We’ve gone from the fab five to the top trio.
Three elite shortstops remain on the open market after the Texas Rangers signed Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million) AND Marcus Semien (seven years, $175 million): Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa, Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story and New York Mets’ Javier Baez.
That leaves the New York Yankees with limited options to fill their hole at shortstop after moving Gleyber Torres back to second base.
However, if the Yankees don’t want to spend big and would prefer to find a short-term solution while waiting for prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza, there’s a trade to be made, and believe it or not, it’s with the Rangers.
That’s according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman:
With Seager and Semien on #Rangers does Kiner-Falefa go back to 3b until prospect Josh Jung is ready. If expendable (my thoughts nothing I’ve heard) and #Yankees really aren’t spending big on SS, they should try to acquire Kiner-Falefa for superb glove. His bat is not much, but contact guy who can bat 9th. Remember, #Rangers know NYY system well after doing Gallo trade. I would throw this in: if could expand to include a strong defensive catcher like Trevino or especially switch-hitting Heim ... Again, this is my thoughts not something I’ve heard.
Sherman’s suggestion was the same as that of The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who called a potential Rangers-Yankees deal an “intriguing” possibility.
The Yankees, seeking to upgrade defensively at shortstop, view Kiner-Falefa as a strong defender, and are expected to contact the Rangers about possibly acquiring him, if they haven’t already, according to major-league sources. Other teams are also likely to pursue Kiner-Falefa, whose career .670 OPS somewhat mitigates the quality of his defense.
UPDATE (10:01 a.m.): SNY’s Andy Martino reports “Per sources, Yankees have talked to the Rangers about SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa, but as of yesterday the pre-lockout trade market was pretty dead. ... As we’ve previously reported, Yanks have some interest in Simmons too. I should say, IKF plays all over, but Yankees would be interested in him as a SS.”
The idea is an interesting one. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a four-year MLB veteran who won a Gold Glove Award in 2020. He played in a career-high 158 games in 2021, hitting .271 with eight home runs, 53 RBI and 20 stolen bases. The 26-year-old is under team control through 2023, according to Spotrac.
And don’t forget the Yankees and Rangers are familiar trade partners after the deadline deal in July for outfielder Joey Gallo.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
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