Yankees Add Elite Defensive Outfielder as Depth Move

The New York Yankees have made a flurry of small moves and just made another.

Mar 5, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani (22) ducks out of the way of a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have had a quiet offseason outside of bringing back Cody Bellinger and trading for Ryan Weathers. The next move may be to offload Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones to improve other areas of the roster, whether it's the starting rotation or the bullpen. With either of those potential trades looming and the possibility of purging some outfield depth, the Yankees made a small move that isn't likely to turn heads but comes with some upside.

That was claiming Michael Siani off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers designated him for assignment after signing Kyle Tucker to his mega deal. The back-to-back World Champions initially picked up Siani in November.

To say that Siani isn't a very good hitter is an understatement. The 26-year-old outfielder has hit .221/.277/.270 in his MLB career, and, according to Steamer, he's projected to hit much of the same this season. The projection system says he'll hit .197/.275/.291.

Defensive Wizard

What Siani lacks in his bat, he more than makes up for it with his glove. According to the defensive metrics, he is quietly one of the better defensive outfielders in the sport. This season, Siani saw minimal playing time and had a 1 OAA, but last season, in 877.1 innings in the outfield, he sported a 16 OAA.

It's a Kevin Kiermier caliber glove, but somehow, a worse bat than the former veteran outfielder who had a propensity to consume anything that came his way. Siani's defense was so good that, despite a paltry 64 wRC+, he still accumulated 1.1 WAR according to Fangraphs with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024. That year, Siani found himself in 124 games.

Apr 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Michael Siani (22) fails to catch a ball hit for a home run by Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (not pictured) during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Unlocking Siani?

If there's a thought that the Yankees could unlock something with his bat, it doesn't seem like this could be a Luke Voit situation, where a young player with significant potential for slugging was blocked at his position. Last season in AAA, Siani hit .209/.307/.329.

His peripheral numbers under the hood weren't any better. According to Prospect Savant, at AAA, he had a .280 xwOBA, .212 XBA, .299 xSLG, an 83.2 MPH Average Exit Velocity, a 2.6% barrel rate, and a 24.7% hard hit rate.

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