5 reunions the Blue Jays absolutely cannot pursue during the 2024-25 offseason

Kevin Pillar, OF

Finally, wouldn’t it be a feel-good story to bring back “Superman” Kevin Pillar, a player who dazzled the Jays and their fans for many seasons in the field? After all, with all the amazing plays he made in the outfield, it would be great to give him one last hurrah before eventually calling it a career.

As much as his defense took precedence during his time with the Jays, Pillar still fared well by putting up some decent offensive numbers at the same time. In 695 career games with Toronto, he batted a solid .260 with a .692 OPS, with 303 runs scored, 156 doubles, 55 home runs, 231 RBI and 69 stolen bases over seven seasons.

However, since moving on from the Jays in 2019, Pillar has found himself constantly on the move, having stints with the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and more recently last season with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels. Other than his breakout season in 2019 with the Giants in which he put up his best career numbers in home runs (21) and RBI (87), he often found himself in more of a platoon or bench role.

In 2024, Pillar split his time between the White Sox and Angels in which he batted a lowly .229 with a .667 OPS, along with 38 runs scored, 16 doubles, eight home runs, 45 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 100 games played. 

Turning 36 heading into the 2025 season and having put so much mileage in his body from his aggressive play in the outfield over the years, it is uncertain how productive Pillar can still be both defensively in the field and offensively at the plate.

If the Jays recruit him as a starter, his defensive decline in recent years, along with his offensive numbers mirroring that of Kevin Kiermaier’s, does not provide an upgrade to what they currently have already. If they intend to bring him back as a reserve player, that spot may be better served by someone with greater upside such as Joey Loperfido, Jonatan Clase, Alan Roden or even Davis Schneider.

More importantly, Pillar also gave himself a timeline this offseason to potentially retire if he doesn’t secure a job as a player within a specific time frame.

As a result, as much as the Jays faithful would have all their hands up for the return of Superman one last time, Toronto may be better off with more attractive options available in free agency and within their own organization. On the other hand, if the Jays were looking to bring him back in more of a non-player, coaching role following his retirement, that should be something worth considering for sure.

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