Long-time Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier won’t be going far in his next stop in baseball, as Shi Davidi of Rogers Sportsnet reported Saturday that the outfielder had agreed to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Damn autocorrect. Blue Jays in agreement with Kevin Kiermaier pending physical, per industry source. https://t.co/XzRWiuhxUP
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) December 10, 2022
Kiermaier, who was taken in the 31st round by the Rays in 2009, had been with the club until having his option for 2023 bought out. He played in 914 games with Tampa Bay, fifth most in franchise history, finishing with a slash line of .248/.308/.407 with 82 home runs and 316 RBI. He also ranks in the sixth in franchise history in hits (756), sixth in doubles (140), and second in triples (51). He also won three Gold Gloves in 2015, 2016, and 2019 and a Platinum Glove award in 2015 for his defense.
However, the 32-year-old has dealt with a myriad of injuries over the course of his career. He has played in more than 130 games in a season only once (151 games in 2015), and had stints on the 60-day injured list in 2017, 2018, and 2022.
Kiermaier’s deal with the Blue Jays is contingent on him passing a physical.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
