Blue Jays' Kiermaier open to joining Yankees or Red Sox next season

While he remains fully invested in the Toronto Blue Jays as they continue their playoff push, Kevin Kiermaier will likely dawn a new jersey next season.

The veteran outfielder, who is having a strong season with a .270 batting average and a .756 OPS, has played on a turf field his entire career. The first nine years of his MLB career were spent playing on a turf field with the Tampa Bay Rays, and he has endured the same thing with the Blue Jays in his 10th season. As is the case with many athletes, it has been much tougher on his body than grass.

A pending free agent at season’s end, Kiermaier has spent his entire career in the AL East and hopes to continue to do so. That said, he admits he would prefer signing with a team that plays on a grass field.

“I like the AL East,” Kiermaier told Mark Sanchez of the New York Post. “I especially like [Yankee Stadium] and Fenway…. Feel like I’m always hitting homers here or playing well.”

“Being on turf my entire career, I enjoy being on grass. My body feels so much better being on grass.”

The Blue Jays chose to go with a new artificial turf surface back in 2021. It is said to be different than the previous synthetic surface they had, as there are no pieced-together sections. Instead, it is all glued to the concrete, which has been found to give the best performance.

While it may be an upgrade to what they had in the past, it is clear that many players — including outstanding defensive players such as Kiermaier — find that their bodies both feel and recover much better playing on grass fields. As a result, it could cause Kiermaier to go elsewhere once free agency begins.

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