Blue Jays sign catcher Alejandro Kirk to US$58-million, five-year extension

Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk hits an RBI single in the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game, Monday, March 3, 2025, in Lakeland, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have signed catcher Alejandro Kirk to a US$58-million, five-year extension, the team announced Tuesday.

The 26-year-old from Tijuana, Mexico, hit .253 last season with five home runs and 54 runs batted in. Twenty-eight of his RBIs came over the last two months of the season.

Defensively, threw out a career-high 27 attempted base stealers, fifth-most among catchers in Major League Baseball.

Kirk was an all-star and a Silver Slugger in 2022 when he batted .285 with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs.

The Jays signed Kirk as a free agent out of Mexico in 2016 at the age of 17. He made his big-league debut in 2020.

Kirk, considered an excellent pitch framer, was a Gold Glove finalist in 2023. Since 2022, Kirk leads all major-league catchers with 39 defensive runs saved while also amassing 25 catcher framing runs.

He has a career .264 average with 64 doubles, a triple, 36 home runs and 187 RBIs in 434 total games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2025.