Alejandro Kirk is batting .236 with a .319 on-base percentage and a .339 slugging percentage this season, numbers dragged down by a fractured thumb that limited his availability behind the plate and kept him to just 38 games so far.
Even in a down year, the two-time All-Star and the first catcher in Blue Jays history to win a Silver Slugger remains one of Toronto's most established co-stars in the clubhouse.
That standing showed on Sunday evening, when Kirk shared the team's farewell message to Kevin Gausman on his Instagram story, a nod to a pitcher he spent parts of five seasons catching for.
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The Blue Jays sent Gausman to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday in exchange for outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene, closing out a run that included a five-year, $110 million deal signed in 2021 and a trip to the 2025 World Series.
The trade comes as the Blue Jays sit in last place in the American League East with a 52-60 record, 13 1/2 games back of the division and 4 1/2 games back of a Wild Card spot.
In his own farewell post, Toronto wrote that Gausman "embraced this city and this country as if it was your own," thanking him for what he meant to the team, the community and clubhouse.
As of Monday, Baseball Reference has the Blue Jays' postseason chances at just 4.4 percent, a completely different outlook for a team that was one win short of another World Series. Now, the club must regroup and brace for a very different second half of the season.
