Short story: Kiner-Falefa focused only on himself, Yankees
TAMPA, Fla. - Isiah Kiner-Falefa doesn’t have to worry about replacing a Hall of Famer like Derek Jeter or even the Bronx favorite that followed him in Didi Gregorius.
That’s the good news.
The bad? He’s going to be playing alongside the shadows of Carlos Correa and Trevor Story for a while.
But that’s your problem, not his. And after fantasizing for months about Hal Steinbrenner writing a big check that was never coming, it’s time to face the reality that yes, Kiner-Falefa is going to be the Yankees’ starting shortstop.
That pretty much became official Sunday morning, when the Red Sox reportedly agreed to terms on a six-year, $140 million contract with Story, who not only didn’t sign with the Yankees, but now gets to make their lives miserable 19 times a year. From that perspective, it’s a worst-case scenario.
At least Correa ended up with the Twins, on a three-year, $105.3 million deal, so he won’t be that big of a headache until possibly October. But to have both of those All-Star shortstops go elsewhere, on back-to-back days, was like some cosmic troll job of the Yankees’ frustrated fan base.
Given that confluence of events, I asked Kiner-Falefa after Sunday’s game if he had been following the shortstop market, wondering how it might impact his relatively new job title with the Yankees. With fans expecting someone like Correa or Story to fill the vacancy here, would it be difficult to change the hearts and minds of that starry-eyed group?
“No, they’ll end up liking me,” said Kiner-Falefa, who went 1-for-2 with a single, stolen base and a run scored in Sunday’s 8-7 exhibition loss to the Tigers. “I’m not worried. Everywhere I’ve went, I’ve never been a prospect. I didn’t get a college offer from my hometown state. This is my story. No one believes in me and I prove them wrong. And I’m excited to do it.”
So far, Kiner-Falefa is doing more than just saying the right things. He's off to a 3-for-5 start with a double in two games. As meaningless as spring training stats are in the big picture, it’s still better to make a solid first impression, especially when you just got traded a week ago.
Actually, traded twice in that span. The Twins acquired him from the Rangers less than 36 hours before flipping him to the Yankees in a March 13 swap that also included 2015 MVP Josh Donaldson and catcher Ben Rortvedt. We’ve learned since that the Twins were teeing up their signing of Correa with that move, looking to first clear Donaldson’s $50 million off the books before crafting a flexible contract with opt-outs after Year 1 and 2.
You’d think Kiner-Falefa might feel used by the Twins’ maneuvering. One minute, he’s thinking about a new future in Minneapolis. The next, he’s shipped elsewhere. That seems like a lot to absorb in a tiny window. But Kiner-Falefa isn’t wasting any mental bandwidth sweating that swap. Or viewing the flip as any slight against his value. Just the opposite.
“This is a way better team,” Kiner-Falefa said. “This is where I’d rather be. This is the team that’s trying to win a World Series. The Twins? I don’t know what they’re doing over there. Try to make the playoffs or something. It’s a different culture here. There’s a reason why this is the New York Yankees. It’s really fun to play here.”
If this were 2018, or 2020, there’s a reasonable chance someone like Kiner-Falefa wouldn’t be on the Yankees. During those pre-pandemic winters, Steinbrenner was more inclined to approve truckloads of cash to fill the club’s biggest vacancies (see Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole). This year, however, general manager Brian Cashman obviously has been instructed to find more creative ways to solve problems in order to keep the Yankees from getting too deep into the competitive balance tax.
The small commitment to Kiner-Falefa this season, whose $5 million is peanuts compared to Donaldson’s expense, is a reflection of that more cost-conscious mindset. Correa will earn $35.1 million this year, making him the highest-paid infielder in history. Story’s new deal comes out to $23.3 million per season, but with a qualifying offer attached, the Red Sox also must forfeit their second-highest draft pick and $500,000 in international bonus pool money.
And while we’re on the subject of spending, it should be noted that the Story contract is the largest, in both years and dollars, to be handed out by the Red Sox since David Price’s seven-year, $217 million deal leading into the 2016 season. The Yankees chose to go in a different direction, and that’s putting their confidence in Kiner-Falefa at the shortstop position, if not record-breaking cash.
“I just stay in my lane, do what I have to do,” Kiner-Falefa said. “At the end of the day, I want to win a World Series, so I’ll do whatever it takes.”
We’ll find out if what the Yankees did is enough.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
