On Monday, the New York Yankees bolstered their roster by signing an outfielder who can also cover first base, but it wasn’t the much-discussed Cody Bellinger.
The Yankees opted to bring Seth Brown on board with a minor league contract. This move doesn’t impact Bellinger’s ongoing free agency saga; rather, Brown is expected to provide essential depth for the Yankees’ Triple-A team.
Aram Leighton of Just Baseball was the first to break the news of this signing, with Brown subsequently confirming it on Instagram.
Brown has spent his entire major league career with the Oakland Athletics since his debut in 2019. Over his time in the majors, he has posted a .226 batting average, a .712 OPS, and a league-average 100 wRC+. The 33-year-old’s standout year was 2022, during which he achieved career highs with 25 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a 115 wRC+. From 2021 to 2024, he accumulated 73 home runs over 497 games.
He retains a minor league option but was limited to just 38 MLB games last season due to a left elbow lateral epicondylitis injury.
As a left-handed batter, Brown faces a challenging path to securing a spot on the Yankees’ Opening Day roster, regardless of Bellinger’s decision. Should Bellinger sign elsewhere, the Yankees are expected to pursue a right-handed hitter to potentially share left-field duties with promising talents Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones.
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.
