Yankees agree to contract with ex-Blue Jays infielder

The Yankees signed an infielder in MLB free agency.

The New York Yankees made a move in MLB free agency on Monday. New York agreed to a contract with former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Kevin Smith, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Smith, 27, can play third base and shortstop. He made his MLB debut with Toronto in 2021, ultimately appearing in 18 games that season.

He ended up with the Oakland Athletics for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Smith played in a total of 96 games for the A’s, displaying signs of potential but never carving out a full-time role. Still, his versatility could prove to be valuable for New York.

Sure, this isn’t the free agency news Yankees fans were looking for as stars such as Blake Snell remain available. Adding depth is key for any MLB organization looking to compete, though. Perhaps Smith will play an important role for the 2024 Yankees.

More Yankees updates
Snell has been linked to New York. In fact, one report even suggested that Snell wants to pitch for the Yankees. The Yankees were recently connected to Marcus Stroman as well. Adding pitching help is clearly the team’s primary goal as a number of talented starting pitchers remain available in MLB free agency.

New York missed the playoffs this past season so building a winning roster is of the utmost importance for an impatient fanbase. Of course, New York has already upgraded the offense with trades for outfielders Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo.

Meanwhile, the bullpen impressed in 2023 despite the team’s overall frustrations. So the starting rotation is the part of the roster that still needs improvement.

We can also expect the Yankees to continue making less notable moves to build depth like the Smith signing. New York has unfortunately dealt with much injury trouble over the past few years, so having players with MLB experience who can help the ball club should not be overlooked.

READ MORE:

Angels Free Agent Pitching Target Reportedly Interested in AL East Squad

This right-hander might prefer to stay on the East Coast.

As the Los Angeles Angels have been connected to several free agent pitchers capable of improving their starting rotation, one potential target seems more interested in signing with the New York Yankees.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman has informed the Yankees that he would like to play for them next season.

Stroman pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2014-19, then spent his last four seasons with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs.

The 32-year-old right-hander has a career record of 77-76 with an ERA of 3.65 and an opponents’ OPS of .684.

To his credit, Stroman has never had a career-threatening injury. He is coming off a solid year in Chicago where he went 10-9 with a 3.95 ERA while striking out 119 batters.

After opting out of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Stroman has lost no more than 1 mph off his velocity over the last three years, per Statcast. And in spite of the lost season, only nine major league pitchers have made more starts than Stroman since 2016.

Over the years, the Angels have been in the mix to acquire Stroman via trade or free agency. General manager Perry Minasian could plausibly have a longstanding interest in Stroman, as the two have a relationship dating to their shared time in Toronto (2012-16).

If Stroman is serious about playing for the Yankees next year, it would be another blow to an Angels front office that has seen two of their top targets — Shohei Ohtani and outfielder Teoscar Hernández — go to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With Stroman potentially off the board, the Angels might have to consider acquiring starting pitching help via trade, as just Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and Shōta Imanaga remain as impactful starters.