Report: 4-time Gold Glove winner Kiermaier placed on waivers by Jays
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The Blue Jays have placed veteran center fielder Kevin Kiermaier on waivers, according to a report by SportsNet. The club has not confirmed the move.
According to the report, Kiermaier said after Toronto’s 5-3 win over the Giants in San Francisco on Thursday that “it’s the chance for a contending team to claim me if they want,” and that he “totally get[s] it with where we’re at as a team.”
“It’s part of the game, I think Kev understands that,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before Friday’s game in Arizona. “He knows how much we like him here.”
Where the Jays are is seven games below .500 and 8 1/2 games out of an American League Wild Card spot. It’s been a disappointing first half for Toronto, a club with postseason aspirations at the outset of the season.
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Stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and others haven’t had stellar seasons and, in the case of Bichette -- currently sidelined with a calf injury -- it’s been a particularly tough slog so far. The shortstop has a .596 OPS after he never finished below .800 in any of his first five Major League seasons.
As a result, it would stand to reason that the Blue Jays will be sellers as we approach the July 30 Trade Deadline. Along with that, Toronto may try to shed salary by going the waiver wire route, as with Kiermaier.
“It’s a business transaction, it’s part of the game,” Schneider said. “The fact that he gets that is most important, and you just have to go out there and focus and play.”
Kiermaier, 34, has always been a strong defensive center fielder, but he’s hitting only .191/.238/.295. The four-time Gold Glove winner is earning $10.5 million this year and is due to be a free agent after this season. If no other team claims him, the Jays can retain him on the 40-man roster or outright him or release him.
Even while Kiermaier is on waivers, he can continue to play. On Thursday against the Giants, he went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and remained in the starting lineup on Friday against the D-backs.
“Now he’s a Blue Jay,” Schneider said. “We’re going to treat him no differently than we did two days ago, three days ago, a day ago.”