Kiermaier bids farewell after Rays decline club option for '23

ST. PETERSBURG -- On Sept. 24, during the penultimate game of the season at Tropicana Field, the Rays paused to recognize Kevin Kiermaier. After a nearly minute-long highlight reel ended with the words “Thank you, KK” splashed across the scoreboard, Kiermaier stepped out of the home dugout and tipped his cap to the cheering fans.

“It was a great moment,” Kiermaier said afterward. “It just felt good to get a warm reception in front of the fans that I love and in the place that has been a home for me for nine years.”

It was a fitting farewell, at least for now, as Kiermaier officially became a free agent for the first time in his career on Thursday, when the Rays declined his $13 million club option for next season. Tampa Bay bought out Kiermaier’s option year for $2.5 million.

The move was long expected, especially after the Rays acquired speedy center fielder Jose Siri as Kiermaier’s replacement prior to this year’s Trade Deadline. Meanwhile, Kiermaier was limited to 63 games due to various left hip injuries that eventually required season-ending surgery on Aug. 3. The veteran is expected to return to full activity early next year and hopes to be ready for Opening Day.

The Rays will keep the door open for the 32-year-old to return, but it seems likely he will land elsewhere. Tampa Bay already has plenty of outfield options, and Kiermaier has a chance to catch on somewhere he can roam center field every day, potentially on a less-punishing natural-grass field rather than the Trop’s artificial turf.

“He means so much to the organization. He's always going to be someone who is going to be in the Rays' Hall of Fame one day,” Rays GM Peter Bendix said. “I think we'll be open to bringing him back next year, potentially. I think he'll probably want to see what his opportunities are. Obviously, our outfield is pretty crowded. There's a lot to talk through. But he's such a huge part of the success that we've had for the last 10 years -- like, he's always going to have a really special place.”

Indeed, Kiermaier is one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. By Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement, he is the fourth-most valuable player in club history behind Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and Ben Zobrist. Kiermaier is fifth all-time in games played (914) and runs scored, second in triples, third in stolen bases, sixth in hits and total bases, eighth in RBIs and ninth in home runs.

But, of course, his greatest contributions came in the outfield. A three-time Gold Glove Award winner and the 2015 Platinum Glove Award winner, Kiermaier remains among the best defensive center fielders in baseball when healthy. That wasn’t the case this year, but he’s hoping for better health after addressing a torn labrum and an impingement in his left hip.

“I know I can help a team win. Give me a healthy body, and I'm going to work my butt off this offseason, getting my speed back, my explosiveness, all that,” Kiermaier said near the end of the season. “What I like with all this is it's up to me. It's up to me to control my own destiny, and that's all I need to hear. So, I'm locked in. I'm focused.”

Nobody would expect anything else from Kiermaier, a 31st-round Draft pick by the Rays in 2010 whose career has been defined by an all-out style of play and an all-in dedication to the Rays.

As franchise faces like Longoria, David Price and Chris Archer were traded away, Kiermaier served as the lone holdover from the end of the Rays’ era of success under Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon through their struggles in the middle of last decade and into the club’s resurgence under manager Kevin Cash.

He committed to the area, living in Tampa and starting his family here while working out every offseason at the University of Tampa. Having debuted as a defensive replacement in Game 163 in 2013, Kiermaier is the second-longest-tenured Ray ever, behind only Longoria. He invested in his teammates, serving as the emotional center of an ever-changing clubhouse and the leader of the Rays’ famous postgame celebrations.

“I appreciate everything that's been thrown my way -- and then some -- and I hope everyone in this community, this fanbase has appreciated me over the years,” Kiermaier said. “I've given my life, my heart and soul, dedication, everything to this organization.”