Via Ken Rosenthal: The Yankees have “renewed (their) longstanding interest” in free agent Jeff Keppinger. The team tried to acquire the utility man from the Astros two offseason ago, but talks went nowhere.
Keppinger, 32, hit .325/.367/.439 (128 wRC+) in 418 plate appearances for the Rays this season. He crushes lefties (131 wRC+ since 2010) and is an elite contact hitter (6.5 K% and 92.9% contact rate), two skills the lineup could use right now. The Yankees are reportedly seeking a utility man who can play short and third and combined 100 times next year, but Keppinger hasn’t played short regularly in five years and at all in two years. If the Yankees want him, they’ll have to pay him starter money because other teams will surely offer more playing time.
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