Alejandro Kirk contract extension: Blue Jays lock up catcher through 2030 on $58 million deal, per report

The Toronto Blue Jays and catcher Alejandro Kirk have agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $58 million, FanSided reports. Kirk, 26, had been slated for free agency after the 2026 season, but now this deal, which includes no club option years and will cover the 2026-30 seasons, pushes his free agency back until after his age-31 season and also buys out the remainder of his arbitration years. Kirk is under contract for $4.6 million for the upcoming season. 

Kirk is coming off a 2024 season in which he slashed .253/.319/.359 (94 OPS+) with five home runs and 19 doubles in 103 games. For his career, he owns an OPS+ of 107 across parts of five big-league seasons with the Blue Jays, who originally signed Kirk out of his native Mexico in 2016. Defensively, Statcast over the last three seasons has consistently ranked Kirk as one of the most valuable catchers in all of baseball, particularly when it comes to pitch-framing. Pair those defensive skills with his solid production by catcher standards, and it's not hard to see why the Jays were eager to commit to Kirk long-term. 

Kirk's extension comes as the club has floated renewed hopes of reaching an agreement with All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before he reaches free agency after the upcoming season. Earlier in this offseason, it appeared that the two sides had failed to reach an extension before Guerrero's self-appointed deadline. More recently, though, the usually tight-lipped team president Mark Shapiro raised hopes of working something out with Guerrero after all. For his part, Guerrero sounded open to further discussions. 

The Jays are facing a critical season in 2025. After making the playoffs in consecutive years, last season they lost 88 games and finished in last place in the American League East. If 2025 yields similar levels of disappointment, then changes could be coming, both to the roster and the front office.