"Toronto treated me like a king": Kiermaier thrilled to be back with the Blue Jays

It appears that there are still some players who are thrilled to be a part of the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

This offseason was frustrating for Blue Jays fans, as their team often seemed to be the runner-up when it came to landing highly sought-after players. While they may not have landed the superstar talent they were hoping for in either Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani, they did make some moves this summer, including re-signing centre fielder Kevin Kiermaier.

Despite there being plenty of speculation that Kiermaier would head elsewhere in free agency, he elected to re-up with the Jays on a one-year, $10.5 million contract, something both he and his family seem very happy about.

“Toronto treated me like a king last year,” Kiermaier told reporters at spring training workouts. “My wife was crying her eyes out when we left [after] last year. She didn’t want to leave. My kids loved it. They talk about the CN Tower all the time. They can’t wait to go back.”

Kiermaier, who terrorized Jays fans for years as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays with some highlight reel catches and clutch hitting, chose to come to Toronto last season on a one-year deal. His first season as a Jay was successful, as he won the fourth Gold Glove Award of his career while batting .265 in 129 games.

After a disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Minnesota Twins this past season, the Jays enter the 2024 campaign with some major pressure. This was expected to be a group contending for World Series titles, but they have failed to win a single series since 2016. Should they fail to do so again this season, there could be some significant changes coming for the organization.

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