Kevin Kiermaier joins the Blue Jays in special assistant role: ‘This is the dream job of a lifetime’

After spending over ten years with the Tampa Bay Rays, Kiermaier joined the Blue Jays on a one-year deal for the 2023 season and returned to the club on a similar pact for the 2024 campaign. With the Jays out of contention by the trade deadline, they shipped him off to the Dodgers in exchange for reliever Ryan Yarbrough. He played sparingly off the bench down the stretch and only appeared a handful of times in the Dodgers NLCS series but won a ring with the club after they beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Kiermaier announced midway through the 2024 campaign that this season would be his last, citing previous injuries and the toll baseball had taken on his body. However, his mindset has now shifted to a coaching role, and he is returning to Toronto to share his outfield wisdom.

“I’d always make a joke with the guys about being a special assistant,” Kiermaier said to Matheson. “I’d say, ‘You guys are going to miss me, but I’ll be a special assistant one day and you’ll love having me around.’ It’s funny how it came to fruition… Let me offer my services here, from top to bottom in the organization. Let me show you what I can do. Let me be the outfield whisperer to these guys.”

Amassing a .246/.304./.402 slash line and a .706 OPS through his 12 big league seasons, Kiermaier’s calling card was his defensive skills, where the Indiana product authored a 175 DRS over his lifetime, most of which came in centre field. He posted a DRS of 10 or higher through all but one season (2022 – after undergoing hip surgery) and finished his career with 59 outfield assists and a .987 fielding percentage. He won four Gold Glove Awards and one Platinum Glove Award through his time in the Major Leagues and was a stalwart on the highlight reels with his insane catches in the outfield.

While his role on the field may be different heading into the new year, with Kiermaier on the Jays coaching payroll, one can likely expect the current outfield core to get a bit better if they latch onto Kiermaier’s teachings as a special assistant.

“I can’t thank them (the Blue Jays) enough… They’ve treated me great for years now. That’s why I wanted to keep this relationship going.”