A pair of Toronto Blue Jays players had the chance to spend a little more time with each other in the offseason — and it was for a pretty good reason, too.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk and starting pitcher Jose Berrios were spotted in Colombia, joined with their partners for a trip to a former teammate’s wedding.
Ex-Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal was the mutual connection getting hitched, with Alejandra Mata as his bride. The pair got engaged in 2023.
The wedding was held at Casa Kapikua in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Though most of the pics that emerged from the weekend were of the bride, we did get a few shots of Espinal’s white jacket on the dance floor.
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Espinal, who most recently played for the Cincinnati Reds this season, is a free agent. He spent four years with the Blue Jays, suiting up for 346 games between 2020 and 2023.
A Toronto reunion doesn’t seem all that likely, though, given there’s an already stacked infield with the possibility of bringing back Bo Bichette.
Kirk was a key piece of Toronto’s postseason run, though one play he’d love to have back was the final swing of the World Series, where he grounded into a double play to end Game 7 in the 11th inning.
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After being one of the MLB’s most durable pitchers for years — making at least 30 starts in every full season since 2018 — Berrios dealt with a late-season elbow injury that prevented him from playing in the postseason.
His absence did perhaps at least play some part in the emergence of Toronto’s young star, Trey Yesavage, who blossomed into a household name with a series of record-setting playoff performances.
In any case, it surely was nice for the trio to connect and unwind after what must have been an exhausting physical and emotional rollercoaster few months.
Lead photo by
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images