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Isiah Kiner-Falefa is entering free agency coming off a middling season with the middling New York Yankees which missed the playoffs by seven games. However, despite Kiner-Falefa's less-than-stellar output during the 2023 season, plenty of teams still recognize the fact that the 28-year old shortstop by trade can provide a ton of impact, which may be utilized more effectively by a bonafide contending team.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Kiner-Falefa is drawing interest from several teams, which bodes well for the contract he'll be signing in the near-future. And the 28-year old will have the luxury of choice, as according to Feinsand, “he appears to have alternatives when it comes to the role he will play.”
Jon Heyman of the New York Post added that as many as 12 teams, including the Yankees, are in the running for Kiner-Falefa's services.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa played all over the diamond for the Yankees in 2023; he played in a total of six positions, playing centerfield for the majority of his games despite being a shortstop by trade. This doesn't even count the time that he suited up for the Yankees on the mound, allowing just one run across four innings pitched in four separate appearances in blowout Yankees losses.
It's this versatility that makes Kiner-Falefa such an attractive free-agent target for teams looking to get multi-positional depth in a single free-agent signing.
“Some teams are looking at the 28-year-old as a potential starter at shortstop or third base, while others view him in a super-utility role,” Feinsand wrote.
While Isiah Kiner-Falefa's versatility makes him a solid weapon to have for contending teams, his lack of production in the popcorn stats makes him an unlikely candidate to fetch a huge contract, although Mark Feinsand did write that the 28-year old is “expected to land a multi-year deal”.
The team that will be getting Kiner-Falefa's services will be hoping that he returns to his 2022 level; during the 2022 season, Kiner-Falefa slashed .261/.314/.327 and was overall a positive defensive presence. Meanwhile, in 2023, his position carousel made it difficult for him to achieve a semblance of defensive consistency, and his production at the plate dipped as well thanks to a higher strikeout rate.
Kiner-Falefa made $6 million last season, so expect him to make an average annual value similar to that in his next deal.
