Baseball Eve Deal

Yankee fans, say hello to your likely opening day 3rd baseman.  With DJ LeMahieu recovering from a foot injury and Oswaldo Cabrera's bat scaring no one, Brian Cashman signed on to a three-team deal on Wednesday.  The roll call: infielder Jon Berti heads from Miami to New York; backup catcher Ben Rortvedt joins the Rays; while the Marlins pick up prospects John Cruz (from New York) and Shane Sasaki (from Tampa Bay).  Besides bringing in a short-term fix at 3rd base, Berti could easily become the 2024 version of Isaih Kiner-Falefa: the veteran utility player who can fill in at almost every position.

Rortvedt (below) played just 32 games for the Yanks after coming east in the 2022 Josh Donaldson/Gary Sanchez deal.  Out of options, and showing less upside than Austin Wells, he finds a home with another AL East contender -- bringing back value when Cashman might have lost him for nothing had he tried to send him to the minors.    

My images of Berti came from a 2019 Marlins/Mets game at Citi Field.
I snapped Rortvedt in the March 5th Yankees/Mets exhibition in Port St. Lucie.

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