The Blue Jays have claimed utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa off waivers from the Pirates, as reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Toronto subsequently announced the move and transferred right-hander Yimi Garcia to the 60-day injured list in order to create a 40-man roster spot for Kiner-Falefa.
It’s a homecoming for Kiner-Falefa, who signed with Toronto prior to the 2024 season but was traded to Pittsburgh at last year’s trade deadline. Just over a year later, he’s headed back to the Blue Jays to join the team’s bench for the playoff push. Unlike last year, Toronto is firmly in playoff position with a two-game lead in the AL East. While Kiner-Falefa was a regular fixture on the club’s infield during his first stint with the organization, that’s unlikely to be the case this season given that Andres Gimenez has taken over the everyday second base job while Ernie Clement and Addison Barger have split time at the hot corner.
Of course, Kiner-Falefa isn’t having quite as strong of a season this year as he was when Toronto traded him last year. In 83 games with the Blue Jays in 2024, the utility man slashed an excellent .292/.338/.400 (113 wRC+) while playing superlative defense on the infield for the club. He showed uncharacteristic power in those games, swatting seven homers in just 281 plate appearances, and kept his strikeouts to just a 13.2% clip. That hot stretch caught the attention of the Pirates as they looked to make modest upgrades to their offense last year, but Kiner-Falefa regressed badly and hit just .256/.288/.328 (70 wRC+) across his 169 games in a Pirates uniform.
That production is more befitting of a bench role, but on a weak Pirates offense that had already moved Oneil Cruz to center field last year and traded away Ke’Bryan Hayes at this summer’s deadline, it was enough to earn Kiner-Falefa everyday reps. Perhaps now that the 30-year-old is back in an organization he had considerable success with and will be able to step back into a smaller role, he’ll be able to rediscover the form that made him such an attractive trade piece last summer. Kiner-Falefa could certainly push himself into additional playing time if his performance warrants it; while Barger is unlikely to lose at-bats to the utility man given his strong season this year, he could simply spend more time in right field going forward if the Jays want to get Kiner-Falefa into the lineup more often.
From the Pirates perspective, the move opens up playing time for newly promoted infielder Cam Devanney. Perhaps more importantly in the eyes of Pittsburgh brass, the Blue Jays will take on the remainder of Kiner-Falefa’s $7.5MM salary for the 2025 season. Perhaps that money, as well as other funds saved by trading players like Hayes this summer, will be put towards upgrading the offense this winter.
As for Garcia, the news that he’s been placed on the 60-day injured list is hardly a surprise given that he underwent season-ending elbow surgery on Friday. Garcia finishes the 2025 campaign with a 3.86 ERA and 3.83 FIP in 21 innings of work, and the Jays will have to rely on other veterans in the bullpen like Jeff Hoffman and Seranthony Dominguez to make up for Garcia’s absence.
How did he get that far up the standings? Great pick up
Some teams probably didn’t want to take on the remainder of his salary and hoped he’d reach free agency.
1 teams added better players at deadline. 2 IKF has no power really a below average hitter other than average. His only value is he can play anywhere and puts ball in play steals some bags. But yeah you could do worse.
I’m surprised the Yankees didnt grab him. What IKF does well is catch the ball, throw the ball, run the bases, lay down a bunt… seems like the Yankees could use someone like that
Yankees definitely needed someone that could catch the ball last year.
SF Giants couldn’t have used him?
Giants are still in playoff race?
No
No
Which is it , No or No? Seriously you have to make up your mind.
Jays ownership is flashing $$. didnt need to wait for FA to save some $
Jays were paying him anyway. They agreed to pay part of his salary last year and this year.
Because other teams are trying to win?
More seriously, there has to be a fit. Only a contending team would claim him. A bit surprised even the Blue Jays claimed him.
He has a lot of value to a playoff team as a defensive and base runner sub I think
77 OPS+ and owed about 1M$ for the remaining month.
If they could dig out his old bats from last time he was here, that would help. His short stint in Toronto was the only time in his career that he hit well.
If nothing else, they pick up another bench player with a good glove.
very solid bench player and right before the playoffs.
Look at the lineup he was in with the Pirates. Most of the time the 3 guys in front of him were hitting under .200.
If he gets in a lineup where pitchers have to pitch to him I think he will come back around
Lol, you’re suggesting pitchers were pitching around him?!
Toronto’s stadium also has a dome which helps hitters
Disagree. Rogers Center tends to favor the under when the roof is closed, and over when its open-air
Cut Davis Schneider then add Loperfido and Isiah Kiner-Falefa for September.
Davis Schneider?
He of the 142 wRC+?
One of their better right handed bats?
Cutting Schneider last season would have been justifiable. This year it would be absolutely foolish.
Not a ball knower?
Watching the jays much lately? Need new glasses?
Very happy he landed with a contender. I like this move. I like the guy.
I wish the Mariners had picked him up. He has been slightly above average hitter most of his career.
He has no bat in 2025 only a glove
You would think he could afford one.
Are you brain dead? He’s batting around .270.
And slugging under .325 while getting onbase
At a subpar .300 clip.
It’s absolutely disgusting that the @mariners passed in him. He would have filled the Dylan Moore role, including stealing critical bases in close games.
Would have been a great fit for the Yankees! They blew it!!
Volpe hopes he can be IKF one day.
Tbh I’m happy with Caballero who is under team control until 2030.
@pando8888
I was thinking the Yanks would have claimed him in a heartbeat. I’m missing something about the Yankee infield/bench?
He’d be their starting SS if the manager wasn’t in love with their current option
They have Caballero they didn’t need IKF
They already have enough bench depth pieces in Rosario and Caballeros (who can also play the OF). They’ll use the expanded roster to rotate relievers.
