Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier has cleared irrevocable waivers, he told reporters on Friday in Phoenix, where the team opened a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
A four-time Gold Glove winner, Kiermaier, 34, is earning $10.5 million this season on a one-year deal. The team was hoping another team would put in a claim and assume the remainder of his contract.
Should the Blue Jays now release him, a team would be required to pay only a prorated share of the major league minimum, leaving Toronto to cover the remainder.
Kiermaier, who remains with the team, went 0-for-3 on Friday in Toronto’s 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. He is hitting just .188 in 72 games this season.
The team, which expected to contend for a postseason run this season, instead is 43-51 and last in the American League East. The Blue Jays are also 8 1/2 games out of the league’s final wild-card berth, and would have to overtake five teams to get there.
Kiermaier is in his second season with Toronto after 10 with the Tampa Bay Rays, and he said he understands the business side of the team exposing him to waivers.
“I’m not pissed. I totally get it. It’s different in the sense that they were willing to give me away, but they want to keep me around. That’s the weird part,” he said.
“These things happen and it’s because my play has not been where it needs to be. I totally understand that,” Kiermaier added.
Kiermaier is a lifetime .246 hitter with 93 home runs, 366 RBIs and 131 steals. He has three home runs and 14 RBIs and five steals this season.
–Field Level Media
