Despite likelihood of being traded, Isiah Kiner-Falefa wants to 'keep door open' with Pirates

Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been dealt at the trade deadline before, so the difficult thing about hearing rumors isn’t that he could be on the move again but rather the disappointment of his tenure in Pittsburgh.

When Kiner-Falefa was acquired from Toronto late last July, he was excited about joining a team that was three games above .500 and two games out of wild-card contention. Since his Pirates debut last Aug. 3, they have a 66-94 record and are in last place in the NL Central.

“It’s tough being brought in last year as a buyer somewhat and then getting traded as a seller in one year, especially feeling like I haven’t played to the best of my abilities for this stint,” Kiner-Falefa said. “That doesn’t sit well with me.”

Kiner-Falefa was having a career year offensively with the Blue Jays, batting .292/.338/.420 with eight doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBIs through 83 games when he was traded. His production at the plate dipped to .240/.265/.322 with 10 doubles, one homer and 10 RBIs in 50 games with the Pirates last season.

Kiner-Falefa has provided above-average defense since becoming the starting shortstop late last August when Oneil Cruz switched to center field, with three defensive runs saved in 781 innings this season. Kiner-Falefa also became a dependable bottom-of-the-order bat for the Pirates, hitting .265/.307/.328 in 91 games.

What bothers Kiner-Falefa is how he sacrificed his offense to play high-level defense because of the physical demands of the position and the dimensions of PNC Park for a right-handed hitter. While he’s hitting for average, Kiner-Falefa has twice as many triples (four) as he does home runs in 142 games with the Pirates and only one more RBI in that span than he had in 83 games with the Blue Jays.

“I definitely changed my approach this year,” Kiner-Falefa said. “My ground ball rate spiked up. That’s the tradeoff I wanted to take. I wanted to hit the ball a little lower. I think I’m starting to learn the field more, and I’m learning that center field to right-center is actually the power alley. Even if you miss on a ball to right-center, you still have a chance for the wind to help you out a little bit in that alley.

“It’s tough for righties, but if you’re able to work center to right-center here and keep the ball low, you’re able to hit for high average because there is hits out there. There’s a lot of grass. But it is tough. It does get in your head. It is hard for a righty to slug here.”

In the second year of a two-year, $15 million contract, Kiner-Falefa is one of a handful of players on expiring deals who are considered trade chips for the Pirates that could net prospects in return.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he doesn’t feel obligated to trade players on expiring contracts if “we believe that the contributions that that player will make over the next two months or what they’re going to add to the clubhouse or whatever is more valuable, then there’s no issue just holding and letting it play out.”

Kiner-Falefa could fit that description and is amenable to staying with the Pirates, and not just for the remainder of this season. He likes Pittsburgh, enjoys his teammates and thinks they are only a couple bats away from being much better.

“I’m looking ahead to the future, and I see the pitching that’s here and want to keep this door open, for sure, in the right situation,” Kiner-Falefa said.

But he also is aware the alternative is more likely.

“If I do get traded, I know my second half is going to be a strong second half,” Kiner-Falefa said. “It would’ve been nice to have the opportunity to finish the season here and show everybody what I can do. I’ve shown glimpses. One thing I did show that I could do was that I can still play shortstop. That was a big question.”

While the 30-year-old has proven that he can play the most demanding position at a high level, Kiner-Falefa believes he’s best suited for a super-utility role. He won an AL Gold Glove at third base for the Texas Rangers in 2020 and has played second base and center field in addition to shortstop. Kiner-Falefa also can serve as an emergency catcher, a position he played in his first two MLB seasons.

“I’m glad I got to show I can play shortstop, but I know that all of these teams know that I’m a top three or four utility player in the league, maybe one or two,” Kiner-Falefa said. “That was what I did really well in Toronto — and I felt like I was the best in the league last year at what I did, provide at a high level — but whatever they need me to do, I can do it. I just know that if it’s a utility role, I’m the best in the league. If I’m playing shortstop, I’m in the mid-tier. … I just want an opportunity to be the best version of myself.”