TAMPA — I’m old enough to remember when Giancarlo Stanton was Juan Soto.
When he was imported to the Yankees in an offseason trade and teamed with Aaron Judge to outmaneuver opposing pitchers.
Stanton was on his way to winning National League MVP honors and hitting 59 home runs. A return package to the Marlins — two prospects with questionable upside, plus the condition that the small-market Marlins actually use up their $30 million contract bonus — is a deal that Yankees officials say will bring Miami’s rookie They just high-fived each other over letting executive Derek Jeter go.
It turns out that removing most of Stanton’s funding was probably the best move of Jeter’s five-year administration. And disaster for Brian Cashman.
Because that was then. Now, Stanton and Soto are separated by empty lockers in the Yankees’ spring clubhouse. But in the world of baseball. Soto will be looking to prove he’s worth more than $500 million in free agency. Stanton will be trying to prove he can still be a regular in the lineup. In fact, we may be at the point where well-informed Yankees officials say the organization’s biggest problem going forward is who’s next. 1. Soto may leave after this season, 2. Stanton is likely to stay for another three years.
When asked about the Yankees’ big offseason additions, Stanton said, “It’s going to be fun to watch and watch.” [Soto] And the judges are going to tear the league apart, and it’s going to be great, and it’s going to be our job to clean up after that.” That’s while Stanton holds the ninth-highest salary ($325 million) in major leaguer history. , it sounded like he was pushing himself into the chorus.
There is no doubt that the acquisition of Soto will ease the burden on one of the judges. But if this Yankees’ batting lineup is to return to wrecking ball form, the choir will have to sing. That means Anthony Rizzo has overcome his concussion issues. DJ LeMahieu is fully healthy at base and performed as well as he did late last season. Not only Soto, but Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo are also maximizing their walk years. Anthony Volpe took a step forward and Austin Wells’ defense was strong enough to put the left-handed bat in the lineup.
And Stanton was nearly identical to 2021, when he finished with 579 at-bats, 35 home runs, and over 136 OPS — a season that looked a lot like Houston powerhouse Yordan Alvarez — 598 at-bats, 33 home runs. , .136 OPS — and in contrast to last year, when Stanton’s production had echoes of Houston’s defense-first catcher Martin Maldonado.
What’s different now is that the lineup doesn’t benefit from Stanton. The Yankees could put Trent Grisham under center, Verdugo on the left, Judge on the right, and Soto at DH and argue that the defense-offense combination is their best combination. If Aaron Boone has the nerve, Stanton will be moved to the bench.
“If we don’t produce it, there are adjustments and elements to make it the best lineup, so that’s my job.” [to be optimal]” said Stanton.
As a result, Stanton has lost noticeably less weight and says he feels better after having a completely healthy offseason for the first time in years. He said changes in his swing are occurring. That’s how unacceptable it was for Stanton, who has been an avowed realist about his own decline, to lose so much time to a lower-body injury while watching his productivity plummet. It reflects that he was never willing to accept the situation.
“I’m not getting paid to be a stand-up guy and say the right things,” Stanton said. “I’m here to produce. To help win a championship. That’s not happening and it needs to be.”
Without Aaron Hicks and Josh Donaldson, Stanton became No. 1 booed opponent at Yankee Stadium. He ignored the “noise” (meaning more than just boos) and said, “I understand the facts.” Those facts include that among the 250 players who appeared in at least 350 at-bats last year, Stanton’s .191 batting average was tied for worst with Maldonado. His OPS plus of 87 was the same as Grisham, who was acquired primarily as a No. 4 outfielder for his defense and speed.
Additionally, he has had eight IL stints over the past five seasons, seven of which were due to lower-body injuries. Stanton suffered a hamstring strain last April, returned five weeks later, and spent the rest of the season running to avoid cracking eggs in his shoes. During a GM meeting in November, Brian Cashman praised Stanton’s tendency to be productive when healthy before last season, but spoke candidly about Stanton’s injury history, saying, “He’s going to get hurt again.” “That’s more likely because that seems to be the cause.” About his game. ”
Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolfe, initially applauded Cashman. On Monday, Stanton said he had spoken with GM and there were no remaining issues. And the way Stanton rebuilt his body to lighten his load was a tacit understanding that at age 34, he had to pursue ways to stay healthy.
The Yankees still owe him four years and $98 million, and in a best-case scenario, he’ll be on par with Judge and Soto. In their nightmare, they are trying to decide not only how much to pay Soto, but also how much they have to continue to pay Stanton, who doesn’t play for the team.
