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This year marks the first time that Alejandro Kirk will be the Blue Jays' full-time catcher.
On Saturday night, the Blue Jays showed that he'll be the full-time catcher for the near future by inking him to a five-year, $58 million contract. It was first reported by FanSided's Robert Murray.
BREAKING: Alejandro Kirk and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a five-year, $58 million contract extension, source says. The structure, which includes a signing bonus and no club options, allows him to enter free agency after his age-31 season. Kirk is represented by Eric…
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) March 23, 2025
According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the contract has a $6 million signing bonus and no deferrals. The contract will go from 2026 season to 2031.
Blue Jays ink Alejandro Kirk to five-year extension
Kirk's best season came in 2022 when he slashed .285/.372/.415 with 14 home runs and 68 RBI en route to his first (and only) All-Star apperance.
He's taken a step back since, however, as he's hitting .251 with 13 home runs in 226 games since with an OPS+ of 93.
That said, he's played well this spring, as his framing metrics continue to be among baseball's best and he's hitting the ball hard.
His deal will pay him a bit more than the five-year, $52.5 million contract that Salvador Perez signed with the Royals ahead of the 2016 season.
It still pales in comparsion to the nine-year, $131.45 million contract that Will Smith signed with the Dodgers last season, though that contract is obviously longer and also had some deferrals.
This move confirms that core is part of the next Blue Jays core along with Anthony Santander and Andrés Giménez. It remains to be seen if that core will include Bo Bichette or Vladimir Guerrero Jr., both of whom will be free agents after the season.
While Kirk's bat has struggled a bit in the past two years, he's still one of the best defensive pitchers in all of baseball.
He's saved 33 runs behind the plate over the past three seasons, and finished last year in the 97th percentile in caught stealing above average and the 93rd percentile in framing.
The future of the Blue Jays' rotation is also in flux (Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer can leave after this year while Kevin Gausman and José Berríos can also hit free agency after next season), so he'll be a key piece in helping the next generation of Blue Jays' aces.