The Yankees signed an outfielder who can also play first base on Monday. No, it wasn’t Cody Bellinger.
Instead, the Bombers inked Seth Brown to a minor league deal. The move has no bearing on Bellinger’s dragging free agency; Brown just gives the Yankees some needed depth at Triple-A.
The signing was first reported by Just Baseball’s Aram Leighton and shared by Brown on Instagram.
Brown, primarily a corner outfielder, has only played for the Athletics in the majors since debuting for them in 2019. He owns a .226 average, a .712 OPS and a league-average 100 wRC+ over parts of seven big league seasons. The 33-year-old’s best campaign came in 2022, when Brown set career-highs with 25 homers, 73 RBI and a 115 wRC+, and he totaled 73 dingers over 497 games from 2021-2024.
Brown, who still has a minor league option, only appeared in 38 MLB games last year while dealing with left elbow lateral epicondylitis.
A left-handed hitter, it will be hard for Brown to crack the Yankees’ Opening Day roster regardless of what happens with Bellinger. If the Yankees’ top offseason priority signs elsewhere, they’ll likely add a right-handed hitter to platoon with youngsters Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones in left.
However, Brown does give the Yankees experienced insurance with the organization a bit short on outfielders. The pinstripers don’t have much depth beyond Jones, as Everson Pereira, Bryan De La Cruz, Brennen Davis, Dominic Smith, Ismael Munguia and Jose Rojas are no longer around after they spent plenty of time manning the outfield at Triple-A last season.
The Yankees also traded Brendan Jones in the deal that recently netted Ryan Weathers from Miami.
Brown is not the first veteran the Yankees have signed to a minor league deal this offseason, as the team has also scooped up infielders Paul DeJong and Zack Short and catcher Ali Sanchez, among others.
