thelesterlee
The New York Yankees used to dominate the entire calendar. 162 games beating the shit out of the league immediately followed by an offseason full of signing all of the best players available. That hasn’t been the case in quite some time as this organization has become comfortable being a decent team that maybe loses in the first round of the playoffs or in the case of this previous season, doesn’t make the playoffs at all.
But the Yankees miiiiiiight be returning to their roots.
Full trade, per ESPN sources:
Yankees receive: outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham.
Padres receive: right-handed pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito and catcher Kyle Higashioka.@Joelsherman1 was on top of the deal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 7, 2023
Let’s. Fucking. Go.
Does acquiring Juan Soto make the Yankees a World Series favorite?
Since entering the league in 2018, here’s what Soto ranks amongst his peers:
- 1st in BB% (19%)
- 1st in on-base percentage (.421)
- 4th in wRC+ (154)
- 4th in OPS (.942)
- 8th in runs scored (527)
He’s a 3-time All-Star with 4 Silver Slugger trophies.
In 2021, he finished 2nd in MVP voting.
He’s a World Series Champion.
He is without a doubt one of the best left-handed batters in the league which is a huge advantage at Yankee Stadium.
Lefty sluggers playing at Yankee Stadium is like Superman getting superpowers from being in the yellow sun.
That stadium was built in 2009 and it took Yankees GM, Brian Cashman, over a decade to acquire a lefty who can finally take advantage of that kiddie wall.
A lineup of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres and the newly acquired Alex Verdugo is a real, legitimate problem for opposing pitchers.
Especially considering Soto and Verdugo’s ability to hit and get on base.
They aren’t players who are devoted to mashing homers. They have patient approaches at the plate and never feel rushed by anything.
Last season, the Yankees finished 25th in runs, 29th in hits, 27th in OBP and 25th in RBIs.
Outside of Aaron Judge, these hitters didn’t do shit out there. Not one of them contributed to the group project.
They just got paid to travel the country and stand around. I mean, personally, that’s my dream but not ideal for a professional baseball player and more specifically, the New York Yankees—who used to pride themselves in actually winning championships.
There are multiple MVP candidates in this lineup.
What could stop the Yankees from winning a World Series?
Unfortunately, I can’t pretend as if great players come to the Yankees and continue to be great.
It’s become abundantly clear that the Yankees front office is archaic and they simply do not understand how organizations like Houston, Tampa Bay or Atlanta continue to draft, develop and groom these great players year after year.
Physically, the Yankees are constantly injured to the point where we have to question the strength and conditioning department.
Mentally, they seem wildly unprepared compared to the current great teams who have more advanced scouting reports and hitting approaches than the Yankees do.
Emotionally, the entire team is tense and terrified of pressure-packed moments in a way I’ve never seen a Yankees team play this way before.
Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui always looked genuinely unphased by everything while Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres melt in the spotlights.
As long as Brian Cashman continues to run this franchise like it’s still the 2000s, no singular signing should get Yankees fans too excited.
Is Juan Soto secretly an asshole?
The Yankees will be Soto’s 3rd team in 3 years and there’s a potential 4th team in 4 years if he leaves in free agency next winter.1
What if Soto is just a dick?
It could help explain why the San Diego Padres finished with the same record as the Yankees despite having one of the most talented rosters in the sport’s history.
He’s only 25.
It’s possible he doesn’t get it yet.
When I was 25, I didn’t give a single shit about my job and I wasn’t the most fun coworker to be around.
I was also making significantly fewer dollars than Johnny Soto but the point is, he could be an immature dude.
OR, San Diego just assumed getting out a checkbook and randomly paying a bajillion dollars for a bunch of talented guys—regardless of the position they played—would result in rings.
But instead, they are nowhere near a championship-level squad and have 3 shortstops making a combined $970 million this season.
What’s next for the San Diego Padres?
Michael King strikes out seven straight dudes?
Michael King strikes out seven straight dudes. pic.twitter.com/gUuQbQDU2q
— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) December 8, 2023
Michael King might be THAT guy.
In his 8 starts to end the 2023 season, Michael King had a 1.88 ERA with 48 Ks to only 9 walks. And in San Diego, he’ll be an overqualified 3rd starter behind Joe Musgrave and Yu Darvish.
And with Trent Grisham gone, they open up a spot in the outfield and in the payroll for Korean centerfield, Jung Hoo Lee—the 2022 KBO League MVP who can replace Soto’s lefty bat and save Fernando Tatis Jr from having to go from shortstop to right field to center field in 3 straight years. Tatis cannot handle that level of pressure. Not even HGH in the world.
What does this Juan Soto trade actually mean?
It feels like the Yankees realized something about themselves this offseason. They are no longer the baddest motherfuckers in the world.
Every time Bryce Harper goes on a podcast, he re-tells the story about the Yankees not even calling him during his free agency.
Shohei Ohtani might go down as the greatest baseball player of all time and he has zero interest in playing in pinstripes.
The Yankees reputation is changing in a way that could erase the brand they’ve established.
The New York Yankees want to be the first team you think about when you think about baseball but they can’t Inception people without winning championships and they can’t win championships without having the best players on their team.
This Juan Soto trade was more than about Soto himself. This was a message to the whole baseball world.
They. Are. So. Back.
Thanks for reading. Go ahead and sign up for the D, the daily Deadseriousness newsletter sent directly to your inbox every AM.
RECOMMENDED:
Here’s What Manny Machado Thinks is the Reason the Padres Suck This Year
Add Gary Sanchez To The List of Yankees Organizational Failures
Curt Schilling Is Simply a Misunderstood Man of Faith
- and a potential 5th team in 4 years if the Yankees suck at the deadline and Soto gets traded to a contender but still chooses another team in free agency.
