Blue Jays give Kevin Kiermaier a chance for a ring with trade to NL West juggernauts 

The Toronto Blue Jays have managed to make yet another trade right before the MLB trade deadline, which was set to expire at 6 pm EST. The Blue Jays have given Kevin Kiermaier his chance to chase a World Series championship, as he has been dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kiermaier will now join former Jays’ teammate Cavan Biggio in their quest to finally bring home a ring together with the NL powerhouses. As for the return, the Jays will receive left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough, who was recently designated for assignment by the Dodgers.

Kiermaier re-signed with the Jays this past offseason following a strong 2023 season with the club. That year, he dazzled in the outifeld to the delight of Jays’ fans everywhere, en route to bringing home his fourth career Gold Glove. But, more surprisingly, Kiermaier provided some solid offensive contributions at the bottom of the lineup, as he batted .265 with a .741 OPS, along with 58 runs scored, 21 doubles, six triples, eight home runs, 36 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 129 games played.

Kevin Kiermaier rewarded with trade to Dodgers during disappointing Blue Jays season

However, his 2024 season had been truly disappointing, at least from an offensive standpoint, as he has registered career-lows in batting average (.195) and OPS (.546), along with just 24 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples, four home runs and 18 RBI in 81 games of action. Although his defense was still at elite levels, his performance at the plate created a huge void in the Jays’ everyday lineup.

In Yarbrough's case, he had joined the Dodgers’ organization at last year’s trade deadline in a trade with the Kansas City Royals. This season, Yarbrough had served primarily as a reliever and posted a solid 4-2 record with a 3.74 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 32 appearances for Los Angeles. However, he became the odd man out when the Dodgers had to make room on their roster for newly acquired infielder Amed Rosario. Los Angeles' addition of flamethrowing reliever Michael Kopech on Monday will fill Yarbrough's void nicely. With Yarbrough known to be a Jays killer over the years, hopefully he can make amends by actually helping the team now and for the future.

Here, we wish Kiermaier all the best with his new club and hope he can fulfill his dream now with a legitimate shot at a World Series title.