The Toronto Blue Jays have locked in one of their most important pieces for the future, agreeing to a five-year, $58 million contract extension with catcher Alejandro Kirk. The deal includes a $6 million signing bonus and contains no club options or deferred money, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. It will keep Kirk in Toronto through the 2030 season, buying out his final year of arbitration and four years of free agency.

“BREAKING: Alejandro Kirk and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a five-year, $58 million contract extension, source says. The structure, which includes a signing bonus and no club options, allows him to enter free agency after his age-31 season. Kirk is represented by Eric Izen and Greg Genske of Vayner Sports.” via Robert Murray on X, formerly Twitter.

Kirk, 26, is entering his first season as Toronto’s uncontested starting catcher following the departures of Danny Jansen and Gabriel Moreno. Originally signed out of Tijuana, Mexico, Kirk made his MLB debut in 2020 and quickly earned a reputation for his elite contact skills and defensive reliability behind the plate. He reached All-Star status in 2022, slashing .285/.372/.415 with 14 homers and winning a Silver Slugger Award. That year, he also posted a 4.3 fWAR, ranking among the top five catchers in the league.

Blue Jays extend Alejandro Kirk before Vladdy Jr.

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) hits an rbi single against the Boston Red Sox in the fourth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark.
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While his offensive production dipped in 2023 and 2024 — he slashed .253/.319/.353 with five homers and 54 RBI last season — Kirk has remained a valuable contributor thanks to his elite framing, blocking, and caught stealing metrics. In 2024, he ranked in the 97th percentile in caught stealing above average and 93rd in pitch framing, per Baseball Savant.

Toronto’s front office has shown considerable faith in Kirk, especially after trading Moreno to Arizona and allowing Jansen to walk in free agency. His new deal slightly surpasses the five-year, $52.5 million extension Salvador Perez signed with the Royals in 2016, and places Kirk’s average annual value at $11.6 million — comparable to top-tier catchers like Will Smith, who signed a longer and more lucrative extension with the Dodgers last season.

Club president Mark Shapiro voiced his enthusiasm earlier this spring, calling Kirk one of the players he’s most excited to watch in 2025. “Kirky has elite mental attributes,” Shapiro said. “He slows the game down as well as anybody I’ve seen… There’s almost nobody I can imagine I’d want to catch a [wicked] slider in the ninth inning with the tying run on third base, or be up at the plate.”

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette inching closer to free agency, Kirk’s extension provides some much-needed stability for a roster that could be undergoing major changes in the near future. Whether or not Toronto can retain its biggest stars remains to be seen, but Kirk is now a foundational piece the club can confidently build around heading into the next era.