The New York Yankees are in agreement with the Miami Marlins on a trade that will send infielder Jon Berti to The Bronx in exchange for outfield prospect John Cruz, a league source told The Athletic.
Since third baseman DJ LeMahieu is sidelined for the start of the regular season due to a “pretty significant bone bruise” after fouling a ball off his right foot, the Yankees have made it clear that they were looking for external help to upgrade the hot corner.
While it’s still unknown if Berti will slide into the starting third baseman spot on Opening Day, Berti should have ample playing time with the bench unsettled. He’s played everywhere from third, shortstop, second base and each outfield position.
As of now, the Yankees’ bench consists of outfielder Trent Grisham, either Jose Trevino or Austin Wells and two of this group: Berti, super utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera and infielder Jahmai Jones.
Even if LeMahieu was healthy to begin the season, the Yankees needed at least one more bench bat who could play the infield, as Jones and Kevin Smith have been light-hitting bats in their prior major-league stints. Berti was slightly above league average last season, posting a 103 wRC+ in 133 games for the Marlins.
He doesn’t hit the ball hard, finishing in the second percentile in average exit velocity, but he does find ways of getting on base with his speed. He stole 16 bases last season and led the National League in stolen bases in 2022 with 41.
The Yankees were the slowest team in MLB last season and adding Berti, who finished in the 95th percentile last season, gives them a speed threat that they currently don’t have on the 26-man roster.
