The Toronto Blue Jays have signed infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a two-year, $15-million deal, Sportsnet has confirmed.
The deal was originally reported by MLB insiders Robert Murray and Jon Heyman.
According to Heyman, incentives on the deal can bump the total value of the contract up to $16 million.
Kiner-Falefa is the first fresh face that the Blue Jays bring in this off-season after kicking off their free agency by re-signing Kevin Kiermaier to a one-year, $10-million contract on Tuesday.
However, much like Kiermaier when he first joined Toronto last season, Kiner-Falefa is familiar to Blue Jays fans, having spent the last two seasons with the New York Yankees.
The 28-year-old brings in plenty of defensive versatility for the Blue Jays, having made appearances at third base, second base, shortstop and all three outfield positions for the Yankees last season.
He also won a Gold Glove for the Texas Rangers in the 2020 season for his defensive work at third base.
In the batter’s box, Kiner-Falefa slashed .242/.306/.340 with six home runs and 37 RBIs in 361 plate appearances last season. He also finished with 14 stolen bases.
The Toronto Blue Jays still have a hole to fill at third base, with incumbent Matt Chapman testing the waters of free agency.
Though Kiner-Falefa actually made more appearances at centre field (34) and left field (32), he still saw playing plenty of playing time at the hot corner in 2023, with 30 games under his belt.
Adding to his defensive profile, Kiner-Falefa also spent the first two years of his career splitting time between infield position and catcher for the Texas Rangers.
The Honolulu native was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Rangers and spent the first four years of his major league career in Arlington.
In 2022, he was traded by the Rangers to the Minnesota Twins for catcher Mitch Garver. Before suiting up for the Twins, he was traded to the Yankees in a package with Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt in a deal for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela.
