The Yankees had always liked Giovanny Urshela. He was the kind of player who both their scouting and analytic wings agreed was intriguing. Brian Cashman, while explaining that, also said the third baseman was viewed as an “insurance policy.”
The Yankees purchased him from the Blue Jays last August, but did not protect him on the 40-man roster during the offseason. The Yankees loved his defense at third base and were curious if he could build further value by moving around the infield plus.
“We thought he had gas in the tank on the hitting side,” Cashman said.