Before we begin, please put away the pitchforks.
Look, I know Isiah Kiner-Falefa has a complicated relationship with Yankees fans. Acquired by the Yankees in 2022 alongside Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt in the deal that sent Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela to the Minnesota Twins, IKF became a lightning rod for criticism as it became clear he was not a starting-caliber shortstop for a contender. After losing the job in spring training in 2023, however, he rehabilitated his image a bit by his willingness
to play the outfield, and as the 2023 campaign turned into a disaster, he provided some nice highlights (stealing home, becoming the first Yankee “pitcher” to homer since 1972) that helped make the team, well, slightly less unbearable to watch. While he was not exactly a fan favorite, he at least vacated the position of fan punching bag.
After leaving the Yankees in free agency, Kiner-Falefa signed a two-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he hit well enough (119 OPS+) for the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire him in an attempt to bolster their offense for yet another failed playoff push. Since then, though, he’s looked more like the IKF Yankees fans are used to, with a .260/.295/.332 slash line (74 wRC+) in 133 games since the end of last July.
About a month ago, reports indicated that at least two playoff contenders, the Yankees and the Giants, were monitoring Kiner-Falefa’s availability. So why might the Yankees be interested in a reunion with IKF? Well, the Yankees have a hole at third and a need to deepen their infield bench. In theory, both roles can be filled by Kiner-Falefa.
The key thing here, though, is in theory he can serve as the starting third baseman. Technically speaking, he is an upgrade over the current Oswald Peraza/Jorbit Vivas pairing, as his .274/.318/.339 slash line (84 wRC+), pitiful as it is, represents a substantial improvement over Peraza’s .149/.213/.243 (28 wRC+) and Vivas’s .149/.245/.255 (45 wRC+). In fact, even his pitiful June numbers, where he slashed .220/.253/.256, would be probably be an improvement. That being said, upgrading from “unplayably terrible” to “well below average” as the big offensive addition at the deadline would be a major letdown for a team whose offense has gone cold at points throughout the season.
As the second addition, alongside perhaps a trade for Eugenio Suárez, IKF could truly shine. Since Oswaldo Cabrera went down in May, the Yankees’ infield depth has been less-than-stellar. We’ve already seen how bad Peraza and Vivas have been. DJ LeMahieu surprised us all by not being a complete black hole at the plate (.266/.338/.336), but his inability to play anything but second base (and even that, not particularly well) made him untenable as a bench piece on a roster that includes a DH-only player in Giancarlo Stanton and a pair of backup catchers in J.C. Escarra and Ben Rice. And if the Yankees considered Jeimer Candelario to be anything more than Triple-A fodder, they would’ve already brought him up from Scranton.
Replacing Vivas on the bench with IKF would not only instantly improve their bench, it would give them something they have not had since, in truth, Cabrera broke his ankle in May: competent positional versatility. At the moment, the Yankees’ positional flexibility is largely hidden within the starting lineup: Peraza, the starting third baseman, backs up Anthony Volpe at shortstop, Jazz Chisholm Jr., the starting second baseman, can fill in at the hot corner and center field in emergencies, and Cody Bellinger, who regularly plays all three outfield positions, can fill in at first base. While this is good depth, having a player on the bench who can play all three infield positions and multiple outfield positions like Kiner-Falefa can would go a long where towards giving manager Aaron Boone options late in the game.
And if Kiner-Falefa can do that, well, that might be worth the price — especially if he’s part of a larger deal that includes, perhaps, starting pitcher Mitch Keller or reliever David Bednar.
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