Isiah Kiner-Falefa is the Pittsburgh Pirates starting shortstop, but he isn’t considered to be one of the best.
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded for Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the end of last summer just before the July 31 deadline.
When they traded for him, they hoped for a short-rental boost in offense, but instead, it has carried into the 2025 season, and the team has him penciled in at shortstop for the time being.
Bleacher Report writer Joel Reuter isn’t a fan of IKF, placing him at No. 27 in his MLB shortstop ranking.
The Pirates acquired Kiner-Falefa at the deadline last year with an eye on him being the team’s primary shortstop in 2025, following the decision to shift Oneil Cruz to the outfield. The veteran quietly racked up 2.1 WAR in 133 games last season, and he is entering the second season of a two-year, $15 million deal.
The only players that ranked below Kiner-Falefa were Brayan Rocchio (Cleveland Guardians), Orlando Arcia (Atlanta Braves) and Trey Sweeney (Detroit Tigers).
The Pirates are keeping Kiner-Falefa at shortstop for now, but given the fact that he is only under contract through the 2025 season, the team is open for other ideas in the long run.
That could include moving Oneil Cruz back to his original position, but chances are the team won’t want to go down that rabbit hole again. There’s hope that the organization can produce an everyday shortstop, but for now, no options are better than Kiner-Falefa.
BD community, what do you think of Kiner-Falefa’s potential for the upcoming season? Chime off in the comments section below.