During this winter meeting, the New York Yankees ensured they stayed hyperactive to address key roster needs. One of the many key areas of concern was the outfield. The team needed a regular center fielder and a left fielder to aid captain Aaron Judge in the right field. Subsequently, Brian Cashman fulfilled his promise and signed two outfielders.
Firstly, the Yankees engaged with an unpopular trade partner, the Boston Red Sox, to land Alex Verdugo. The second and most important trade came in the form of Juan Soto. However, the trade deal took ages to come through as fans stayed up till late hours for an official announcement. Now, an MLB insider made a startling revelation to explain what led to the delay.
Delay In Arrival Of Medical Report Of Undisclosed Yankees Pitcher Stalled Juan Soto Trade Deal!
The New York Yankees undoubtedly pulled off an unexpected trade heist and landed one of the best hitters in the league, Juan Soto. After much contemplation and aggressive push, Brian Cashman managed to convince AJ Preller to stand down and hand over the generational talent. However, despite the talks of the two teams reaching an agreement gaining momentum, an official announcement didn’t come through until midnight on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Andy Martino of SNY recently revealed what conspired behind the scenes, which allegedly led to the delay.
Martino said that the Padres were waiting for the medical reports of one of the Yankee players involved in the trade to come through. Obviously, with the stakes so high, AJ Preller didn’t want to take any risk and ensure that the return package was fully healthy to take the field next season. Having said that, the delay did send waves of nervousness amongst the Yankee group. But eventually, everything turned out to be exactly how they planned. After an eternity’s wait, the Yankees and Padres officiated the trade exchange. While the Bronx Bombers received OF Juan Soto and OF Trent Grisham, the Padres bagged RHP Michael King, RHP Jhony Brito, RHP Randy Vasquez, Prospect Drew Thorpe, and Catcher Kyle Higashioka.
Brian Cashman Excited To Witness “Crazy 8” In Action!
Meanwhile, the man who orchestrated the historic trade heist coined a new nickname for the dynamic Aaron Judge and Juan Soto duo. Brian Cashman, the general manager of New York Yankees, called the Judge-Soto duo “Crazy 8” for its lefty-right combination. While the Yankee captain is an elite right-handed batter, Soto is an excellent lefty bat. “So that creates a tougher lineup to navigate for the opposing pitcher,” said Brian Cashman.
While Cashman feels the Yankees are a better team with Juan Soto’s addition, the work is far from done. In a pursuit to land quality outfielders, the team had to sacrifice a whole lot of pitchers, which seemingly depleted its depth. Thus, to ensure the right balance of the hitter-pitcher combination, Cashman is committed to making more significant moves this off-season. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is next on the Bombers’ extended target list. And the franchise is aiming to close the deal before Christmas.