Blue Jays Place Elite Defender On Waivers; Should Yankees Take Flier On Him?

The Blue Jays placed a player on waivers on Thursday who could help New York

Jul 6, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (39) runs the bases after hitting a double against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees have been busy lately and already made one move involving a former member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

New York made a depth move on Wednesday by signing former Blue Jays hurler Tim Mayza to a minor league deal. He has some upside and it wouldn't be surprising to see him contributing at the big league level in the near future.

The Yankees could use more depth in the outfield right now and another former member of the Blue Jays could make some sense. Toronto reportedly placed four-time Gold Glove Award winner Kevin Kiermaier on revocable waivers, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman.

"The Blue Jays placed Kevin Kiermaier on revocable waivers, The Post has learned," Sherman said. "Toronto almost certainly was seeing if a team would put in a claim on the veteran center fielder and remove about $4.5 million left on the $10.5 million, one-year contract signed last offseason. It is highly doubtful any team would assume that kind of financial responsibility for a player struggling as much as Kiermaier...

"Kiermaier, 34, remains a high-end center fielder, but he is part of what has been an underwhelming Blue Jays offense. Through Tuesday, he was hitting .183 and had just a 48 OPS-plus – the seventh-worst in the majors with at least 175 plate appearances."

The Yankees have been linked to Kiermaier in the past and a move could make some sense. He remains one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball and could turn things around in the second half of the season.

Kiermaier hit .265 last season in 129 games so the steep drop-off to hitting .183 certainly is shocking. But, it is just a big difference that it wouldn't be shocking to see him resort back to the mean and start to boost that batting average up.

It has been said that the Yankees could be in the market for some outfield help and Kiermaier now is out there on waivers.

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