The New York Yankees (and the Minnesota Twins) are shaking things up as they prepare for the 2022 Major League Baseball season.
The Bronx Bombers acquired third baseman Josh Donaldson and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for catcher Gary Sanchez and third baseman Gio Urshela.
It’s a complete overhaul of the left side of the infield for the Yankees, who many believed would be in the free-agent market for a top name like Trevor Story or even Carlos Correa. Instead, New York lands Kiner-Falefa whom Minnesota acquired from Texas just a day before sending him to the Bronx. Kiner-Falefa doesn’t have the same offensive firepower as the top free agents at the position, but he’s a pretty handy defensive player having won a Gold Glove (albeit at third base) in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaig. He hit .271 last season for the Rangers.
Donaldson obviously is the best-known player involved in the deal having won an MVP with Toronto back in 2015. He still has plenty of pop with 69 home runs in just 318 games since the start of 2019, but he hasn’t been an All-Star since 2016. While we must be wary of sample size, Donaldson has a carer .167 average and .573 OPS in 36 career games at Yankee Stadium.
It has the potential to be a great deal for Minnesota, though Sanchez and Urshela are both flawed players. Sanchez isn’t very good behind the plate and doesn’t hit for average, but he’s a bopper, which has been a focal point for the Twins in recent years. Sanchez has hit a home run ever 16 plate appearances for his career, though he has struggled to stay healthy. Urshela, meanwhile, hasn’t quite elevated his game to where the Yankees hoped he could, but there’s definitely potential there. In 2019, he hit .314 with 21 home runs and 74 RBIs as a nearly 4-win player for New York.
The Yankees probably aren’t done yet, either. As ESPN’s Buster Olney pointed out Monday morning, New York is right-handed-heavy and would likely be in the market to add a left-handed-hitting first baseman like Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rizzo or Matt Olson.
