Isiah Kiner-Falefa Rejoins Toronto Blue Jays for Stretch Run

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00:00And Toronto decided to link up with an old friend.

00:04Isaiah Kiner-Falefa was a waiver claim when rosters expanded from 26 to 28.

00:09And IKF is claimed from the Pittsburgh Pirates by the Toronto Blue Jays

00:14after IKF was phenomenal for them in 2024.

00:18He was acquired by Pittsburgh at the trade deadline in 24,

00:21but in 83 games with the Toronto Blue Jays in 24 to start the year,

00:26he was a three-win player.

00:27He hit .292, had seven homers, a .760 OPS, and now he gets to go back there.

00:34Before we talk about the wrinkle in Toronto, I do want to say,

00:38if they were going to put him on waivers,

00:42what are the Pirates doing not training this guy at the deadline?

00:44Same with Heaney.

00:46It's unbelievable, and I know we don't have to spend too much time on this.

00:49It's insane.

00:50Even if you got a DSL lottery ticket.

00:53Better than this.

00:54Yeah, I just don't understand it.

00:56It is shocking.

00:57And plenty of teams would have given you a DSL lotto ticket for kind of Falefa

01:01because he's an elite clubhouse guy.

01:03He's a superb defender at so many different spots, and he puts bad on ball.

01:07I know it's been a bad year for him,

01:08but I can imagine the Blue Jays are pumped to add him to the fold here

01:12where they have a lot of different ways they like to mix and match,

01:15and just having a guy that now – so if you pinch hit for somebody,

01:19but you don't want to have that guy play the position that he pinch hit for,

01:22you can now put kind of Falefa at so many different spots to backfill there

01:26for the defensive side of things the next inning.

01:29He just unlocks a lot of different opportunities for them,

01:32and then there's just something valuable to having a guy that puts bad on ball

01:35coming off the bench.

01:35So I really like their bench situation now when you look at what they offer.

01:40When you have a bench that has David Schneider and Isaiah kind of Falefa,

01:43like guys that do just two totally different things, I love that.

01:46And then you have a Myles Strawn, a Thai France.

01:48It's a really unique team here.

01:50But, yeah, I mean the fact that the Pirates just didn't take whatever they

01:53could get for those guys and put them both on waivers, I mean,

01:55they're just shockingly inept at points, I think, right now.

02:01I don't know how else to put it.

02:03But I love it for the Blue Jays.

02:05This is a really deep bench where you could see pretty much every single hitter

02:11on that active roster filling a role.

02:13And if you want to find regularity for him, the answer is short platoon.

02:16It's second, right?

02:17Just get Jimenez out of the lineup.

02:19It's not like Andres Jimenez is swinging the bat to his full potential right now.

02:23So against left, you can put the righty Connor Falefa in at second base.

02:27Similar to the platoon situation you've got with Nathan Lucas and Davis Schneider

02:31at this point.

02:31But you're right.

02:33There's something so valuable about a guy in September and a guy in October

02:37that can just plug in.

02:40So you pinch it.

02:41You feel like there's this optimal matchup with a guy on your bench.

02:44Okay, you don't have an answer defensively.

02:47Enter in the super utility man.

02:49And that kind of is Isaiah Connor Falefa at this point.

02:52Okay.

02:52Let's see.

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