his playing time ending in mid-July due to a left hip injury that required surgery. His recovery is said to have gone well, and the physical exam for the Jays should not be an issue.
The Jays and Dodgers were the teams that showed the most interest.
With the Jays, Kiermaier will presumably get the chance to be in the lineup regularly. He will again have to play on artificial turf, which he said was tough on his body while with the Rays. Also, the Jays must be over any bad feelings from the incident in a September 2021 game when Kiermaier slid into home and picked up a card with pitching data that was dislodged from catcher Alejandro Kirk’s wrist band.
Kiermiaer also will have the opportunity to live in his Tampa family home during the Blue Jays’ spring training, which is held in Dunedin, and make two trips back to Tropicana Field this coming season, May 22-24 and Sept. 22-24. The Rays visit Toronto on April 14-16 and Sept. 29-Oct. 1 to end their season.
