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The Blue Jays have agreed to a two-year, $15MM cope with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, based on FanSided’s Robert Murray (X link). The deal consists of one other $1MM in incentives, and it’ll turn out to be official when Kiner-Falefa passes a bodily. Kiner-Falefa is represented by ALIGND.
Kiner-Falefa received a Gold Glove because the Rangers’ common third baseman in 2020, however he hasn’t since performed a lot time on the scorching nook, since Texas used him primarily at shortstop in 2021 and the Yankees did the identical in 2022. This previous season noticed New York shift IKF throughout the diamond since Anthony Volpe took over because the on a regular basis shortstop, with Kiner-Falefa racking up lots of taking part in time in middle area (278 1/3 innings), left area (248 innings), again at third base (240 1/3 innings), proper area (40 innings), shortstop (eight innings) and a lone inning as a second baseman. The general public defensive metrics have been combined on his outfield work, however Kiner-Falefa graded fairly properly as an infielder, significantly in his return to 3rd base.
With Matt Chapman a free agent, it might seem to be the Blue Jays may set up Kiner-Falefa as their common third base possibility in the meanwhile, giving the membership a minimum of a glove-first starter if both Chapman indicators elsewhere or if a extra clear-cut starter can’t be discovered. That stated, IKF might be much less of a Chapman substitute than he’s a substitute for Whit Merrifield, one other right-handed hitter who was deployed recurrently as a second base and within the outfield. Kiner-Falefa provides much more versatility since Merrifield performed little or no third base and no shortstop.
IKF can be a greater defensive match at third base than any of Toronto’s incumbent crop of infielders, reminiscent of Cavan Biggio, Davis Schneider, Santiago Espinal, or Ernie Clement. Biggio is the one left-handed bat in that group, so it stands to cause the Jays would possibly commerce one of many righty-swingers now that Kiner-Falefa is on board. Including a extra skilled Main Leaguer additionally provides the Blue Jays extra flexibility in giving extra minor league analysis time to high prospects Orelvis Martinez or Addison Barger, who ought to each be within the Present in some unspecified time in the future in 2024 and will issue into the infield image (significantly at third base).
Whereas Kiner-Falefa may go from a depth and glovework perspective, nonetheless, he doesn’t characterize a lot or any assist to the Blue Jays’ bigger want for offense. Kiner-Falefa hit .242/.306/.340 over 361 plate appearances with the Yankees final season, basically matching his .261/.314/.346 slash line over 2415 profession PA on the huge league degree. This interprets to an 81 wRC+ — tied for the fourth-lowest complete of any participant with greater than 2000 PA for the reason that begin of the 2018 season.
The dearth of offense has restricted Kiner-Falefa to three.8 fWAR over his six Main League seasons, regardless of his defensive contributions. He not often strikes out, but this contact-hitting strategy not often yields exhausting contact, and he has little energy to talk of with solely 26 profession residence runs.
A two-year, $15MM contract looks like a fairly good rating for Kiner-Falefa with this lack of offense in thoughts, but there was nonetheless fairly a little bit of curiosity within the utilityman on the open market. The Brewers, Dodgers, Marlins, and Yankees have been all linked to Kiner-Falefa on the rumor mill, and Toronto’s personal curiosity in IKF was first cited by Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi earlier this month.
Between Kiner-Falefa at the moment and yesterday’s settlement with Kevin Kiermaier, the Blue Jays have sprung into motion after a quite quiet offseason attributable to the workforce’s deal with chasing Shohei Ohtani. The Jays remained a minimum of speculatively linked to quite a lot of different gamers in addition to Ohtani, in fact, as GM Ross Atkins’ entrance workplace routinely checks in on principally each accessible free agent or commerce goal as a matter of due diligence. Whereas Kiner-Falefa and Kiermaier ought to assist protect the Jays’ glorious protection from 2023, some offensive pop appears obligatory, whether or not at DH or to additional bolster the infield or outfield image.
As per Roster Resource, the Jays’ 2024 payroll initiatives to be simply shy of the $230MM mark with Kiner-Falefa now on the books. This leaves a little bit of area remaining earlier than Toronto hits the $237MM luxurious tax threshold, although that isn’t actually a barrier contemplating that the Blue Jays exceeded the tax line (for the primary time in franchise historical past) final season.
Photograph courtesy of USA At present Sports activities Pictures
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