The Yankees inherited Giancarlo Stanton on a whim by Brian Cashman and a wish by Derek Jeter to clear the deck. What in the hell happened there…
The Yankees can twist it around any way they want to now. Still, anyone with a trace of reason in their character can only conclude that Brian Cashman had visions of sugarplums dancing in his head when he reported back to his boss, Hal Steinbrenner, – “Hey, we got Stanton.”
Those were heady days, weren’t they? Visions of Giancarlo Stanton back-to-back with Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez – the Evil Empire was back in business.
Except as we know, you’d have to travel through several pages on a Google search asking the question – “how many times have Stanton, Judge, and Sanchez appeared in the same starting lineup” – and then you’ll understand the fallacy behind the entire hoax.
If you find an answer, let me know, and I’ll publish it immediately, but the sad truth is Brian Cashman made a mistake in thinking the three would be teamed together. And what’s worse, it’s a mistake he needn’t have made.
It causes great pain, but it’s important to remember the Yankees just shed themselves of Jacoby Ellsbury – albeit at a cost to the team of $26 million.
Does anyone not believe that at some point down the road, the Yankees will face a similar fate as they reach toward the end of Giancarlo Stanton’s $325 million contract?
Yankees: The ugly question they don’t want to answer
Consider this. If at the age of 29, Stanton proves to have recurring and nagging injuries with this or that as he did in 2019, what is his prognosis for when he reaches 36, 37, and 38 years of age when the Yankees are liable for $75 Million?
It’s a scary thought, and it’s hard to believe Brian Cashman didn’t realize the same when he giddily answered the phone, and Jeter was on the line.
And yet, here we are. We all know what Giancarlo Stanton can do. That’s not the issue. The problem is Stanton’s large body, which appears to be more suitable as a tight end catching passes from Tom Brady.
Rolling the dice with Stanton
The Yankees appear to be gambling they will get “enough” from Stanton to offset the time he is bound to miss in 2020 and beyond.
But if you check what he has delivered, that may also be a faulty premise. Because even when healthy and playing, Stanton has disappointed.
Consider this – when do the Yankees most need their players to show up? Last season and the 2020 regular season are a walk in the park. All that matters is in the postseason.
Giancarlo Stanton’s postseason two years with the Yankees shows a .235 batting average, with two home runs, three RBI, and twelve strikeouts in 34 at-bats.
So you tell me…
Why is Brian Cashman, and perhaps more significantly, Hal Steinbrenner willing to hold on to a piece of merchandise which is not carrying their weight?
Stanton is, after all, merchandise in the MLB vernacular. Just like Greg Bird became counterproductive merchandise, and before Bird utility infielder Ronald Torreyes was let go – it’s as they say – baseball.
The Yankees will never release Stanton as they did with these two players, but shouldn’t there be strenuous and constant activity by the Yankees to find a way that provides relief from the error (admit it, Brian) of their ideas when Jeter suckered them in.
Yankees: Living (or dying) by the sword
If it’s all about stubbornness and the Yankees allegiance to Giancarlo Stanton, I can live with that, but Cashman goes down one level of the respect he has earned in this business.
But if it’s anything else, I don’t get it. An axiom in baseball has been no one is expendable, and therefore everyone is tradeable. There was even a time, for example, when a swap of Joe DiMaggio for Ted Williams was on the table.
Giancarlo Stanton is tradeable if the Yankees want to send him on his way.
The LA Angels and their free-wheeling owner, Arte Moreno, have money to spend, even beyond the allotment required for Gerrit Cole.
If, at the point when the Angels sign Cole, even I could execute a deal to send Stanton to the Angels as a big piece to complement Mike Trout in their lineup. Returns? Don’t worry about it – move on.
Alas, the Yankees appear to be dug in
In much the same way as the Yankees are dug in and committed to Gary Sanchez and his “potential” to master all of the necessary skills to be a big-league catcher, it appears Giancarlo Stanton is heading for the same luxury of treatment.
It seems to me both evaluations are a mistake. But at this point, I defer to Brian Cashman with a tip of the hat for past performance, albeit with a challenge to show me and other Yankees fans – you are right…
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
