Yankees Trade for Veteran Utility Player Right Before Opening Day

The New York Yankees roster is seemingly set for Opening Day as Brian Cashman has traded for Miami Marlins ttility infielder Jon Berti. The biggest question was who would be the backup infielder for the Yankees after DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza suffered injuries that would keep them out for Opening Day.

Berti will serve a role similar to Oswaldo Cabrera and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa as a player who can play second, third, and shortstop as well as in the outfield. The 34-year-old is coming off of his sixth season in the MLB batting a career-high .294 with seven home runs, 16 stolen bases, and 33 RBIs.

The move now gives the Yankees a backup plan early on in case either Oswaldo Cabrera or Anthony Volpe suffers an injury on the left side of the infield. Once DJ LeMahieu returns Berti will likely play a traditional bench role coming into the game as a defensive replacement or as a pinch runner.

The Yankees gave up prospect John Cruz in the deal, an unranked 18-year-old outfield prospect who has yet to reach lower A. As part of the Deal, Ben Rortvedt is headed to the Tampa Bay Rays in what's become a three-team deal.

The move won't elevate the Yankees playoff and World Series chances much however, it was a necessary move given the team's current injuries in the infield.

Is this Yankees pitching staff good enough?

The biggest question heading into the regular season is if the Yankees rotation is good enough for the team's expectations.

Baseball Reference released their annual World Series projections based off expected stats and gave the Yankees a 2.7% chance to make the playoffs due to their weakened rotation. If the Yankees rotation struggles early on without Cole, the lineup may need to win some high-scoring affairs as the Yankees can ill afford a slow start in what may be the most competitive division in baseball.

More New York Yankees News: