Spring training begins for MLB teams in two weeks as franchises round out their rosters and make last-minute moves for the 2024 season. Most moves this deep into the offseason don’t exactly move the needle, but the Baltimore Orioles took it upon themselves to make a blockbuster trade for 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. It’s the sort of acquisition that puts opposing teams on notice, espeically Balitmore’s foes in the stacked AL East. One of those rivals, the New York Yankees, are usually the ones making the big moves.
How will the Bronx Bombers respond to the Orioles’ addition? Well, as much as Yankees fans don’t want to hear this, New York is likely done making significant transactions this offseason. The Yankees traded for superstar outfielder Juan Soto in December and solidified the rotation by signing 2023 All-Star Marcus Stroman in January.
Looking at the Yankees roster, it’s hard to see where exactly the holes are. There is plenty of talent and the roster is basically set aside from a few bullpen decisions. Not to mention the Yankees already have four massive contracts on the books and the highest projected payroll in baseball, things that make another splash move difficult for New York to pull off.
As it currently stands, the Yankees have a team on paper that should contend for the AL East and be one of the six playoff teams in the American League. “On paper” doesn’t always translate to the field though, as was the case last season for the Yankees.
The Yankees shouldn’t panic because the Orioles acquired Corbin Burnes. There are moves they can make before and during the season that can counter it though.
It’s much easier said than done, but the Yankees have to move on from Giancarlo Stanton. The once-feared slugger’s career with the Yankees has been marred by injury and falling short of expectations, both of which were the story of his 2023 season.
Stanton missed 61 games last season as he was placed on the injured list for the eighth time in his six seasons in New York. When he was healthy, the 2017 NL MVP had his worst season at the plate, hitting a career-low .191 with a .695 OPS.
Reports are that the Yankees like what Stanton has done this offseason as he’s expected to retain his place as New York’s primary designated hitter, but it’s hard to ignore Brian Cashman’s comments from November when he bluntly said Stanton will likely get injured again in 2024.
Though Cashman quickly cleared the air, those comments struck a nerve with Stanton’s agent and might have played a factor in the Yankees’ failed pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The fact of the matter is that Stanton is owed $118 million over the next four seasons and a team like the Yankees – who expect to contend for a championship every year – can’t afford a player failing to meet expectations at that salary.
It would be foolish for the Yankees or their fans to expect Stanton to reel back his younger years and hit for both a solid average and whopping power. The 34-year-old still has that raw power in him though, averaging 30 home runs a season since 2021 despite missing a total of 136 games during that three-year span.
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