MLB Insider Calls This Outfielder a 'Great Fit' For Yankees in Free Agency
This outfielder was on the Yankees' radar ahead of this year's trade deadline. Now, he's set to enter free agency this winter.
Starling Marte, who finished out the 2021 season with the Oakland Athletics, is a "great fit" for the top of New York's lineup, per The Athletic's Jim Bowden.
Marte, 33, hit .310 (145-for-467) with 12 home runs, 89 runs scored, 55 RBI and an .841 OPS across a total of 120 games. He started this past season with the Miami Marlins.
Although Aaron Hicks is poised to return to the starting lineup in center field, the switch-hitter has been a serious liability in recent years when it comes to durability. Hicks played in only 32 games in 2021 (season-ending wrist injury) and has appeared in more than 100 games only two times over his six seasons with New York.
That in mind, here's a player that has elite speed (47 steals in 2021), plays solid defense (4 OAA per Statcast this past year) and can keep the line moving out of the leadoff spot. The Yankees as a team had just 63 steals in 2021. Marte would be an upgrade, wreaking havoc in more ways than one.
The Yankees have other glaring needs to address this offseason. Namely the situation at shortstop entering free agency. But if the price is right—and after New York made a push to acquire Marte this past summer—this could be a solid match.
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