TORONTO — The Blue Jays have agreed to phrases on a two-year, $15 million take care of the versatile Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a supply informed MLB.com.
The deal, which has not been confirmed by the membership, contains as much as $1 million in incentives and is pending a bodily. This comes lower than at some point after the Blue Jays agreed to phrases on a one-year, $10.5 million deal, which additionally has not been confirmed by the membership, to reunite with Gold Glove heart fielder Kevin Kiermaier.
Coming off Toronto’s pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, full with secrecy, flight monitoring and high-stakes drama, the pivot again to actuality was by no means going to hold the identical momentum for Blue Jays followers. This can be a roster that also wants a number of additions, although, and whereas Kiermaier’s match is straight and easy, Kiner-Falefa’s position nonetheless leaves questions.
The 28-year-old performed everywhere in the diamond for the Yankees a 12 months in the past, including a gentle dose of outfield reps to his expertise at second base, third base and shortstop. For those who’re a Blue Jays fan, or have even taken a passing look at their 40-man roster, Kiner-Falefa’s ability set ought to sound awfully acquainted.
Who will play on both aspect of Bo Bichette continues to be up within the air and Kiner-Falefa’s addition solely provides to that intrigue. This previous season, Whit Merrifield was the transferring piece in all of this, however Kiner-Falefa joins a bunch that features 2023 breakout Davis Schneider, Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal and Ernie Clement.
Increase that to incorporate Toronto’s prospects: Orelvis Martinez (ranked No. 2 by MLB Pipeline), Addison Barger (No. 5), Leo Jimenez (No. 6) and Damiano Palmegiani (No. 18).
That’s a deep group, one that continues to be certainly one of this group’s largest strengths.
“All of them have a stage of versatility, there [is] different-handedness they usually all carried out, frankly,” assistant GM Mike Murov stated on the MLB Winter Conferences earlier in December. “Lots of them carried out rather well final 12 months. That enables us to be as opportunistic as doable by way of discovering the appropriate match or the appropriate impression by way of place, enjoying time, handedness, issues like that.
“I don’t assume we’re approaching any determination this offseason pigeonholed right into a place or ability set.”
Kiner-Falefa may slip into that Merrifield position, enjoying a number of positions whereas nonetheless being a “common” within the lineup, or he may emerge as the first choice at third base, relying on Chapman’s market and what else comes obtainable through commerce.
Kiner-Falefa may be a part of the outfield depth image, which presently options 2023 holdover Nathan Lukes and No. 7 prospect Alan Roden, the on-base machine who may push to make the large leagues by midseason.
Briefly? This transfer means one thing, however we gained’t know precisely what till we see the Blue Jays’ subsequent transfer, then the subsequent and the subsequent. They’re doubling down on versatility.
On the dish, Kiner-Falefa is a profession .261 hitter with a .660 OPS, whereas his six residence runs in 2023 representing his annual energy manufacturing. His WAR worth peaked in 2021 and ‘22 (1.6 and 1.5, per FanGraphs), however that dropped to 0.2 a 12 months in the past in New York when Kiner-Falefa moved off shortstop full-time and obtained much less of his worth from these defensive metrics.
Rogers Centre has all the time been form to Kiner-Falefa, the place he’s hit .278 with a .791 OPS over 15 profession video games. There’s a baserunning ingredient to Kiner-Falefa, as effectively — 56 stolen bases in 70 makes an attempt over the previous three seasons — which ought to match the Blue Jays’ technique as they proceed to be extra aggressive underneath supervisor John Schneider.
