#isiah-kiner-falefa

#isiah-kiner-falefa

He's Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The former Ranger also spent time with the Yankees before signing a 2-year, $15 million deal with the Blue Jays in 2024, who then traded him to the Pirates at that year's trade deadline, only to take him back a year later after he was cut by Pittsburgh. He's best known as the man who failed to take a secondary lead and got picked off at the plate as a pinch runner in the World Series.

With Seranthony Dominguez now off the market (and Bo Bichette long gone), Isiah Kiner-Falefa is arguably the best Toronto Blue Jays' player from the 2025 roster who remains lingering in free agency. Kiner-Falefa is among the most versatile utility players in the league, and now that players like Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Ha-Seong Kim, and Alex Bregman have all signed, he's one the best infielders still available.

Ex-Blue Jays coach Don Mattingly says there's one World Series play he wants back Mattingly, who stepped down from his role as bench coach with the Blue Jays following the end of the season, was a recent guest on MLB reporter Jon Heyman's podcast. Mattingly was asked if there was anything that stood out that the Blue Jays as a team could have done differently and Mattingly picked out that particular play.

When a team loses Game 7 of the World Series in extra innings there is bound to be some second guessing. In the case of the Toronto Blue Jas 5-4 loss to the LA Dodgers, the failure to score both the insurance runs they needed and the winning runs when the game was on the line, will forever sting in the hearts of the teams' fans.

It was reported that Bo Bichette will be in the lineup no matter what, with his position depending on whether Springer starts. If Springer doesn't start, Bichette will play as the team's designated hitter, meaning that he'll likely stay in the game without being pulled. With Bichette filling in as the designated hitter, it means that the Jays will likely have to turn to Isiah Kiner-Falefa to play second base, which isn't ideal.

The Pirates have placed veteran infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa on outright waivers, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. He'll be available to all 29 other clubs, with waiver priority determined based on the reverse order of the MLB-wide standings. Because he has not been designated for assignment, Kiner-Falefa can continue to play while on waivers. If another team claims him, which seems plausible, he'd be postseason-eligible because he'd join that club before Sept. 1. (Waivers are a 48-hour process.)

McAdoo started strong with 14 home runs and a .906 OPS but faced significant struggles after joining New Hampshire, posting an OPS of .609 and a 30.1% strikeout rate.

The Giants and Yankees are keeping a close eye on Isiah Kiner-Falefa as a potential trade acquisition, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Given Kiner-Falefa's strong reputation as a defender, he'd be a very impactful addition for a team in need of infield help if he can maintain this above average offense going forward.