Toronto Blue Jays Place Gold Glover on Waivers with Hopes of Saving Money

The Toronto Blue Jays placed Gold Glover Kevin Kiermaier on waivers on Thursday afternoon, despite him still being in the lineup for the team's game against the San Francisco Giants.

Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (39) catches a bases leaded fly for the final out hit by Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) at T-Mobile Park. / John Froschauer-USA TODAY Sports

In a potential cost-saving move, the Toronto Blue Jays have placed Gold Glove outfielder Kevin Kiermaier on waivers. Even with that, Kiermaier was in the lineup on Thursday as the Blue Jays took on the San Francisco Giants.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post had the news on social media:

https://t.co/1lnqUcZzNl The Blue Jays placed Kevin Kiermaier on revocable waivers, a sign of the direction they are taking.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 11, 2024

Similar to what the Los Angeles Angels did a season ago, this is an attempt by the Blue Jays to save money. Kiermaier signed a $10 million deal this past offseason and has about $4.5 million left. If another team claims Kiermaier, the Jays save the money. If they don't, he can be sent to Triple-A, released or kept on the roster.

Toronto has the eighth-highest payroll in baseball, according to Spotrac. The payroll is listed at $223 million, but for luxury tax purposes, it's $247 million. Toronto needs to get under the $237 threshold to avoid luxury tax penalties, so there is certainly a motivation to shed some money.

In addition to trying to get rid of Kiermaier, the Jays could trade pitchers Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi at the upcoming trade deadline.

Kiermaier is hitting .191 this season with three homers, 13 RBI and five stolen bases. The 34-year-old is a four-time Gold Glove winner who has played 12 years with the Tampa Bay Rays and Blue Jays. His best offensive season came in 2017, when he hit .276 and hit 15 homers. The 15 home runs are a career-high, though he has five years with double-digit blasts.

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