For a second straight offseason, the Yankees have a critical decision to make at shortstop. The free-agent market will be star-studded again, led by Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and likely Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa.
The Yankees hope their system is star-studded too, as Oswald Peraza has broken through to the majors and Anthony Volpe finished his season at Triple-A.
And then there is the decision they made last offseason.
“Hopefully I’m here,” Isiah Kiner-Falefa said after the Yankees were eliminated from the ALCS on Sunday. “They could trade me. We’ll see what happens.”
They could trade the shortstop whose defense is polarizing and offense lacks pop. They could non-tender Kiner-Falefa, who is set to enter his final year of arbitration and would be in the $6 million-$7 million neighborhood. Or they could view him yet again as a stopgap or as a utilityman with good contact skills and athleticism.
In the aftermath of his first season as a Yankee, Kiner-Falefa looked ahead to his first offseason as a Yankee. Last year, the then-Ranger worked out with Joey Gallo, his former Texas teammate, in the offseason. Gallo had briefly experienced postseason baseball with the Yankees, and Kiner-Falefa could tell.
“I was always telling [Gallo] every day, I was like, ‘Dude, you’re working out for a World Series every single day,’ ” said Kiner-Falefa, who had never played for a winning team in four years with the Rangers. “I was just working out to put up good numbers — I might get traded, put myself in a good situation for a good team.”
He was traded, twice actually, which brought him to the Yankees. The Yankees valued Kiner-Falefa’s defense — manager Aaron Boone said last week “you could make a case” he belonged among the Gold Glove finalists — and the metrics were split. Kiner-Falefa was the seventh-best shortstop in Defensive Runs Saved but 25th in Outs Above Average. After several misplays in Game 3 of the ALDS, Kiner-Falefa was benched, starting just two of the Yankees’ final six playoff games.
Offensively, Kiner-Falefa brought the bat-to-ball skills the Yankees envisioned but no power, leading to a .642 OPS that was his lowest in a season in which he played 100 games.
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The Yankees could have splurged for Correa, whose .834 OPS led all shortstops. Corey Seager, who signed with the Rangers, was seventh at .772.
“The chips weren’t really in my favor from the moment I got here with the other free agents that were on the market,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I kind of just played my own game, but [fans] wanted the 30-home-run guy and better defense. But another full offseason of working at shortstop, hopefully I can keep improving.”
Kiner-Falefa added, “We’ll see where I’m playing next year,” and he has won a Gold Glove at third base.
If he returns at shortstop, he would not be the popular choice for a second time. Some fans will want Peraza (who posted an .832 OPS in his first 18 major league games) or Volpe, the top prospect and New Jersey native. Others will want the cream of the free-agent crop.
During a season in which his light bat became a weakness in the lineup, Kiner-Falefa and his family dealt with social media abuse — notably his father, who received a message that his son had been “shot dead.” Kiner-Falefa said he was proud of the way he “didn’t crumble” throughout the year.
After a rough first season in The Bronx, he hopes there will be a second.
“Waking up every day with the World Series mentality instead of an individual mentality,” Kiner-Falefa, who went 5-for-18 (.278) with a double and those defensive issues in the postseason, said about his new mindset. “It’s bittersweet because the season is over and it sucks, but at the same time, I’m looking at this as the start of me getting better.
“I feel like if I can keep pushing, I’ve got something to really drive and fuel myself, so that’s exciting. Losing definitely hurts, but it hurts in a good way.”
