Miami Marlins Exercise Veteran Utility Man Jon Berti's Team Option Prior to Deadline
The Miami Marlins have exercised their club option for utility man Jon Berti, the team announced Monday.
Miami's front office made the move official just as the 5 p.m. deadline passed for teams to accept or decline options, or extend qualifying offers. When the time came, they decided to retain one of their most consistent contributors from this past season, as he logged significant time at shortstop, second base, third base and left field.
Berti will return to the Marlins for one year and $3.625 million.
Berti put up career highs across the board in 2023, batting .294 with 114 hits, seven home runs, 43 RBI, a .798 OPS and a 2.5 WAR in 133 appearances.
Miami initially signed Berti as a free agent ahead of the 2019 season, starting a string of five years where he was – at the very least – a part-time starter. While he didn't produce much at the plate prior to this season, he did steal an NL-leading 41 bases in 2022, all while only getting caught five times.
Berti's success on the basepaths dipped a bit in 2023, as he went just 16-for-22 on stolen base attempts, but the 33-year-old still ranked second on the team in steals.
Having Berti back gives the Marlins day-to-day flexibility with their lineup, as well as solid injury insurance for their other infielders and corner outfielders. First baseman Yuli Gurriel and shortstop Joey Wendle both became free agents Monday evening.
The Marlins are one day into the tenure of new President of Baseball Operations, Peter Bendix, who was officially hired Monday morning. The former Tampa Bay Rays general manager was brought in to replace Kim Ng, who resigned from her post in October.
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