On this day one year ago: The Blue Jays re-sign Kevin Kiermaier

Kiermaier originally signed with the Blue Jays after the 2022 season and put up solid results in 2023, slashing .263/.322/.419 with eight home runs in 408 plate appearances. His 104 wRC+ was tied for the third-highest of his career. Moreover, his 18 Defensive Runs Saved and 13 Outs Above Average in 981.1 innings in centre field netted him his fourth Gold Glove of his career.

Unfortunately, his 2024 season didn’t go nearly as well with the Blue Jays, as he slashed .195/.236/310 with four home runs in 217 plate appearances for a 53 wRC+ and a 0.4 fWAR. Of course, Kiermaier played spectacularly in centre field, posting 9 DRS and 10 OAA in 550.1 innings.

However, the Blue Jays were clearly not going to contend for a postseason spot, leading them to sell at the trade deadline. One of those moves saw the Jays trade Kiermaier to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Ryan Yarbrough.

In his brief tenure with the Dodgers, Kiermaier slashed .203/.242/.322 with one home run in 64 plate appearances for a 57 wRC+ and a 0 fWAR. Moreover, he had 1 DRS and 2 OAA in 172 innings played in the outfield.

The Dodgers had a different outcome for their 2024 season compared to the Jays, making the postseason. Kiermaier only had two plate appearances, but served as a pinch runner and played in four games. When it was all said and done, Kiermaier and the Dodgers won the World Series, with Kiermaier retiring at the end of the season.

In his career, Kiermaier was okay with the bat, slashing .246/.304/.402 with 95 home runs in 4,040 plate appearances for a 95 wRC+ and a 26.7 fWAR. However, Kiermaier will go down as one of the best defensive players of our generation, as he had 175 DRS and a 91 OAA in 8939.1 innings in the outfield.

In the history of the Defensive Runs Saved stat, created in 2002, Kiermaier’s 175 DRS ranks fourth all-time and first for outfielders. Yadier Molina, Adrian Beltré, and Andrelton Simmons are the only players ahead of Kiermaier.