By Miguel Rapetti
Mar 28, 2024, 01:05 AM EDT
The New York Yankees remain committed to strengthening their team for the 2024 Major League season and although they did not obtain long-awaited pieces such as pitchers Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, this Wednesday they staged a three-team trade for infielder Jon Berti.
As reported by MLB journalist Christina De Nicola, the Yankees obtained Berti in a trade in which not only the Miami Marlins, the utility team’s former team, were involved, but also the Tampa Bay Rays.
In the transaction, the Dominican John Cruz (Yankees) and Shake Sasaki (Rays) landed in the Florida team while Tampa Bay received the New York receiver, Ben Rortvedt, who starred in one of the most remembered errors of Spring Training 2024.
Although the transaction has not been confirmed so far by any of the three teams, it is expected to become official once the players undergo their respective medical checkups.
Part of Berti’s arrival to the Yankees is based on the team’s need to have a third baseman, which is the only position on the team that does not have a replacement and that has even had to be covered by players who are not regulars in the anteroom.
In addition, it is expected that as soon as Berti joins the Yankees he will be able to line up in the corner to compensate for the right foot injury that DJ LeMahieu suffers and that will keep him out of at least the team’s first two series, as visitors against the Houston Astros in the Minute Maid Park and against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field respectively.
Regarding Berti’s performance, he is a 34-year-old infielder who has played six seasons in the Major Leagues. He maintains a collective average of .258. In 2023 he hit .294, his main virtue being speed as he stole 41 bases in 22 and 16 the following year.
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