The New York Yankees made a swift move to acquire Jon Berti from the Miami Marlins following DJ LeMahieu’s injury. Berti, a utility man, had an outstanding season in 2023 and played a pivotal role in the Marlins’ playoff run. He hit .294/.344/.405 with a career-best 103 OPS+ while displaying versatility by playing five different positions, primarily shortstop and third base. Berti also excelled defensively at both positions, making him an invaluable addition to the Yankees.
Berti is expected to fill the void left by LeMahieu at third base for the Yankees initially. The rest of the team’s infield is relatively settled with Anthony Volpe at shortstop, Gleyber Torres at second base, and Anthony Rizzo at first base. While Oswaldo Cabrera was previously in line for the third base position, he will likely serve as a backup with Berti’s arrival.
Despite having experience in the outfield, the Yankees have a strong outfield lineup with players like Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Alex Verdugo, and Trent Grisham. The Yankees didn’t have to give up top prospects for Berti as outfield prospect John Cruz headed to the Marlins and catcher Ben Rortvedt was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of the deal. In addition to these trades, Rays outfield prospect Shane Sasaki will also join the Marlins in a three-team trade involving multiple teams.
