The New York Yankees might be in the market for a free agent who’s played for two rival teams in the American League East.
According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the team’s reportedly gone back and forth on veteran outfielder Kevin Kiermaier. Kiermaier has played in the AL East throughout his career, having starred for the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees need outfield help, so window-shopping the Gold Glover Kiermaier makes a lot of sense. He’s a four-time Gold Glove winner across his 11-year career. Kiermaier won the award in 2015, 2016, 2019, and lastly in 2023 with the Blue Jays.
Last season, Kiermaier slashed .265/.322/.419 for a .741 OPS. In his career, he’s a lifetime .249 hitter while posting an OBP of .309 and a SLG of .409. Last season marked Kiermaier’s highest OPS since the 2017 season, when he recorded an OPS of .788 with the Rays in a 98-game season.
Kiermaier probably wouldn’t come too expensively, as his bat doesn’t match his elite glove. But the Yankees will be in need of outfield assistance. While Aaron Judge is more than a capable player, he dealt with a serious injury that kept him sidelined for much of the second half. Giancarlo Stanton isn’t getting any younger and sparingly plays in the outfield now. There is opportunity to be had in pinstripes, so Kiermaier would make sense, if the two sides eventually come to terms.
