Three Christmas Gifts for The New York Yankees
What do you get for the team that can acquire everything?
The New York Yankees did fail to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who settled on $325 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the Yankees did manage to trade for Juan Soto, a player that they hope they can sign long-term as he enters his walk year.
As for the rest of the offseason, here are three things the New York Yankees would love to see under the tree on Christmas Day.
Sign Shota Imanaga
Well, the Yankees were unable to sign Yamamoto, but he’s not the only quality pitcher from the Pacific Rim on the free-agent market.
Shota Imanaga is a 30-year-old left-hander who would bring experience to the Yankees’ rotation and is coming off a 2023 in which he struck out nearly 30 percent of the hitters he faced. He walked just 3.8 percent of the hitters he faced, too.
He’s a different kind of pitcher than Yamamoto, but there’s quality there. He would also cost much less than Yamamoto would have (perhaps $100 million) and would not require a 10-year deal (perhaps Imanaga only needs five years).
He’s logged 1,000 inning overseas, so there’s a bit of risk on the Yankees’ part. But the Yankees have one open spot in the rotation and a pitcher if Imanaga’s ilk would be a great fit.
Health for the Slugger
Since 2019, Giancarlo Stanton has played in 391 of a possible 698 games. Injuries have been his kryptonite.
Go back to his last fully healthy season in 2018 in the Bronx. He batted .266 with 38 home runs and 100 RBI. That’s the kind of production you expect from a player of his stature.
Last season, in 101 games, he batted .191 with 24 home run and 60 RBI. The season before, 2022, he batted .211 with 31 home runs and 78 RBI in 110 games.
Yes, there are other ways to measure a hitter’s value. But batting average and health still matters. Stanton has proven when he can do when he’s healthy. Entering his age 35 season, the Yankees need a healthy Stanton to occupy their designated hitter spot every day and produce like the hitter he was five years ago.
To do that, he needs his health.
Bounce Back for DJ
The New York Yankees have committed to DJ LeMahieu at third base for the 2024 season. They could use the LeMahieu they got in 2019 when he joined the team and gave them a .327 batting average with 26 home runs and 102 RBI.
Since? He had an exceptional short season in 2020, batting .364 in 50 games. But his average has dropped each of the last three seasons, with it falling to .243 in 2023 in 136 games, with 15 home runs and 44 RBI.
There was speculation the Yankees might try to shed LeMahieu somehow and make a play for a third baseman like Matt Chapman. It appears the Yankees will stick with LeMahieu in 2024.
The acquisition of Soto helps, but along with Stanton’s health the Yankees need LeMahieu to throw it back to 2019.
