Ever since the 2024 offseason began, all eyes have been on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Toronto Blue Jays land, and it isn't hard to see why. Guerrero, the best and most popular player on the team, is set to enter his final year under club control, meaning he'll be a free agent at the end of the 2025 season if he doesn't sign an extension.
He had expressed a willingness to sign an extension to remain in Toronto for the remainder of his career if the Blue Jays met his demands, but Toronto never even came close in his mind. Guerrero was reportedly looking for over $500 million in present-day value, but the Jays did not offer more than $450 million.
When a notification from FanSided's Robert Murray popped up saying that the Blue Jays had agreed to an extension, Toronto fans had hoped it involved Guerrero. While that dream did not come to fruition, the Blue Jays did come to terms on an extension with another key member of their organization, Alejandro Kirk.
BREAKING: Alejandro Kirk and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a five-year, $58 million contract extension, source says. The structure, which includes a signing bonus and no club options, allows him to enter free agency after his age-31 season. Kirk is represented by Eric…
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) March 23, 2025
Murray notes that the deal is for five years and $58 million. There are no options, so Kirk will enter free agency after completing his age-31 season.
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Blue Jays don't extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (yet), but come to terms with different key player
Kirk is not Guerrero, obviously, but he does happen to be one of the more underrated catchers in the American League. He was an All-Star in 2022 and while he hasn't quite played at that level since, he's rock-solid behind the dish.
This past season saw Kirk slash .253/.319/.359 with five home runs and 54 RBI in 103 games played. Kirk hasn't been outstanding offensively outside of his All-Star campaign but he excels at putting the ball in play and is roughly a league-average hitter, which, for a catcher, isn't a bad thing, especially when he's as elite as he is defensively.
Not only is Kirk tremendous at managing the running game, but he ranked in the 93rd percentile in pitch framing in 2024, according to Baseball Savant. He has consistently been an above-average pitch framer throughout his career, which can greatly help a pitching staff.
He isn't a star, but he's a good player, and it doesn't hurt that he's a fan favorite as well. It's a good thing that the Jays kept him around, and the terms of the deal seem pretty favorable as well.
The 26-year-old was initially slated to hit free agency at the end of the 2026 campaign prior to this extension. The extension buys out his final arbitration year as well as four of his free agency years. With Kirk being 31 years old once he finally enters the open market, the Jays will end up buying his prime years with this deal. The average annual value of the deal is under $12 million per year, which isn't bad at all for a player who has an All-Star ceiling while being elite defensively at a premium position.
Again, Kirk isn't Guerrero. He isn't even Bo Bichette, who also needs an extension. Keeping good players around is a good thing, though, and Kirk is exactly that. The Jays haven't handed out many extensions in the Ross Atkins era, for whatever reason, but this one is one to be happy about.