The New York Yankees have signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one-year contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. The contract is for $6 million.
Shorstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a one-year, $6 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. There was thought Kiner-Falefa could get nontendered before the 8p ET deadline, but he's back in his last year before free agency.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 18, 2022
Kiner-Falefa had an OPS of .641 last season and was a lightning rod of criticism for Yankees fans. He provided very little bang for the buck and had issues on defense for most of the season, which seemed to multiply during the postseason.
Although somewhat justified, it wasn’t all the fault of Kiner-Falefa. The Yankees making him a starting shortstop was not his best role. He is a utility player, not someone who is meant to play every day. Why did the Yankees sign him? They were looking for a stopgap before one of their younger players, like Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza, could take over. Peraza pretty much had a cup of coffee last season. The Yankees would seem unlikely to sign one of the big-name free-agent shortstops this winter for the same reason.
The Yankees, at +850, are tied with the Atlanta Braves for the third-best odds to win the World Series next season. You can find the odds for every MLB team to win the championship on the FanDuel Sportsbook.
