A number of teams have interest in free-agent infielder Yuniesky Betancourt, and there's also a possibility he might start, MLBTR's Zach Links reports. The Marlins, who had previously had contact with Betancourt, are no longer among the interested teams, since they've already added Casey McGehee. Betancourt hopes that he can finalize a deal within the next two weeks (all Twitter links).
Betancourt, 31, hit .212/.240/.355 in 409 plate appearances with the Brewers last season, mostly at the corner infield spots. He has a career. 261/.285/.388 line in nine big-league seasons.
From my high school?
That’s a shame, I was hoping to see Yuni here in South Beach next season. He lives near here and he would have been a good fit for Miami. Cleveland could be an option
Please don’t let one of the teams be the O’s
It’s right up Duquette’s alley.
Plus if Machado isn’t healthy by opening day, he could fill in at third.
It’s perfect!
Please not the Brewers. Please not the Brewers. Please not the Brewers. Please not the Brewers. Please not the Brewers. Please not the Brewers.
Please not the Royals. Please not the Royals. Please not the Royals. Please not the Royals. Please not the Royals. Please not the Royals. Please not the Royals.
Or they could just call up a random minor leaguer to perform at below league average levels while saving half a million dollars…
The Royals. It has to be the Royals.
He likes to alternate between the Royals & Brewers each season, So You are probably right. He is due to return to KC in 2014.
Nope, we already have Valencia,Giavotella and Bonifacio as infield back ups.
Thankfully, there’s no room for him in KC this time.
Right-handed underachieving corner infielder. The Pirates are drooling over this guy. Brandon Inge 2.0?
Huntington took a gamble on a fading player and it didn’t pay off. Throwing money at guys who have never been good doesn’t really fit his M.O.
I don’t see why a team or fans wouldn’t want him. As a starter, ok, he leaves much to be desired, but he is a nice bench piece. He can play the entire infield well enough and his career line isn’t bad at all for a bench player. It’s true some small market clubs who have a lot of high end talent might not make sense for him, but to a team like the Yankees, he makes a lot of sense. I’d have balked at Kelly Johnson and taken Betancourt in a heartbeat. The Yankees have too many question marks in their infield and not nearly enough answers.
You’ve obviously never had to watch Yuni for an entire season. He’s like sand. He gets everywhere and you end up finding him in places he never should have been in the first place.
He can’t play SS anymore (he never did well), and the reports on his defense at 3B, 2B and 1B are not particularly encouraging. His career line is poor for a bench player, and even that is buoyed by 3 years of borderline-competence in Seattle. Over the last two years he’s hit .218/.245/.371, which is almost historically bad. He doesn’t hit for average, doesn’t run well, doesn’t field well, and has an almost pathological aversion to walks. He does have average-ish power, but that’s about his only tool at this point. Pretty much every team has a better option or two stashed away at AAA.
…. But he has an adorable baby face.
This guy was just dreadful when I saw him playing on both Seattle and Kansas city he couldn’t field even if you’d take defense at both 2nd and SS instead of the offense this guy was just so much worse than that only hitting 242 the last 4 years he’s been playing. The guy was so inaccurate idk how he was ever kept on any major league team.
When the Brewers signed him to an MLB contract last year, I was infuriated, and then depressed. Melvin clearly doesn’t get it.
Then you have what it takes to be a general manager.
there is not a worse player in baseball over the past 5 seasons using WAR.
He’s not a nice bench piece either, Michael. Betancourt has the worst WAR in the MLB over the last 4 seasons, and it’s not really close.
Yeah with that line I don’t see why you wouldn’t give a young minor leaguer a shot and save some money. He couldn’t be much worse than .212/.240/.355. And at 31 it’s not like Betancourt is going to get any better.
By fWAR, there have only been 16 guys to amass 1,000+ plate appearances over the last 5 years and rank sub-replacement level. Betancourt is by far the worst at -4.6, one full win worse than the next guy (Mark Kotsay) and almost 2 full wins worse than the 3rd worst guy (Ty Wigginton).
Wigginton really fell off at the end
Yuni B, the last known Jedi of the universe.
Jedi? More like Jar Jar.
It’s amazing that he has any interest at all, and certainly as a starter. This is a guy with over 4200 plate appearances and a lifetime negative WAR. How much proof does one need?
Proof? We don’t need proof. You nerds think you know baseball.
WE know baseball.
Now someone get me Felix Pie’s agent on the phone.
Amaro doesn’t believe you
From a savings account?
I don’t understand how this guy gets a job every year.
I did before as he was very serviceable off the bench and some team always had a black hole somewhere on their bench…but after last years performance a MLB deal is extremely sad.
From 2005 to 2008, he was pretty good both defensively and offensively. From 2009 to the present, he’s combined for a -6.5 WAR per baseball-reference, and a -4.6 fWAR. That’s pretty pathetic.
Starting!? Yah maybe in the Minor Leagues!! Surely that’s what he means.
A possibility he might start what?
A half-marathon?
A chicken dinner?
Treatment on an ingrown nail?
As a starter?? In Korea, maybe.
Don’t give him too much credit. He’d sit the bench in the KBO, too.
He’s only 31!!?!?!?
Alright let’s be real here….who lied about him having a potential starting job… let alone a Major league bench job…
“Nobody likes Milhouse.”
Fascinating. I’d be surprised if it is true, but then again, he somehow has lasted for years and had thousands of at bats.
I think we must be between eras: the roid era and whatever’s next. Pitching? Small ball? Speedsters? For now we are stuck with guys like betancourt getting ABs despite having no real skills
He has METS written all over him. As a matter of fact, I think I can recall the amazin’s being linked to him earlier in the offseason. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he lands there.
Has the off-season slowed down this much that Yu-Bet is drawing interest?
So some team is going to get worse very soon? Great!
Don’t worry, Yuni, I hear Sugarland is a lovely place to play
Drawing interest, eh? Yuni always did enjoy playing conceptual Pictionary.
Unfortunately, the first base market is shallow. For teams unwilling to surrender a draft pick, it’s between Michael young, Yuniesky and Wigginton. As a Phillies fan I have seen them all up close. I think whoever is that desperate for a starter should go with Michael Young who at least has a serviceable bat. He had a decent batting line last year. He can be a nice rental and a good buy low guy.