MLB trade grades: Yankees add needed infield depth, acquire Jon Berti from Marlins in 3-team deal
The New York Yankees bolstered their infield depth by acquiring Jon Berti in a trade with the Marlins.
Few teams, if any, have had worse luck this spring than the New York Yankees. Not only did they lose their ace, Gerrit Cole, due to injury, but several others will begin the year on the injured list including D.J. LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza.
Those might not seem like gigantic losses on the surface, but those were two infielders who were slated to see substantial time. LeMahieu was expected to be New York's everyday third baseman, but he's out with a foot injury.
With LeMahieu and Peraza out to begin the year, infield depth was a serious issue. The Yankees addressed that by pulling off a trade, acquiring Jon Berti from the Miami Marlins a little over 24 hours before they open their season in Houston according to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald.
Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reported that there was a late wrinkle in the deal with Tampa Bay Rays being involved in the deal as well, sending outfield prospect Shane Sasaki to the Marlins with catcher Ben Rortvedt coming to Tampa Bay in return.
MLB Trade Grades: Yankees add much-needed infield depth in deal with Marlins in 3-team trade with Rays
When looking to add a depth piece, the Yankees couldn't have done much better. Berti is far from a household name, but he's a perfect player to have on the bench and is a capable starter when needed.
This past season was his best offensively as he slashed .295/.344/.405 with seven home runs and 33 RBI in 133 games played. He only stole 16 bases in 22 tries, but Berti led the NL with 41 stolen bases in 2022. He has incredible speed, and that should be on display in the Bronx.
Berti figures to be their short-term solution at the hot corner before one of LeMahieu or Peraza comes back with Oswaldo Cabrera as another potential option. Once the Yankees do get healthier, the 34-year-old can play all over the diamond in a utility role. He can play three infield and outfield positions, giving the Yankees tons of flexibility. Berti also comes with an additional year of team control, which is always a huge plus.
The Marlins signing Tim Anderson meant Berti was going to be in a bench role. Rather than keeping him around in that reduced role, they opted to send Berti to New York while his value was relatively high and land 18-year-old outfielder John Cruz, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. While Cruz is nowhere near the majors, he did post a strong .907 OPS in Rookie Ball this past season and was the No. 28 prospect in New York's system according to MLB Pipeline.
The Marlins got solid value for Berti, a player who isn't going to start for them, but the question of why a team vying for back-to-back postseason appearances would make a trade like this is one worth asking. Berti can be such an important piece for them as he was last season when they did make the playoffs, and they made the type of trade sellers would make.
As for the Rays, Sasaki is coming off a strong year, posting a .841 OPS in 68 games playing primarily in High-A while Rortvedt plugs in a big hole and will be the Rays' backup catcher.
Yankees trade grade: B+
Marlins trade grade: B-
Rays trade grade: C
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