Blue Jays' Kiermaier makes major announcement regarding his playing future

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier is nearing the end of his MLB playing career.

The 34-year-old has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2024 season. It will wrap up an 11-year MLB career that was split between the Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Kevin Kiermaier announces that he will retire after the 2024 season, per @TBTimes_Rays pic.twitter.com/1FcSzbH09r

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 24, 2024

The first nine seasons of Kiermaier’s career were spent with the Rays, during which time he was widely regarded as one of the best defensive centre fielders in baseball. He won three Gold Glove Awards over that span.

During his time with the Rays, many Toronto fans regarded him as a Blue Jays killer. It seemed that nearly every time the two teams met, he would either come up with a big hit or make a tremendous play in the outfield. Many times, these moments resulted in heart-breaking losses for the Jays.

Kiermaier departed the Rays after the 2023 season, choosing to sign a one-year, $9 million deal with the Blue Jays. His great defensive play remained intact, allowing him to take home his fourth Gold Glove Award. He was solid at the plate as well, hitting .265 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 129 games.

The Blue Jays and Kiermaier agreed to another one-year deal this past offseason, though unfortunately for both parties, the veteran’s play has fallen off dramatically. He’s hitting just .195 through 76 games and was even placed on waivers by the Jays a few weeks ago.

With the 45-55 Blue Jays well outside playoff contention, there is a chance that Kiermaier could be moved to a team that is in the hunt ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. Despite his struggles at the plate, his defensive play has remained stellar, which could intrigue some teams looking to improve in the outfield.

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