Yankees Trade News: New York acquire INF Jon Berti from Miami Marlins

According to new reports, infielder Jon Berti is poised to become the newest member of the New York Yankees. Acquired by virtue of a trade with the Miami Marlins, news of the deal broke just one day before the Bronx Bombers are set to kick off their season.

Craig Mish of MLB Network was among the first to break news of the deal. Save for four games with the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2018 season, the move marks the first time that Berti will play for an organization other than the Marlins.

"Marlins are trading Infielder Jon Berti to the Yankees per source" - Craig Mish

It is understood that the deal to bring Berti to the Bronx was done as part of a three-team trade. In exchange, the Yankees will send catcher Ben Rortvedt to the Tampa Bay Rays. In turn, the Rays will be sending prospect Shane Sasaki to the Marlins.

Known for his speed and versatility, Jon Berti had a career season with the Miami Marlins in 2023. The NL stolen base leader in 2022 on account of his 41 swipes, 2023 saw the Michigan-native hit .294/.344/.405 with 7 home runs, 33 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases on the season.

"Jon Berti led MLB with 41 stolen bases in just 105 games played in 2022. He was only caught five times" - Talkin' Yanks

A versatile fielder, 64 of Berti's 133 appearances last season came at shortstop. However, over the course of his career, the 5-foot-10 speedster has played third base more than any other position. It is unlikely that he will be called upon to play for the Yankees in their season opener against the Houston Astros on March 28, owing to Gleyber Torres and Anthony Volpe having already been penciled in to start in the middle infield.

Jon Berti will aim to increase Yankees' competence on the base path

With 100 stolen bases last season, the Yankees found themselves in the bottom third of the league in that category. Coupled with the fact that the team only managed to hit a cumulative .228, it is not difficult to see why the postseason never came to the Bronx.

With Jon Berti, manager Aaron Boone has acquired another card up his sleeve. While few expect Berti to be an everyday fixture for the team, his dynamism and speed could prove to help his new team overcome some of the hurdles that burdened them last year.