Kevin Kiermaier surprised even himself by agreeing to a one-year contract to stay with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The outfielder, 33, came back to Toronto despite his statement that he “never thought I’d play on turf again.” Kiermaier ultimately made the decision to re-sign with the Blue Jays in order to continue playing home games on the synthetic field at Rogers Centre, as the experience he and his family enjoyed was too positive to pass up.

Kiermaier has made no secret of his desire to play on real grass for a long time. Being a centre fielder noted for his defence, he acknowledged that the turf at Tropicana Field affected him throughout the first ten years of his career.

It was supposed to be a one-year commitment, but he was content to play with Toronto in 2023.

In the end, Kiermaier earned his fourth Gold Glove in his career while contributing significantly to a postseason squad. Even if he might prefer to play on grass, he ultimately couldn’t turn down the opportunity to move to Toronto.