While marquee names like Carlos Correa and Corey Seager remain available, the Yankees added some infield depth Monday, signing ex-Met Jose Peraza to a minor league deal.
The 27-year-old played in 64 games with the Mets last season, finishing with a .647 OPS in 154 plate appearances. While primarily a middle infielder, Peraza has also spent time at third base and all three outfield positions.
He’s stolen over 20 bases three times in his career, but his speed has diminished in the last few years and Peraza has only been solid at the plate for one season in his career, when he had a .742 OPS in 2018, when he was the Reds’ everyday shortstop.
The Yankees lost some versatility when they traded Tyler Wade to the Angels after designating him for assignment to open up a spot on their 40-man roster.
Their infield is still a mess with the impending shutdown of the sport expected on Wednesday night, when the collective bargaining agreement is set to expire.
As of Monday, they had a hole at first base and at shortstop, with Gleyber Torres slated to be the second baseman, Gio Urshela at third and DJ LeMahieu expected to move around the infield.
And they have until Tuesday to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players, including Gary Sanchez, Luke Voit and Miguel Andujar.