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Throughout the 2024 season, it was clear that the kind of player the Yankees really could have used was a versatile veteran infielder capable of getting on base and creating a little havoc on the basepaths once he was there. The thing is, they had that guy on their roster all along.
It was Jon Berti.
When the Yankees executed the three-team trade to bring in Berti in the spring, it looked like an excellent move. Berti had led MLB with 41 steals in 2022, and had an excellent slash line of .294/.344/.408 in 2023 with the Marlins. He also played 133 games that year, manning second base, third base and shortstop as well as playing the outfield.
Alas, Berti simply could not stay on the field for any length of time during 2024, and appeared in only 25 games for the Yankees despite a sometimes desperate need for help at third base. And while he still likely has some baseball left in him even as he heads toward 35, the Yankees decided they could not take an injury risk on Berti again.
They cut ties with him this week, non-tendering him on Friday.
Yankees Started Jon Berti as Postseason 1B
The Yankees acquired Berti in March, in the wake of the injury suffered by veteran DJ LeMahieu. At the time, he looked like a godsend for Aaron Boone’s banged-up infield.
“Really excited about this,” Boone said at the time. “Feel like we’re getting a really good player. Obviously with DJ being down, he very much figures in at the third-base mix. Hopefully once we’re whole, [Berti] serves as a guy that can play all over the infield, even play some outfield.
“Quality hitter, bat-to-ball, can steal a base. I think he’s going to be a really good addition for us, whether he’s playing in an everyday role or when we’re more whole in that utility role.”
But Berti struggled with a calf injury all season before seemingly getting another shot to make a mark with the Yankees in the playoffs, where Boone gambled on playing Berti at first base–a position he had never played before–and Berti appeared to hold his own at the position.
But he got hurt, again, with a hip flexor injury, and was left off the World Series roster. Finally, the Yankees decided enough was enough and let Berti walk.
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