Miami Marlins Trade Versatile Player to New York Yankees
The New York Yankees have acquired versatile utility player Jon Berti in a trade with the Miami Marlins.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post had the information on social media:
Yankees acquire Jon Berti for John Cruz
Berti can play all over the diamond, having appeared in games at shortstop, third base, left field, right field, second base and designated hitter for Miami just last season alone. As the Yankees deal with injuries to DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza in the early going, Berti could slot in at any infield spot to help.
Lifetime, he’s a .258 hitter with 23 homers and 92 steals. The 33-year-old made his major league debut in 2018 with the Toronto Blue Jays and has spent six years in the big leagues. He’s under team control through 2025.
Cruz had ranked as the Yankees No. 28 prospect (per MLB.com).
The 18-year-old outfielder is listed at 6-foot-3 and 171 pounds. Here’s a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:
After looking launch-happy and passive during his 2022 pro debut, Cruz displayed a better approach and more power last year. His quick left-handed stroke produces loud contact when he connects, and he could grow into plus pop if he fills out his projectable frame and adds more polish as a hitter. He controls the strike zone fine for a teenager, but his aggressiveness leads to less-than-ideal contact.
Cruz presently has solid speed but is still learning to make the most of it on the bases and in the outfield. He’s not an instinctive defender and spent most of his FCL time in right field, where he displays solid arm strength. To make it in center, he’d need to improve his reads and routes while retaining his quickness as he matures physically.
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