Blue Jays tie for MLB lead with 3 Gold Glove Award recipients

Toronto third baseman Matt Chapman and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier collected their fourth Gold Gloves among 13 first-time winners of the fielding honour.

The Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs tied for the high among clubs with three winners each, Rawlings announced Sunday.

First-time American League winners included Texas catcher Jonah Heim, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and right-fielder Adolis Garcia, Toronto pitcher Jose Berrios, Houston utility man Mauricio Dubon and New York Yankees rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe.

Chapman and Kiermaier, who are free agents, earned $50,000 US, as did Berrios.

On Monday, the Blue Jays extended a qualifying offer to Chapman for next season and he has until Nov. 14 to accept the offer.

If Chapman declines and signs with another team, Toronto would receive a 2024 draft pick in compensation from his new club.

Chapman signed a two-year, $25-million contract with Toronto before the 2022 season after spending his first five Major League Baseball seasons in Oakland.

He hit .234 with 44 home runs and 130 runs batted in over two seasons with the Jays.

In the National League, Arizona catcher and former Blue Jays prospect Gabriel Moreno was among the first-time Gold Glove Award recipients.

Pittsburgh third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes ended the streak of Nolan Arenado of St. Louis, who had won in his first 10 seasons. That matched the high set by Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki from 2001-10.

Voting was conducted among managers and up to six coaches from each team, who can't select players on their own club.

Since 2013, voting has been factored with a Society for American Baseball Research defensive index, which comprises about 25 per cent of the total.

The utility category is based on a SABR formula and additional defensive statistics.

Green posts 5.25 ERA after return from surgery

The Blue Jays have also exercised their two-year conditional club option on right-hander Chad Green for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Green missed the first five months of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He injured his pitching elbow in May 2022 with the New York Yankees.

The 32-year-old Green was 3-0 with a 5.25 earned-run average over 12 appearances with Toronto. He had 16 strikeouts and walked four batters over 12 innings pitched.

He threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the Blue Jays' loss to Minnesota in Toronto's post-season opener. The Twins went on to sweep the best-of-three AL wild-card series.

Green will earn $10.5 million US annually for the next two years.

Since making his debut in 2016, he has a 36-22 record and 3.23 ERA over 284 regular-season appearances.