The New York Yankees can be more or less happy with their offseason activities so far. Albeit, it has been a great plus to land Juan Soto for a year. But there’s a chance that they might not be able to have the Dominican slugger next year. Anyway, what the Bronx Bombers needed this offseason was to find stability and balance in their roster. Moreover, what hurt the Yankees the most was losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Japanese ace pitcher could really boost the starting lineup of the Pinstripes. Anyway, the other issue that the Yankees must deal with is the curious case of Giancarlo Stanton.
Many fans and experts are criticizing the idea of moving Aaron Judge from the right outfield to the center. The Yankees plan to do that to help Juan Soto be more productive at the outfield. However, Judge is someone who needs to ice his knees every night. And making him cover more ground might be equivalent to playing with fire. Instead, the Yankees should give the captain a half a day off once a week at least. However, it is not possible as long as Giancarlo Stanton is on the active roster.
What Should The Yankees Do With Giancarlo Stanton?
Stanton is one of the most injury-prone players on the team. On top of that, he hit .191 last season. And he is 34 years old, not a young prospect either. But as per contract, Stanton has four more years with the Pinstripes. There’s a no-trade clause in his contract worth $128 million. The Yankees are on the hook to pay him $98 million, and the Miami Marlins will pay the rest. As a result, the Yankees may have to hope Stanton rebounds. Lately, the beat writers of NJ Advance Media questioned if Giancarlo Stanton still has the skills to play at this level. Moreover, the beat writers expressed their amazement on the fact that Stanton hit so poorly last year.
But they also think that the new lefty sluggers will have a positive impact on Stanton. Moreover, Giancarlo Stanton, at the very end of the last season in Kansas City, expressed his desire to work very hard this winter on every necessary change. But the Yankees GM seems not very convinced as Brian Cashman said earlier that Stanton will get hurt again. Cashman feels it has become a part of Stanton’s game. Moreover, the beat writers suggested the NY side can even try to trade Stanton to the LA Angels.
Pinstripes Finding It Hard To Get Stability This Offseason
Previously, the Pinstripes had depth in their bullpen. But they lacked star power in their outfield. Moreover, they had several players who were too injury prone. They could not get enough games out of these players. Moreover, the outfield weakness propelled the Yankees into failing to make the postseason in 2023. On top of that, they finished with a horrible 82-80 record. It was a wake-up call for the Bronx Bombers to make significant changes. Moreover, Brian Cashman said earlier in the offseason that they were looking for a couple of lefty outfielders and a starting pitcher.
And in that quest, the NY side had enough resources in their bullpen to use as trade options. At least, that’s what they thought. Anyway, the deal to land Juan Soto and Trent Grisham saw the Yankees trade a bunch of good pitchers and catchers to the San Diego Padres. On the other hand, the trade deal with the rivals Boston Red Sox saw Alex Verdugo join the NY side. But in return again, the Pinstripes gave up more pitchers. As a result, the pitching situation of the NY side is getting worse gradually.