Gold Glove CF Kiermaier stays with Blue Jays
Written by I Dig SportsTORONTO -- Gold Glove-winning center fielder Kevin Kiermaier is staying in Toronto, agreeing to a $10.5 million, one-year contract.
The team announced the contract on Thursday. The Blue Jays also have Daulton Varsho and George Springer in their outfield.
The 33-year-old Kiermaier hit .265 with 8 homers and 36 RBIs in 129 games in his first season with Toronto. He also won his fourth Gold Glove.
Kiermaier was selected by Tampa Bay in the 31st round of the 2010 amateur draft. He played for the Rays for 10 years before they declined his $13 million option for 2023. He then signed a $9 million, one-year contract with the Blue Jays.
Kiermaier is a .249 hitter with 90 homers, 352 RBIs and 126 steals in 1,043 major league games.
Toronto went 89-73 this year and finished third in the AL East, trailing Baltimore and Tampa Bay. It made the playoffs as a wild card and was swept by Minnesota in the opening series.
The Blue Jays have been fairly quiet so far this offseason. They made a play for Shohei Ohtani before he signed his record-breaking contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.