Where will the New York Yankees turn at the trade deadline?
Despite a recent slump, the Yankees are still playing good ball this summer, and their 45-32 record gives them a 2.5-game advantage over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.
However, this is a New York team solely concerned with not only repeating as American League Champions, but getting over the October hump and capturing their first World Series since 2009.
Luis Gil should be back in late July or early August, a reinstatement that will bolster this already strong rotation led by Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt. Even with D.J. LeMahieu and Jazz Chisholm Jr. back in the infield, New York could use some depth there.
Enter Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who had a respectable run with the Yankees from 2022-23 and fits some of their current needs.
Here is the latest on a possible Yankees/Kiner-Falefa reunion:
âThe New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants are keeping a close eye on versatile Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who should be available at the trade deadline,â Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote.
What Does IKF Bring to Yankees?
Kiner-Falefa has never had much of a stick in the big leagues, with career 162-game averages of 7 home runs, 50 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, a .263 batting average, a .664 OPS, and an 83 OPS+, not exactly jumping off the page.
He is having a decent year for the Pittsburgh Pirates, with a .275 batting average, a .662 OPS, an 84 OPS+, and nine stolen bases on 12 attempts.
But his game is all about defense. And, more specifically, defense all over the diamond. A 2020 Gold Glove winner at third base, Kiner-Falefa has primarily logged time at shortstop for the Pirates, playing all but 8 of his 575 and 1/3 innings at the six.
However, he has historically been a versatile utility player, with eligibility at shortstop, third base, second base, center field, and left field, and was a real catching option for the Texas Rangers from 2018 to 2019.
The New York Yankees are likely without their utility man, Oswaldo Cabrera, for the season after his gruesome ankle injury, and Kiner-Falefa can fill that one-size-fits-all role.
Trade Logistics for Yankees
Kiner-Falefa is on a one-year deal that pays him just over $6.28 million. That might be a tad pricey for someone who should be a bench player. But, this is also a long, tiresome season, and even though the New York Yankees are relatively healthy now, there is no telling where they might need help in the late August dog days.
New York could likely get Kiner-Falefa for a mid-to-low-level prospect, such as RHP Eric Reyzelman (No. 21) or RHP Trystan Vrieling (No. 22). The San Francisco Giants element of this could complicate the market, but he is not going to command a significant haul either way.
Should the Yankees reacquire Kiner-Falefa, it would likely end the Oswald Peraza experiment. A solid defender with plenty of upside, the 25-year-old Peraza has yet to figure it out at the plate in the Majors.
Over 346 career at-bats, Peraza is batting just .197 with a .581 OPS, a 62 OPS+, and 7 home runs.
Kiner-Falefa would also take reps from LeMahieu and Chisholm Jr., but both have dealt with injuries, and adding more depth feels like the responsible move.
He might not be the sexiest name out there, but that should not necessarily dissuade New York.
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