Yankees shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa will reportedly steer clear of arbitration after agreeing to a one-year contract worth $6 million deal with the franchise on Friday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Despite rumors surfacing that Kiner-Falefa was a non-tender candidate following this past season in which he earned $4.7 million, the 27-year-old will remain in the Bronx as he enters his final year before free agency.
Kiner-Falefa, who was traded to New York from the Twins in March, posted .261/.314/.327 this season. In the span of 142 games, he tallied a career-high 22 stolen bases, four home runs, 20 doubles and 48 RBIs. His playing time became limited in the postseason after some early mistakes in the ALDS against the Guardians.
However, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the shortstop gave the club an opportunity to “bridge the gap” as New York looks to give top prospects like Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe a chance to compete for starting jobs.
“Everybody in the industry, teams and fans alike, recognize that we have some pretty potentially impactful prospects that are developing and needed some more time,” Cashman said, per MLB.com.
Kiner-Falefa managed to record his second-consecutive season of notching 20 doubles and stealing 20 bases, the most he has earned in a season. In more than five seasons, the 2020 Gold Glove Award winner has posted a .264 batting average with 20 homes runs, 79 doubles, 166 RBIs and 60 stolen bases.
