Stanton power play a HR
Balked at Fish, forced way to ‘hungry’ Yanks
At his introductory press conference on Monday, Giancarlo Stanton was listing the reasons the Yankees were so appealing to him, and in addition to describing the offensive firepower, as well as the balance the pitching provides, here was his most emphatic point: “They’re hungry.” In truth, I think he was referring to himself as much as anything. Because to hear Stanton speak for the first time as a Yankee was to come away convinced that his eight years in Miami left him starving to play in a place where winning actually matters. Where winning is all that matters.
As such, Stanton was making no apologies for forcing his way to the Bronx via his no-trade clause. In fact, he made it clear he had grown sick and tired of the “circus atmosphere,” as he called it on his Instagram post, around the Marlins that was created by years of mismanagement.
He also wasn’t too thrilled that the new ownership, with Derek Jeter as the point man, had tried to strongarm him into agreeing to a trade with either the Cardinals or the Giants, threatening that he’d otherwise endure years of misery as a Marlin while everyone else around him was traded.
GM Mike Hill had delivered that threat at some point, as Jeter tried to stay above the fray. But when it became
clear Stanton was calling the Marlins’ bluff, knowing ownership was determined to get out from under the remaining $295 million on his contract, the former Yankee captain finally phoned the NL MVP last Tuesday.
Perhaps Jeter was hoping his own status as a future Hall of Famer would sway Stanton to go accept one of the trades-in-waiting the Marlins had already negotiated, and go to St. Louis or San Francisco.
But baseball’s home run king didn’t want to hear it.
“When we talked,” Stanton said in an interview on MLB Network, “I told (Jeter), ‘I’m not going to be forced anywhere I’m not comfortable going.’”
All of which is an indication that Stanton is coming to the Yankees with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, unlikely to be intimidated by the New York stage.
You never know until you see it, but Stanton’s candor on Monday seemed to bode well for his transition. He already has his huge money, after all, and many a player in his position would have been happy to go play in St. Louis, where the fans are famously adoring of all things Cardinals and the media isn’t much of a factor.
Stanton apparently wanted the Yankees because he saw all of their young talent and decided it was his best chance to win championships.
But what about the pressure of playing in New York, he was asked.
“That’s just the expectation to win,” he said. “And that’s what I want.”
That was pretty direct and succinct, as were most of his answers on Monday. Stanton didn’t seem to be trying to impress anyone, in the manner of, say, Alex Rodriguez when he came to the Yankees in 2004 under similar circumstances.
In fact, people who covered Stanton in Miami say he doesn’t seem overly concerned with his public image. He wasn’t the most media-friendly player during his time there, and could be temperamental, but some think his frustration with playing for a non-winner with an indifferent fan base was a factor in all of that.
“I think he does want to win badly,” says a reporter who covered Stanton. “He likes being a superstar, no doubt about it, but I don’t think he’s like A-Rod, seeking attention all the time. He can be difficult, but I think he’ll be a different guy in a place where there’s all of that tradition and a winning culture.”
With that in mind, Stanton said he is ready to do whatever the Yankees want, whether it’s moving to left field at times or doing a lot of DH-ing to accommodate Aaron Judge’s presence in right field.
As long as he gets to the swing the bat, it sounds like he’ll be happy. He’s probably fantasizing about how many home runs he can hit in Yankee Stadium after hitting 59 while playing his home games in one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in the majors.
And it’s worth noting that while Stanton had never even hit 40 home runs in a season before, at least partly due to injuries, some baseball people believe he has bigger years ahead of him, after he closed his stance dramatically last June and then went on a home-run tear.
In fact, he hit 42 of his 59 home runs after June 19th, when he made the change.
“When he closed his stance he stopped pulling off the ball, which had been his biggest weakness,” an NL scout said Monday. “He could still get to the inside pitch, and being closed allowed him to stay on everything else a little longer. It made him even more dangerous.” Stanton himself on Monday said his new approach allows him to hit the ball in the air more, with greater backspin, so maybe the Yankees are getting Stanton at the perfect time.
At least it sure sounded that way on Monday.
LAKE BUENA VISTA — The Yankees still need starting pitching and team officials are confident they’ll be able to land a starter or two before the 2018 campaign begins. The Bombers could also try to package prospects to land Gerrit Cole from Pittsburgh or Chris Archer from Tampa.
ESPN reported that the Pirates are listening on Cole, a former first-round pick of the Yankees who never signed with them, and the two teams could match up well in a deal.
Cole, 27, went 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA last season. He is second-year arbitration-eligible, meaning he won’t become a free agent until after the 2019 campaign.
CC Sabathia, 37, also makes sense to return on a one-year deal in the $10-12 million range.
The Yankees currently have Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Sonny Gray and Jordan Montgomery in their rotation for next season.
One source said top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield might be about a year away from contributing. But with three plus pitches, the 21-year-old lefty projects as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter in the majors.
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Jacoby Ellsbury has three years, $68 million remaining on his contract, and also has a no-trade clause. He also doesn’t have a spot in the starting lineup. So where does he fit on the roster?
“He’s going to come in and compete to get his job back,” Brian Cashman said.
MLB.com reported it’s unlikely that Ellsbury would waive his no-trade clause to leave the Yankees.
Chase Headley (one year, $13 million) is another potential trade candidate who could clear up additional funds.
The Bombers are looking to avoid going over the $197 million luxury-tax threshold.
Aaron Boone said he would consider hitting Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez back-to-back-to-back in the batting order. But he could also split them up with a lefty like Greg Bird or Didi Gregorius.
“It’s something that is a possibility, but I would have no reservation if we feel like it’s best to string those three dudes together. I think we would be all right,” Boone said.