The Toronto Blue Jays recently signed one contract extension, but it was not the one Blue Jay supporters had been waiting for all winter.
According to Robert Murray, Toronto and catcher Alejandro Kirk have agreed to a $58 million, five-year agreement that begins next season and extends through 2030. Kirk, 26, ranks as one of the league’s best pitchframers. Although defensive ratings often define a catcher’s value, the Blue Jays hope to see more of 2022 Kirk at the plate. During that All-Star season, Kirk hit.285/.415/.786 with 14 home homers and 63 RBI. Last year, Kirk hit.253 with five home runs and 54 RBIs.
Kirk, a Gold Glove finalist last season, is anticipated to face a considerably more demanding schedule in ’25 than he did in his 103 games. With Danny Jansen no longer in town, Toronto will open the season with Kirk and Tyler Heineman, who was told Saturday morning that he had made the club and would be behind the plate.
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The Blue Jays are still working on a contract extension with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The Toronto Blue Jays are still one of the biggest topics at the water cooler these days. It is odd that general manager Ross Atkins has yet to extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just days before Opening Day. As the heat mounted on the subject, Toronto’s President of Baseball Operations and CEO Mark Shapiro stepped into the spotlight, stating that he believed the Blue Jays and their star first baseman would reach an agreement on an attractive contract extension.
According to reports, the Blue Jays and Guerrero Jr. are about $50 million apart on a contract that would purportedly extend the top-tier first baseman’s career for 14 seasons.
Guerrero Jr. is rumored to be looking for a new deal with a minimum value of $600 million. The figure may rise dramatically as Guerrero Jr. remains unsigned.
If Vladdy gets off to a strong start, his annual earnings could rise to $45 or $50 million. It is in Toronto’s best interests to consummate this transaction before Opening Day on Thursday if the organization wants to avoid playing with fire.
Guerrero Jr. recently told SportsNet that he expected to “keep working very hard and be optimistic, too.”
“I’m not going to shut the door on them; I’m open, and I will remain so. But I’ll leave that to my representatives to deal with. “I’m going to stay focused on what I need to do,” he said, as interpreted by Hector Lebron. “I’ll admit that we haven’t sat down and obtained something that’s exactly what I want. But we’ll keep talking about it, I assume, and hopefully we’ll get somewhere.”
Don’t forget that shortstop Bo Bichette is also a prospective free agency.
Max Scherzer, a key cog in the Blue Jays machine, has a troublesome thumb condition.
Max Scherzer’s thumb appears to be fine to start the season, but as the veteran pitcher previously stated, “this can blow up fast.” The future Hall of Famer had been dealing with a persistent thumb ailment since early this spring.
“It’s a little thing that’s a big thing,” Scherzer told The Athletic. “I won’t lie: it’s frustrating. Because I am confident I can pitch at this level. I am certain that I can continue to pitch at a high level. I know I have pitches that I can execute and locate. But right now, it’s a thumb issue, and I’ll be fighting until I’m fully built up.”
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