The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that theyve signed catcher to a five-year extension covering the 2026-30 seasons. Hell reportedly be guaranteed $58MM on D.J. Wilson Jersey the deal. Kirk was already signed for the current season at $4.6MM. The new contract buys out his final season of arbitration and four free-agent seasons. Kirk is represented by Vayner Sports. Kirk, 26, is entering the first season of his career where hell be the uncontested primary catcher for the Blue Jays after years of sharing time with some combination of , , and . Signed out of Tijuana, Mexico in international free agency, Kirk made his pro debut back in 2017 and reached the majors in time for a nine-game cup of coffee in 2020 that was then expanded to a 60-game stint as the clubs third catcher behind McGuire and Jansen. He hit a robust .259/.336/.455 in 214 trips to the plate acro s those 69 games before finally earning a more regular role with the club in 2022. He made the most of the opportunity, delivering an All-Star campaign and winning a Silver Slugger award behind the plate. In 541 trips to the plate that year, Kirk slashed an incredible .285/.372/.415 with a wRC+ of 129. In conjunction with his elite framing and blocking abilities, Kirk managed to post an excellent 4.3 fWAR that tied with for the fourth-highest figure of any catcher that season. The sensational performance seemed to solidify Kirks status as the clubs catcher of the future, and helped prompt them to trade top prospect to the Diamondbacks alongside in exchange for an elite defensive outfielder in . Unfortunately, things havent quite gone according to plan in that regard. Kirks put up relatively pedestrian numbers at the plate over the past two seasons, slashing just .251/.327/.358 with a 95 wRC+. Thats certainly not bad for a catcher, and Kirks elite defensive numbers have allowed him to remain a two-to-three win player even as hes taken a step back offensively. With that solid floor established and the tantalizing upside of his 2022 season still at least theoretically in reach, the Blue Jays have opted to pounce on the opportunity to lock Kirk up long-term. In doing so, theyve given Kirk a deal that slightly eclipses the one Royals catcher signed prior to the 2016 season, which guaranteed him $52.5MM. Besides Perez, the only other extension signed within the past decade by a catcher with between four and five years of MLB service that came with a guarantee of even $5MM was that of Smith with the Dodgers last year, which guaranteed Smith $131.45MM in new money over nine years. Thats a significantly higher sum than Kirk received, although it should be noted that Smith signed for nearly twice as long as Kirk and the deferred money in the deal reduced the net present value of the deal to around $114.5MM after factoring in the money Smith was already owed for last season. Given their similarly high ceilings, its not nece sarily a surprise that Kirks $11.6MM AAV is in the same ballpark as the approximately $12.25 AAV Smith received on his deal last season even as Kirks volatility in recent years compared to Smiths more steadfast production led Kirks deal to be capped at just five seasons. That shortened term also provides Kirk the flexibility to potentially get a bite at the free agent apple later in his career that could prove quite lucrative if he manages to rediscover the offensive form he flashed in 2022 over the next few seasons. For now, however, the Blue Jays have locked Kirk up as a fixture of the franchise for the rest of the decade, a roll hell share with offseason additions and . The move keeps a homegrown talent in the fold long-term, offering some much-needed continuity for the organization ahead of a 2025 season that could be the last one both and spend in Toronto. Kirks strong work behind the plate should continue to benefit Jays pitchers, both veterans like and as well as youngsters like and , for years to come, and if he can recapture his offensive form from 2022 hed be a rare two-way catcher who can double as a defensive stalwart and middle-of-the-order bat. Fansideds Robert Murray the agreement and the terms. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic additional financial details. Malcolm Brogdon Jersey