The New York Yankees are interested in free agent infielder Jhonny Peralta, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.
Jhonny Peralta free agency: Yankees interested in infielder
Peralta can play shortstop and third base, and the Yankees figure to have a big hole in the left side of their infield.
Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE
The 31-year-old Peralta can play shortstop and third base, two positions which may be problems for the Yankees this year. They are currently relying on Derek Jeter at shortstop, but there is no guarantee that the long-time star, who turns 40 in June, can still handle the job after playing only 17 games in 2013 due to injury. Their third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, is currently appealing a season-long PED suspension and may miss all of 2014; the team has already been linked to St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman David Freese, signaling that they are not counting on A-Rod next year.
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Peralta was an All-Star last season, and batted .303/.358/.457 with 11 home runs in 107 games. However, he was suspended for 50 games at the end of the season for his involvement in the Biogenesis drug scandal. In addition to shortstop and third, Peralta got some reps in left field during the playoffs; given his poor performance in the outfield, though, it seems unlikely that the Yankees would be pursuing him in order to play him there.
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