Keven Kiermaier has played his entire career on artificial turf and thought he was going to find a team in the offseason that played on grass. The Dodgers were reportedly one of the teams who reached out to him early in free agency.
“At age 33, his body requested a change in surface. He had options, too. The Twins called and had steady dialogue with his representatives. The Dodgers — and their famously pristine lawn — made an early inquiry. The Cubs and Giants checked in.”
In the end, Kiermaier chose to return to Toronto on a one-year, $10.5 million contract because of his teammates.
“These guys. I never thought I’d play on turf again. I blame the players.”
Kiermaier won his fourth Gold Glove in center field last season and led the American League in hits out of the No. 9 spot with 83.
He has become an elite outfielder with Gold Gloves expected each and every year. He would have been a great addition to the Dodgers because he doesn’t expect to play every day and L.A. is known to platoon their outfielders.
Kiermaier played 129 games last season including games where he came off the bench as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.
The Dodgers will never know how he could have fit in with this year’s squad, as it’s unclear how serious they were about potentially bringing him in. It also appears like last year’s National League Rookie of the Year runner-up James Outman has center field on lock, as manager Dave Roberts doesn’t plan on platooning the second-year player this season.
Kiermaier could have been an option instead of, say, Manuel Margot, but they acquired him in the Tyler Glasnow trade clogging up the outfield.
Funny enough, they ended up trading him earlier this week to make room for Kiké Hernández, who will also play some outfield.
Kiermaier would have been a solid addition, but the Dodgers didn’t really have the room for him — and it sounds like he wanted to end up in Toronto anyway.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
