Trade or no trade, the 2024 season will be Kevin Kiermaier&#8217;s last in Major League Baseball. 
Kiermaier, while speaking to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, revealed he plans to retire following the 2024 campaign &#8212; whether it&#8217;s with the Toronto Blue Jays or another organization.
The 34-year-old re-signed with the franchise on a one-year, $10.5-million contract last winter and will be a free agent after this season. He remains the subject of trade rumours after clearing waivers earlier this month.
<blockquote>“This is it, 2024 is it for me,” <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2024/07/24/kevin-kiermaier-retirement-plans-toronto-blue-jays-tampa-bay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kiermaier told the Tampa Bay Times</a> before Wednesday’s game against the Rays. “This next week will be very interesting (in terms of a potential trade). 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.”</blockquote>
Kiermaier cited the wear and tear on his body of playing 12 major league seasons as a centre-fielder as the biggest factor behind his decision to retire after &#8217;24. He has logged 8,733.1 innings in the outfield since his &#8217;13 rookie season.
<blockquote>“The way I reflect on it, the product I put on the field now still can be good, but the effort it takes to get it to what I’ve been used to all those years, with my speed and defence and arm and everything, it’s tough,” he said.
“I knew this year was going to be tough just with how I felt last year, and I know as the years go by it’s going to get tougher and tougher. I have my third kid coming in December, and it’s time for me to be a dad and let my body recover.”</blockquote>
Not only has Kiermaier been a workhorse in the field, but he&#8217;s also had to endure tougher fielding conditions than most, playing home games at Tropicana Field for 10 seasons and at Rogers Centre over the last two.
Recovering from running and diving on the artificial turf at both stadiums certainly played a factor, he said.
<blockquote>“I’d say I deserve an award for playing on turf the way I have the last 11 years,” Kiermaier added. “I truly don’t think anyone could take the field with my demeanor, truly trying to make plays each and every night. I would go back and do the same thing. Even with how my body feels right now, I would play the exact same way. I really would.”</blockquote>
Kiermaier, a 31st-round selection by the Rays in 2010, plans to remain in the Tampa area with his wife and two children &#8212; with a third on the way &#8212; after this season concludes. He&#8217;s open to working with the organization as a special assistant in his post-playing career.
The left-handed-hitting outfielder is regarded as one of the sport&#8217;s best defenders of all time, as a four-time Gold Glove winner and a Platinum Glove winner in 2015. He leads all big-league outfielders in defensive runs saved since &#8217;13 with 172.
Despite being a glove-first player, Kiermaier has recorded 890 hits, 59 triples, 94 home runs and 370 RBIs across 1,120 career games split between Tampa Bay and Toronto. Overall, he&#8217;s accounted for 26.6 fWAR through 12 seasons.
This season, the veteran lefty is hitting .195/.239/.314 with 12 extra-base hits (four home runs) and 18 RBIs over 77 games with the Blue Jays.

Trade or no trade, the 2024 season will be Kevin Kiermaier's last in Major League Baseball. 

Kiermaier, while speaking to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, revealed he plans to retire following the 2024 campaign -- whether it's with the Toronto Blue Jays or another organization.

The 34-year-old re-signed with the franchise on a one-year, $10.5-million contract last winter and will be a free agent after this season. He remains the subject of trade rumours after clearing waivers earlier this month.
<blockquote>“This is it, 2024 is it for me,” <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2024/07/24/kevin-kiermaier-retirement-plans-toronto-blue-jays-tampa-bay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kiermaier told the Tampa Bay Times</a> before Wednesday’s game against the Rays. “This next week will be very interesting (in terms of a potential trade). 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.”</blockquote>
Kiermaier cited the wear and tear on his body of playing 12 major league seasons as a centre-fielder as the biggest factor behind his decision to retire after '24. He has logged 8,733.1 innings in the outfield since his '13 rookie season.
<blockquote>“The way I reflect on it, the product I put on the field now still can be good, but the effort it takes to get it to what I’ve been used to all those years, with my speed and defence and arm and everything, it’s tough,” he said.

“I knew this year was going to be tough just with how I felt last year, and I know as the years go by it’s going to get tougher and tougher. I have my third kid coming in December, and it’s time for me to be a dad and let my body recover.”</blockquote>
Not only has Kiermaier been a workhorse in the field, but he's also had to endure tougher fielding conditions than most, playing home games at Tropicana Field for 10 seasons and at Rogers Centre over the last two.

Recovering from running and diving on the artificial turf at both stadiums certainly played a factor, he said.
<blockquote>“I’d say I deserve an award for playing on turf the way I have the last 11 years,” Kiermaier added. “I truly don’t think anyone could take the field with my demeanor, truly trying to make plays each and every night. I would go back and do the same thing. Even with how my body feels right now, I would play the exact same way. I really would.”</blockquote>
Kiermaier, a 31st-round selection by the Rays in 2010, plans to remain in the Tampa area with his wife and two children -- with a third on the way -- after this season concludes. He's open to working with the organization as a special assistant in his post-playing career.

The left-handed-hitting outfielder is regarded as one of the sport's best defenders of all time, as a four-time Gold Glove winner and a Platinum Glove winner in 2015. He leads all big-league outfielders in defensive runs saved since '13 with 172.

Despite being a glove-first player, Kiermaier has recorded 890 hits, 59 triples, 94 home runs and 370 RBIs across 1,120 career games split between Tampa Bay and Toronto. Overall, he's accounted for 26.6 fWAR through 12 seasons.

This season, the veteran lefty is hitting .195/.239/.314 with 12 extra-base hits (four home runs) and 18 RBIs over 77 games with the Blue Jays.

Report: Blue Jays’ Kevin Kiermaier plans to retire after this season: ‘2024 is it for me’

Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes (38) is congratulated by third baseman Addison Barger (47) after he hit a home run during the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

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