In terms of fan favourites, Kevin Kiermaier quickly became that for those who watched the Toronto Blue Jays this year.

He joined the Jays on a one-year, $9-million deal ahead of this season after spending the last 11 with the Jays&#8217; division rival Tampa Bay Rays. With his tremendous outfield play and resurgence at the plate, Kiermaier&#8217;s high-flying moments caught the eye of many Jays fans.
And part of what helped him fit was his great sense of humour, which was on display Wednesday despite an eliminated loss to the Minnesota Twins.
A free agent heading into this off-season, Kiermaier joked with reporters when asked about what his plans were.
&#8220;I&#8217;m going to let (Shohei) Ohtani set the market and then maybe I&#8217;ll let the cards fall after that, regarding me,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/MitchBannon/status/1709740429397168228">Kiermaier said</a>, before adding &#8220;I&#8217;ll listen to whoever has interest and go from there.&#8221;
Kiermaier was a big piece of the Jays&#8217; outfield this year with his 18 defensive runs saved the fourth most in the major leagues, and 11 back of MLB leader, and teammate, Daulton Varsho.
At the plate, he got the job done when needed to. He slashed .265/.322/.419 with eight home runs, 14 stolen bags and a 104 OPS+ up from his 98 career average.
There&#8217;s a path for Kiermaier to return to the Jays, and the team continuing to push to stay competitive would be key in bringing him back. He made it clear throughout the season that he was looking to win with it being a driving factor in his decision to join the Jays.
Whatever happens, he&#8217;s surely a player to keep an eye on as the Jays offseason kicks off a lot sooner than many hoped for.
<hr />
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
<hr />
<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold" style="text-align: center;"><a class="text-accent" href="https://gml-grp.com/C.ashx?btag=a_24038b_2065c_&amp;affid=7966&amp;siteid=24038&amp;adid=2065&amp;c=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO</a></h2>
<a href="https://www.betano.ca/sport/baseball/north-america/mlb/1662r/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-61491 size-full" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1.png 727w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1-300x167.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /></a>

In terms of fan favourites, Kevin Kiermaier quickly became that for those who watched the Toronto Blue Jays this year.



He joined the Jays on a one-year, $9-million deal ahead of this season after spending the last 11 with the Jays' division rival Tampa Bay Rays. With his tremendous outfield play and resurgence at the plate, Kiermaier's high-flying moments caught the eye of many Jays fans.

And part of what helped him fit was his great sense of humour, which was on display Wednesday despite an eliminated loss to the Minnesota Twins.

A free agent heading into this off-season, Kiermaier joked with reporters when asked about what his plans were.

"I'm going to let (Shohei) Ohtani set the market and then maybe I'll let the cards fall after that, regarding me," <a href="https://twitter.com/MitchBannon/status/1709740429397168228">Kiermaier said</a>, before adding "I'll listen to whoever has interest and go from there."

Kiermaier was a big piece of the Jays' outfield this year with his 18 defensive runs saved the fourth most in the major leagues, and 11 back of MLB leader, and teammate, Daulton Varsho.

At the plate, he got the job done when needed to. He slashed .265/.322/.419 with eight home runs, 14 stolen bags and a 104 OPS+ up from his 98 career average.

There's a path for Kiermaier to return to the Jays, and the team continuing to push to stay competitive would be key in bringing him back. He made it clear throughout the season that he was looking to win with it being a driving factor in his decision to join the Jays.

Whatever happens, he's surely a player to keep an eye on as the Jays offseason kicks off a lot sooner than many hoped for.

<hr />

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.

<hr />

<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold" style="text-align: center;"><a class="text-accent" href="https://gml-grp.com/C.ashx?btag=a_24038b_2065c_&amp;affid=7966&amp;siteid=24038&amp;adid=2065&amp;c=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO</a></h2>
<a href="https://www.betano.ca/sport/baseball/north-america/mlb/1662r/"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-61491 size-full" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier says he will let Shohei Ohtani ‘set the market’ and hopes ‘the cards fall’ in free agency

Instant Reaction: Blue Jays blowout Mariners in Game 3 of ALCS to cut series lead in half

Blue Jays: Addison Barger’s regular season hot streak began in Seattle

Blue Jays: 2025 Arizona Fall League Game 4 recap

Blue Jays GDB – ALCS Game 3: Toronto looks to avoid going down 3-0 in series

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (68) reacts after striking out the side against the Detroit Tigers in the fifth inning during game five of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park.

Recent articles from Zach Laing

Breaking News