Hm. I wonder if this is this influenced by Clement’s injury.
He’s insurance for Clement and Varsho (the latter more indirectly, due all the positional flexibility on the roster). Both of them appear okay for now but have the types of injuries that could get worse as they play through it.
And also for pretty much every other position player except for the catchers, because you never know who’ll get hurt. It’s nice to be prepared and to have someone to plug in who’ll at least keep your defense good.
I hate Atkins so much.
You’re nuts. This is a great move.
Just what the Jays need a 3rd defense only middle infielder!
In theory there is no harm in a bench…defender but the way the Jays roster is constructed I am sure you will see lineups with Gimenez, IKF, Ernie and Straw! There are diminishing returns when you stack defense.
Didn’t he pitch in the ninth inning a couple of times?
That means he got all the way to the end of waivers. 1.5 bWAR capable of playing multiple positions.
Good pick-up. Will miss him in Pittsburgh.
Who are the Jays going to bench to get him on the field?
Clement appears to be okay with the broken finger. He would be the choice but he can still play. Who else is hurting?
Gimenez? they are the same player just 1 bats left and 1 bats right. Tandem 2B!
What the fudge!!!!!!!! Should have been a NYY again. Cashman missed the boat. IKF would have filled multiple roles on the Bombers and can catch and even pitch. How could we have lost him to the Bluebirds?
Uh no.
He played half a season for the Jays, does that really qualify as a “homecoming?”
“Perhaps that money, as well as other funds saved by trading players like Hayes this summer, will be put towards upgrading the offense this winter.” I’m pretty sure Pirates fans should not hold their breath waiting for that to happen.
LOL yeah that money has already been earmarked for Nutting’s “Need a 4th yacht” savings account.
The Pirates were only paying $2.5M of his salary. So they save 16% of that minus the cost of the min salary replacement player.
Nutting is still under water because his dopey GM signed a toxic player in Pham for $4M and a pitcher who sucks in Heaney for $3M. Both were untradeable at the deadline. So i expect no extra spending this offseason
IDFK about seeing IKF leaving. He seemed to really like being with the Pirates and was hoping to get extended. Hopefully he enjoys the rest of the ride with the Jays. Best of luck and enjoy the moment.
IKF being claimed by the Blue Jays doesn’t mean he can’t return to the Pirates next year
I know. Very true. I think he wasn’t looking at leaving, at all.
Padres either asleep or can’t scrounge a few bucks to get a better SS than Iglesias and McCoy. After what we saw this week they are probably swept in the WC round anyway.
They must think Iglesias is objectively better in all areas than IKF. I’m not sure myself, would have to compare stat lines, etc
Well-worded description: objectively better in all areas. It doesn’t, however, apply here. Their platoon splits would complement each other:
IKF has an OPS of .673 vs RH, and .572 vs. LH
Iglesias’ OPS is .472 vs RH, .712 vs LH.
“Perhaps that money, as well as other funds saved by trading players like Hayes this summer, will be put towards upgrading the offense this winter.” Apparently the writer of today’s piece thinks that every penny Nutting saves on one end, he spends on another. Regular observers of the Nutting ownership circus knows every penny he saves, he keeps in his greedy hands. Let’s recap – once we have a publicly funded stadium, we will spend money. Nope. (I admit Nutting was not the owner then, but it’s consistent). Once we field a winning team thru the draft, I will spend to add. 2013-15 Bucs. Spend money? Nope. The 2015 Bucs by the way, are (or are close) to the high water mark of spending by Nutting on a roster. 10 years later, he spends 20-30% less on roster. Counting inflation, he probably spends closer to 50% less. The Bucs have Hope. Decent manager. Decent GM playing with two hands tied behind his back. Top notch pitching. And yet, unless and until Nutting sells (because he won’t spend), the Bucs will never have the 2-3 extra bats they need to field a potentially really good team. Nutting sole accomplishment – being the best owner in MLB at being worst.
John Fisher would like a word.
Attentive observers will know that Nutting will only increase payroll when the Pirates have a competitive core as he did I. 2013-2015. Unlike many posters on here, Nutting and most owners are not into spending money on free agents just to spend money on free agents. Could he be a better owner? Sure, but he isn’t even half as bad as people make him output to be. Of course, it is always easy to spend someone else’s money especially when you don’t have access to their books.
Nutting is smart enough to know that small market teams need to have at least very good scouting and development to produce a competitive team to be augmented by available free agents where the Pirates need them.
The scouting of and position player development under Cherington have been poor and thus you see the lack of ML hitters on this team.Hitting coaching has not been better.
Trades have been mediocre at best.Cherington did not have a lot to work with at the start but that has been six years ago.
Spending a lot of money on a free agent even if helpful gains maybe five games a year which would be like putting lipstick on a pig.
Good depth move. Now if only we could get an arm to throw in the 9th!
Maybe we can coax Henke out of retirement
A true professional. Best of luck Thanks for your time in P burgh
Blue Jays are already paying all of his salary anyway, might as well get something out of it
Tigers fans thought Detroit would pick up IKF at the deadline, but they signed Kevin Newman instead. Lots of wild second guessing on these moves…
He will join the Jays tomorrow as the extra position player so no position player will need to be sent down or cut. Savvy move.
Good luck to IKF.He is a good solid player best fit to be a utility man but a good one.
A classy individual with the Pirates who hustled every day.
Not sure what Crashman was thinking by not grabbing IKF.
You said that twice. The NYY don’t need him.
“Perhaps that money, as well as other funds saved by trading players like Hayes this summer, will be put towards upgrading the offense this winter.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA