Alejandro Kirk has made a strong enough case in 2025 that the Blue Jays should think twice before ever entertaining the idea of moving him.
Toronto’s catcher played a major role in the club’s trip to the World Series for the first time in three decades, putting together one of the best seasons of his career on both sides of the ball. Kirk finished with 4.7 fWAR, the highest mark he has posted, topping the 4.3 fWAR from his All-Star season in 2022.
At the plate, he set personal highs with 25 home runs and 76 RBIs while posting a 116 wRC+. FanGraphs also credited him with 24.9 defensive fWAR behind the plate, another career-best number.
That kind of production is why Chris Landers of FanSided singled out Kirk, not Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as Toronto’s untouchable trade asset in his piece, "Every MLB team's untouchable trade asset entering the trade deadline."
Landers wrote, "The Blue Jays are in hard sell mode, and that means rentals like Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho and Shane Bieber are as good as gone. Some fans have suggested moving on from Alejandro Kirk, considering Brandon Valenzuela's ascent while he was on the IL, but that strikes me as incredibly premature.
He remains dynamite behind the plate, and that defense alone would make his current five-year, $58 million deal a steal. But he also showed last fall the kind of upside he offers as a hitter, and a slow start amid an injury-plagued season shouldn't change that. A team that wants to contend in 2027 should want Kirk on its roster."
The timing matters here, too. Kirk’s injury has left him in a down year, which naturally pulls his value down from where it would be if he were healthy and rolling. If Toronto were to shop him now, it would risk selling low on a player whose value is tied to more than just the current stretch of games.
The Blue Jays have already made big catching decisions in recent years to keep Kirk at the center of the position. Before the 2023 season, they dealt Gabriel Moreno, who had already made his MLB debut and was third on the depth chart behind Kirk and Danny Jansen, in a package with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to Arizona for Daulton Varsho. Then, at the 2024 trade deadline, Jansen went to the Boston Red Sox for three prospects.
Kirk then signed his five-year deal before the 2025 season, locking him in as Toronto’s main catcher.
Even with Brandon Valenzuela pushing into the picture, the Blue Jays are also building more depth behind the plate. They drafted Will Brick and have gotten strong results from several players in the farm system, including 22-year-old Giaconino Lasaracina (.303/.396/.588, nine home runs, 144 wRC+), 21-year-old Ryan Sprock (.250/.354/.450, 113 wRC+) and 23-year-old Aaron Parker (11 home runs, .250/.359/.457, 118 wRC+).
But for now, Kirk still looks like the guy Toronto has chosen to build around at catcher.
In Other News...
Kevin Gausman Just Made The Blue Jays Trade Decision More Emotional
Kevin Gausmans relationship with Toronto has become one of the more important subplots around the Blue Jays as the trade deadline nears. After what could have been his final start at Rogers Centre before the deadline, he made it clear how strongly he feels about the city, the club and Canada, reinforcing just how much he has come to matter to this team beyond the numbers he puts up on the mound.
Gausman also said he would like to stay in Toronto beyond the 2026 season, which only adds weight to whatever the front office decides next. The Blue Jays are still weighing trade possibilities, and with a pitcher of his caliber and standing in the clubhouse, the emotional side of that call is impossible to ignore for a team trying to balance present-day value with what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
George Springer Just Made Torontos Trade Deadline More Complicated
With 50 games left, the Blue Jays are still trying to thread a needle that gets tougher by the day. They sit last in the AL East, but the wild-card picture keeps them from making any easy deadline decisions, and manager John Schneider has said no call has been made yet about whether the club should start selling. In the middle of it all is George Springer, who has been swinging it well enough to help fuel Torontos current four-game winning streak.
Springers situation gives the front office another layer to weigh as the deadline approaches. He has made it clear he wants to stay put, which matters for a team already balancing its place in the standings with whatever direction it chooses over the next few weeks. For a Blue Jays club still alive, even if barely, the question is not just whether they should move pieces, but whether one of their most recognizable veterans is even available to move. [Read more 🡒]