Kevin Kiermaier really doesn’t want to leave Rays

Kevin Kiermaier has had an uneasy offseason.

The longest-tenured Ray was sad to see pitcher Charlie Morton leave as a free agent and surprised when Blake Snell, another of the top starters on their World Series team, was traded.

Worse, personally, was dealing with the speculation he could also be dealt, based primarily on his team-high $11.5 million salary (plus $14.5 million in future guarantees).

“Selfishly speaking, I’m glad I’m still a Ray,” the speedy centerfielder said. “Even to be brought up in trade rumors, it’s one of those things you have to accept it, but it’s not easy by any means. Because for a guy like me, the Rays are all I know. I’ve enjoyed being a part of this community since day one.

“But you have to be realistic in these situations and see the business side of things. I totally understand it. But if I had it my way, I would never put on a different uniform in my career. It just doesn’t always work like that. It’s very rare to see nowadays.

“That being said, I’m still a Ray,” Kiermaier continued. “And I’m as happy as can be about that. And so is my wife (Marisa, who is set to deliver their second child in March). Hopefully, we can keep it that way for as long as possible.”

Kiermaier, though, knows better than to relax. With George Springer signing with Toronto, Jackie Bradley Jr. is the next-best free-agent centerfielder available. It’s possible that whichever teams miss out on Bradley will circle back to the Rays about a trade.

Kiermaier, 31 in April, said it helped greatly that general manager Erik Neander was communicative and candid with him about where things stood.

“I figured he’d reach out to me, because I got curious at times and wanted to hear what the team had to say,” Kiermaier said. “So we had a couple conversations, and he pretty much explained, ‘Hey, we have to listen to everything. But at the same time, we like having you on the team as well, and we value you a ton’ for what I do in the clubhouse and what I’m able to do on the field.

“Very basic stuff. He said, ‘Nothing’s guaranteed. I can’t say that. But we-plan-on-having-you-until-further-notice’ type of thing, ‘unless someone comes calling and they have a deal we can’t refuse.’ As the offseason got a little bit later, he said I had a more realistic chance of sticking around. But in the baseball world, something can happen any day. All these guys are signing now, and so many things come into play.’

Assuming he stays, Kiermaier remains confident, even with the changes, the Rays are good enough to defend their American League championship.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I always tell the guys, just look around and see how much talent we have in our clubhouse year after year. I sit here and think about the guys we still have and the guys waiting for their callup, there’s a lot to be excited about. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in our guys.”

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Spring fling

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