NEW YORK -- The Yankees agreed to terms on one-year contracts with shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and right-hander Lou Trivino?on Friday, avoiding arbitration with both players.
Kiner-Falefa will earn $6 million next season, while Trivino inked a $4.1 million deal. The Yankees tendered contracts to all their eligible players ahead of Friday¡¯s 8 p.m. ET deadline.
The 27-year-old Kiner-Falefa had been reported as a non-tender candidate after earning $4.7 million this past season, when he served as the Yankees¡¯ regular shortstop before being benched during the playoffs.
Acquired from the Twins along with third baseman Josh Donaldson and catcher Ben Rortvedt?in a March trade that sent catcher Gary S¨¢nchez and infielder Gio Urshela to Minnesota, Kiner-Falefa batted .261/.314/.327 with 20 doubles, four homers, 48 RBIs and a career-high 22 stolen bases in 142 games.
Though the Yankees repeatedly defended Kiner-Falefa¡¯s defense, citing internal metrics that painted him among the top three to five shortstops in the league, Kiner-Falefa was charged with 15 errors during the regular season.
A Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner in 2020 with Texas, where he played third base, Kiner-Falefa lost playing time after miscues early in the American League Division Series against the Guardians.
¡°On the balance of the season, [Kiner-Falefa] was very good,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°I know there were some frustrations with the errors that he would have on occasion, and where I felt like I had to do something with the lineup because I felt like it was something that came into play during one of the series. But on the whole, I feel like he was by and large excellent defensively, and in the top part of the league among shortstops.¡±
Re-signing Kiner-Falefa does not necessarily preclude the Yankees from seeking a trade involving him. Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said this week that it is his ¡°intent¡± to give top prospects Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe opportunities to win starting jobs in the middle infield; general manager Brian Cashman said that could be sorted out in the spring.
¡°Kiner-Falefa gave us an opportunity to bridge the gap while the kids continue to develop,¡± Cashman said. ¡°Everybody in the industry, teams and fans alike, recognize that we have some pretty potentially impactful prospects that are developing and needed some more time.¡±
Trivino, 31, was 1-2 with a 1.66 ERA in 25 appearances after being acquired from the Athletics in an Aug. 1 deal that also sent right-hander Frankie Montas to New York, with infielder Cooper Bowman, righty Luis Medina, left-hander J.P. Sears and lefty Ken Waldichuk going to Oakland.
Overall, Trivino was 2-8 with a 4.53 ERA in 64 appearances in 2022. The five-year veteran is 21-25 with a 3.86 ERA in 285 career games (one start), having spent his previous 4 1/2 campaigns with the Athletics.