Marlins trade Berti to Yankees in 3-team deal with Rays
The New York Yankees are adding some depth ahead of Opening Day, acquiring versatile infielder Jon Berti from the Miami Marlins, the club announced Wednesday.
The transaction is part of a three-team trade involving the Tampa Bay Rays. New York is sending outfield prospect John Cruz to Miami and catcher Ben Rortvedt to Tampa Bay, while the Rays are trading outfield prospect Shane Sasaki to the Marlins.
Berti provides the Yankees with some much-needed infield help in the wake of injuries to DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza. The 34-year-old can help all over the diamond, having started games at six different positions during his career. However, he has the most experience at third base and is likely to man the hot corner while LeMahieu is sidelined.
Aaron Boone said that he isn't sure if Jon Berti, acquired today from the Marlins, will start at third base tomorrow. It'll depend on Berti's travel, but Boone said he's excited about what Berti will bring to the roster.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 27, 2024
Berti is also one of the fastest players in baseball, tallying 92 stolen bases at an 82% success rate since 2018. In 2022, he stole an MLB-leading 41 bases while being caught just five times. Two years earlier, he accomplished the rare feat of stealing all three bases in one inning during a game against the Mets.
Berti is a lifetime .258/.337/.368 hitter with 23 home runs and 120 RBIs in 436 big-league games with the Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays. He'll earn $3.625 million in 2024 and has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining.
Rortvedt, 26, immediately slots in as Tampa Bay's backup catcher behind René Pinto. He was the odd man out of a catching logjam in New York behind rookie Austin Wells and veteran Jose Trevino.
The Yankees originally acquired Rortvedt alongside Josh Donaldson from the Minnesota Twins in the spring of 2022. But Rortvedt played just 32 games in pinstripes - all of them coming last year - due to multiple injuries, including a shoulder aneurysm last March.
Rortvedt will become arbitration eligible after this season and doesn't have any minor-league options remaining.
Cruz, the prospect Miami is receiving from New York, was ranked as the Yankees' No. 28 prospect by MLB.com prior to the trade. The 18-year-old hit .294/.376/.531 with 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, and nine steals in 48 games for the FCL Yankees last year, his first season in the United States, while playing all three outfield spots.
Sasaki, 23, was the Rays' third-round draft pick in 2019. The Honolulu native slashed .301/.375/.465 with seven homers, 39 RBIs, and 12 steals in 64 games at High-A Bowling Green in 2023 and also participated in last year's Arizona Fall League.
Tampa Bay and Miami completed a separate minor trade earlier Wednesday when the Rays sent right-hander Burch Smith to the Marlins for cash considerations.