New York Yankees fans had an up-and-down relationship with this player in the past, but could a reunion provide redemption?
The New York Yankees need an upgrade at third base. The good news is that most available players would be better than what they've got.
Right now, Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas are forming a pseudo-platoon at the hot corner. The issue? Both of those youngsters currently sport .149 batting averages, and there's not much evidence either can be trusted to improve.
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez is at the top of every Yankees fan's wish list these days. But what if Arizona won't sell, or if they do, what if another contender beats New York to the punch?
Perhaps the ideal backup plan involves an unlikely reunion.
On Friday, Just Baseball's Giovanni Panicola named Pittsburgh Pirates utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a controversial Yankee from 2022 to 2023, as a potential New York trade option at the upcoming deadline.
"IKF is a familiar face that didn’t have the best Yankees tenure, but he has improved since his time in pinstripes. He can bring versatility and bolster the third base position with proven Gold Glove defense and a little below-average offensive production," wrote Panicola.
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"IKF is hitting .274/.318/.339 with a wRC+ of 84, which is a significant upgrade to what the Yankees are getting right now. He looks to bring a steady, small-ball presence, similar to that of DJ LeMahieu’s offensive production before he was released, with a better ability to field the position."
Kiner-Falefa has a Gold Glove as a third baseman (2020 with the Texas Rangers), and at a minimum, he can be an adequate big league hitter. But is his bat enough of an upgrade to bring him back to a place where his name was once akin to a curse word among fans who wished he wasn't the Yankees' shortstop?
By Jul. 31 at 6 p.m. EST, we'll have our answers.
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