Popular Blue Jays trade chip shocks fans with plan to retire following the 2024 season

On Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays and their faithful were caught by surprise when it was learned that fan favourite Kevin Kiermaier will be retiring upon the end of the 2024 MLB season. For someone who is only 34 years young with seemingly plenty left in the tank in terms of his play on the field, nobody sure saw it coming. Especially considering he was among the Blue Jays currently put on the trade block, showing that he still potentially has some value in the eyes of many teams in the league.

However, Kiermaier had informed Marc Topkin of Tampa Bay Times of his decision prior to Wednesday’s matchup between the Jays and the Rays.

“This is it, 2024 is it for me,” Kiermaier said. “This next week will be very interesting … But this will be my last year playing. I’m going to give it my all the rest of the year regardless of what situation I’m in. But my body is talking to me now more than ever.”

Following his signing with the Blue Jays last season after spending his entire career in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization, Kiermaier quickly became a fan favourite with his stellar play in the outfield and charming personality. On top of that, he actually was surprisingly productive at the plate in 2023 while batting at the bottom of the lineup for the majority of the season. Over 129 games, Kiermaier hit .265 with a .741 OPS, along with 58 runs scored, 21 doubles, 6 triples, 8 home runs, 36 RBI and going 14-for-15 in stolen bases. Just for good measure, he also brought home his fourth Gold Glove of his career with his elite defense.

In doing so, the Jays were impressed enough that they brought Kiermaier back for another season. Unfortunately, it had been a completely different story this time around, at least from an offensive standpoint. In 76 games to date, he has registered career lows in batting average (.195), on-base percentage (.239) and OPS (.552), while striking out at a career-high 32% rate. So perhaps in addition to his body starting to talk to him, his stark regression in his hitting and production at the plate may have also played a role with his unexpected decision. .

Whether or not Kiermaier remains a Blue Jay to finish off his career this season, we should nonetheless take in and capture every dazzling moment that he makes on the field. That is because we may not see another one just like him for a long time. As Kiermaier quipped himself, “it’s just been the best journey I could ever ask for”, it certainly has felt the same way by the baseball world as well.