Yankees dump infielder and reliever at non-tender deadline

Before Friday’s non-tender deadline, the Yankees let go of two players: reliever Tim Mayza and infielder Jon Berti.

The Yankees declared that they had reached agreements on one-year contracts with right-hander JT Brubaker and outfielder Trent Grisham, but Berti and Mayza were not tendered. Arbitration will now be avoided by those two players.

The Yankees now have 35 players on their 40-man roster after non-tendering Berti and Mayza. The Yankees will save around $8 million on Berti and Mayza’s salary based on MLB Trade Rumors’ anticipated salaries, which they can utilize to fill other offseason openings.

After DJ LeMahieu suffered a foot injury during spring training, the Yankees acquired Berti from the Marlins in a three-team trade before to Opening Day this past spring. Berti was positioned to be a good fit because of his versatility, speed, and plate contact profile, but his own string of ailments prevented the veteran from settling in with his new squad.

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After suffering a groin injury a few weeks into the regular season, Berti returned for the majority of May until suffering a serious calf strain on May 24 in San Diego. He only appeared in eight games before to the playoffs and didn’t play again until early September.

Berti was left off the Yankees team for the World Series after making three starts in the postseason and helping to replace Anthony Rizzo at first base. When he scored as a pinch runner in the American League Championship Series final game, it was discovered that he had a hip flexor injury.

With a.661 OPS across 25 games during the regular season, Berti hit.273 overall this season.

The Yankees’ high regard for Caleb Durbin, a prospect who was promoted to the team’s 40-man roster earlier this week, is further evidenced by Berti’s choice. Durbin is a right-handed hitter with exceptional bat-to-ball abilities, a reliable threat to steal bases, a more economical option than Berti, and he can play both second and third base. In addition to Durbin, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, and Jorbit Vivas are now in the running for a utility duty off the bench in the upcoming campaign.

Following his release from the Blue Jays, Mayza inked a minor-league contract with the Yankees this summer. Over his first 35 appearances of the season, he had a horrifying 8.03 ERA with Toronto, which was a sharp decline in output for a reliever who had been a vital member of the Blue Jays bullpen in the preceding years.

The left-hander had a 4.00 ERA in 15 appearances in pinstripes when he was called up by the Yankees late in the regular season. During the playoffs, Mayza pitched 2 1/3 innings without giving up a run.

Due to Mayza’s exit, the Yankees’ 40-man roster now contains no lefty relievers. As of Friday night, the only other left-handed pitchers on the roster are Carlos Rodn and Nestor Cortes, who are starters.

Due to his lack of playing time this past season, the Yankees might have non-tendered Grisham. They might merely want to shop him around on the trade market and still have plans to get rid of him. They might be able to receive something in exchange.

Catcher Kyle Higashioka was a top contender to be non-tendered last fall. Although he made it through the tender deadline, he was dealt away in December (in the Juan Soto trade with the Padres).

However, Grisham’s contract for the upcoming season is somewhat costly for a backup outfielder. ESPN’s Jorge Castillo says he will make $5 million.In 2024, the left-hander, who is renowned for his center field defense, hit.190 with a.675 OPS across 76 games.

You may contact Max Goodman at [email protected].

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