Isaiah Kiner-Falefa Joins the Red Sox
Isaiah Kiner-Falefa is making a move to Boston as he signs a one-year deal with the Red Sox. This was confirmed on Wednesday night, with details emerging from Jon Heyman of the Post.
The contract was initially reported by Chris Cotillo from MassLive, and it’s valued at around $6 million.
The 30-year-old has had quite the journey, having played for both the Pirates and the Blue Jays last season. He was primarily a versatile bench player during the latter half of his time on the AL Championship team.
His most notable moment came during last season’s World Series. Kiner-Falefa was a pinch runner for Bo Bichette in the critically important bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7.
At third base, he held a narrow two-run lead when Dodgers’ second baseman Miguel Rojas executed a remarkable diving stop on a ground ball and narrowly missed completing the play at home plate. This pivotal moment fell just short of securing the title for Toronto, who ultimately lost in extra innings.
“We were told to stay close to the base,” Kiner-Falefa shared with reporters after the tense game. “They didn’t want us to get doubled up on a hard drive. I just followed the instructions.” It’s tough to think about what could’ve been.
Throughout the last season, he played 138 games across Pittsburgh and Toronto, managing a batting average of .262, with two home runs and 40 RBIs.
Kiner-Falefa, a Gold Glove Award winner in 2020, will bring additional versatility to the Red Sox, especially after they lost All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to the Cubs in free agency.
His time with the Yankees in 2022 and 2023 had its ups and downs after joining the team in a significant trade with the Twins. During his two seasons in New York, he shifted to starting shortstop, where his stats showed a .253 batting average, reflecting 10 home runs and 85 RBIs over 255 games.
He had initially inked a two-year, $15 million contract with the Yankees and Blue Jays for the upcoming 2024 season but was traded to Pittsburgh before that year’s deadline.
While there were talks about a possible reunion with the Yankees post-trade deadline last season, Kiner-Falefa found his way back to Toronto through waivers in late August.
