Newest New York Yankees‘ infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa has had a busy last couple of days.
First, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins from the Texas Rangers in a deal that saw catcher Mitch Garver go the other way.
And then, just a few hours later, the Twins flipped him plus Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt to the Yankees, in exchange for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela.
The trade market, as some predicted, has been wild in the last 72 hours.
Kiner-Falefa made a joke on Twitter, through his official account, about the trade feeling “official” (meaning he will, apparently, stay with the organization for a bit more than just a handful of hours) because he shaved his beard.
The Yankees, as you probably know, have a facial fair policy, banning it beyond a not-so-prominent mustache.
He Is Ready To Be A Yankee
Kiner-Falefa posted a short clip of himself getting shaved, meaning he is ready to embrace being a Yankee.
This feels official @Yankees pic.twitter.com/sibezYF394
— Isiah Kiner-Falefa (@Isiahkf11) March 14, 2022
He may not have the most potent bat, but his defensive versatility is actually very useful for the Yankees, who were actively looking for a shortstop.
Kiner-Falefa can play shortstop, third base, and catcher adequately, and the Yankees are looking for a regular in all those positions except the hot corner, now that they have Donaldson.
The versatile infielder played 158 games for the Rangers last season, in which he scored 74 runs, had 172 hits, hit eight home runs and stole 20 bases.
He drove in 53 runs and slashed .271/.312/.357 with a .670 OPS.
He is obviously a downgrade offensively, but the Yankees are hoping he can be a regular for a year, or at least a few months until prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza show they are ready to take over shortstop.
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