Former Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa reflects on his decision to leave New York, sign with Blue Jays in free agency
Blue Jays second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa, left, tries to tag the Phillies' Bryce Harper on the attempted steal during the third inning of a spring training game Monday in Dunedin, Fla. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall
DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Yankees are in the market for a utilityman, especially with the ongoing shoulder problems experienced by Oswald Peraza.
Maybe someone who can play shortstop, and third base, and perhaps even a little centerfield, and be a stand-up teammate who does whatever he’s asked?
Maybe someone such as Isiah Kiner-Falefa?
Alas, IKF is with the Toronto Blue Jays after leaving the Yankees as a free agent following two tumultuous seasons in pinstripes.
Kiner-Falefa, 28, signed a two-year, $15 million contract with Toronto in December after a stint in the Bronx that would have tested the toughest souls.
Kiner-Falefa was a virtual pariah among Yankees fans in 2022 when he was a shaky starting shortstop who got benched in the playoffs for, among others, Peraza.
He won back the fans, though, by becoming a super-utility player in 2023 after losing the shortstop job to rookie Anthony Volpe in spring training.
Freed from the pressure of performing every day, the native Hawaiian became a bit of a fan favorite by the end of his Yankees tenure — one that he didn’t necessarily want to end when he hit free agency.
“I think the door wasn’t closed — the door was definitely open still,” Kiner-Falefa told Newsday at the Blue Jays’ player development complex on Friday. “I just didn’t really see where I would get any at-bats when they brought in [Juan Soto, Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo]. And they had Peraza and [Oswaldo] Cabrera. So the door was definitely still open to go back. It just didn’t feel like it was the right fit for what they already had on the roster.”
In the last few weeks, the Yankees have made plays for free agents Enrique Hernandez (who signed with the Dodgers) and former Met Amed Rosario (who signed with Tampa Bay). The Yankees’ offer to Rosario was first reported by the New York Post on Thursday.
Kiner-Falefa would fit perfectly on the 2024 Yankees, but he’s happy to be with Toronto and is batting .417 (5-for-12) in spring training. He is playing mostly third base for the Blue Jays but expects to play all over the diamond.
“I had a bunch of other opportunities to play shortstop, some centerfield,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I just felt like it’s a really good team here and there’s a lot of playing time as well. So it was just a good fit.”
As for New York, Kiner-Falefa said: “I enjoyed my time there. I have nothing bad to say about it.”
When it was suggested to Kiner-Falefa that he won the fans back because they saw his team-first attitude, he countered by saying, “I also think I played well.”
Still, New York has broken other players who have faced less adversity. Other players who couldn’t wait to leave.
“I feel like being able to overcome that — not many people are able to,” Kiner-Falefa said. “Without my experience in New York, I don’t know who I’d be now. I’m just thankful for that whole, like, everything I went through, from being the starting shortstop, everybody not liking me, and then the respect that I felt like I earned in the second year. So it’s just a lot of emotions.”
Kiner-Falefa earned major props from his teammates and manager last season.
“You get character reveals all the time from people in this game because you’re going to face rough waters, you’re going to face adversity,” Aaron Boone said in May 2023. “It reveals itself. What’s revealed is a guy who wants to go out and be part of a team, be a part of a winning team, and be part of it here, and stick his nose in there and get better all the time. Just a credit to him.”
Kiner-Falefa’s return to Yankee Stadium will come in the Yankees’ home opener on April 5. He’s looking forward to it.
“I loved living in Manhattan,” he said. “It was an amazing experience. Being from Hawaii and then going to New York is pretty surreal. I’m really excited because I love those guys. Those are my friends, so competing against them is going to be even more fun. I’m going to have a lot of fun with it.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
