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Late August into early September is when there is a lot of roster preparation and the Pittsburgh Pirates are no exception. While the Pirates don't have to situate their roster in preparation for the playoffs like contenders do, Pittsburgh can jettison guys who are no longer needed to save some cash as well as finally give some young guys like Bubba Chandler and others an opportunity. As it turns out, Isiah Kiner-Falefa found himself in the middle of one such move on Labor Day weekend.
After a mediocre showing after the Pirates traded for him last season, Kiner-Falefa has been reasonable, if unspectacular in 2025 with a .264/.300/.332 in 428 plate appearances. His defense has remained decent, but you would want more production overall from a guy that is making "real" money and that made him a prime waiver wire candidate.
That waiver claim came on Sunday after it was revealed that Kiner-Falefa's old team, the Blue Jays, came calling and Toronto scooped him up off of waivers.
IKF is headed back to Toronto for a second stint with the Blue Jays pic.twitter.com/Med1MqoKHH
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 31, 2025
Pirates lose Isiah Kiner-Falefa to waiver claim by Blue Jays
It was pretty much a given that Pittsburgh was going to lose Kiner-Falefa this weekend. The timing of putting Kiner-Falefa on waivers was done to allow his new team to put him on their postseason roster. With that deadline coming up fast, it was just a matter or when and where he would find a new team.
Kiner-Falefa's new team knows him quite well as they were the ones that initially decided to give him a two-year, $15 million deal before the 2024 season. Toronto decided to move IKF at the trade deadline that year, but they find themselves among the favorites in the AL in 2025 and are looking to add some depth ahead of the stretch run. In claiming Kiner-Falefa, they get add a bench piece with a pulse after the trade deadline.
Is Kiner-Falefa going to shift the balance of power now that he is with the Blue Jays? Absolutely not. However, he does give Toronto some depth and allows the Pirates to save a few dollars and we know how much Bob Nutting and Co. love not paying anymore than they have to. One just hopes that they find something useful to spend those savings on instead of just lining ownership's pockets.