"Let me be the outfield whisperer" - Kevin Kiermaier on joining Blue Jays front office as special assistant

Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier is back with the American League East team less than 12 months after his retirement. The four-time Gold Glove winner joins the team as a special assistant after agreeing a deal on Friday.

Kevin Kiermaier announced in July last year that 2024 will be his farewell MLB season. His last season was with the Los Angeles Dodgers after he was moved at the trade deadline by the Blue Jays for Ryan Yarbrough.

The 34-year-old was reportedly planning to be away from action in 2025 but was unable to keep himself away from the game he played for 12 years. He wanted to impart his experience of playing in the outfield and was keen on helping the team in any role possible.

“Please, just trust me. Let me be a part of this. Let me bounce around,” Kiermaier told the Blue Jays per MLB.com. “Let me offer my services here, from top to bottom in the organization. Let me show you what I can do. Let me be the outfield whisperer to these guys.”

He was reportedly in talks with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he spent almost a decade of his career, before joining the Blue Jays front office. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays were interested in an outfield instructor role for him along with another team.

Kevin Kiermaier returns to Blue Jays with a clear mindset

Kevin Kiermaier joined the Blue Jays on a one-year deal in December 2022 after nearly a decade in Tampa. He re-signed to stay in Toronto for another year in December 2023 before being traded to the Dodgers in July 2024.

Although he retired as a Dodgers player, the four-time Gold Glove winner still had a great connection with the Blue Jays players and staff. However, his reunion with the team is not just an emotional return as Kiermaier wants to make an impact in his new role.

“I’m very confident and I worked my butt off to create a mindset back in the day that I was going to be one of the best outfielders ever. I tried to do that throughout my whole game, but I knew defense was always going to be my calling card. I did, I worked to try to be the best ever.

I just want to do the same now from a coaching standpoint. I know I have the resume and the statistics to back it up, so I want to tell these guys, ‘If I were you guys, I would listen to me and my advice.’”

One of the best defensive outfielders over the last decade, Kiermaier wants to instill the same dedication and hard work he had during his playing career.