The New York Yankees made a splash yesterday when they traded for former MVP Cody Bellinger.
The 29-year-old will greatly improve the Bombers both at the plate and in the field. (And they sure need all the help they can get defensively.)
Bellinger joining the Yankees seems like it’s been a few years in the making. However, now that he’s finally in the Bronx, all people want to talk about is how he’s married to Giancarlo Stanton’s ex-girlfriend..
Of course, the bigger story in New York baseball this offseason was the Mets snatching free agent superstar Juan Soto away from the Yankees.
No matter how Soto tries to spin it, the fact of the matter is he was going to sign with the highest-bidder. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
To Mets owner Steve Cohen’s credit, he put his money where his mouth was and did what it had to take to take to land Soto.
As for the aforementioned Giancarlo Stanton, he made it clear that he’s not worried one bit that the Yankees will be marching on without Soto.
“We’ll be alright,” Stanton told a young Yankees fan who asked him if he was “sad that Soto is on the Mets.”
Stanton was appearing at an MLB Play Ball clinic in Puerto Rico where he met with approximately 150 children.
While the Yankees may have lost out on Soto, general manager Brian Cashman and company have been anything but complacent this offseason.
They’ve bolstered their roster with key moves, including signing ace Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract and acquiring All-Star closer Devin Williams in a trade.
With these upgrades (and more likely to come), Stanton’s optimism seems well-founded.
Stanton’s words of reassurance may also reflect confidence in his own resurgence.
In 2024, he played 114 games – the most since 2021 – while posting a .773 OPS, hitting 27 home runs, and delivering his best Statcast metrics in years.
His hard-hit rate of 55.1% was his second-best mark in the Statcast era, and his barrel rate of 20.7% and average exit velocity of 94.6 mph prove he remains a formidable power threat.
Stanton saved his best for October, where he helped propel the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009.
He hit .273 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs during the postseason, earning ALCS MVP honors for his clutch performances.
At 35, with just one All-Star appearance in the past six seasons, Stanton is determined to prove he can still be a cornerstone of the Yankees’ offense.
As a full-time designated hitter, his job is simple yet demanding.
With an upgraded roster and key players like Stanton stepping up, the Yankees are poised to contend again in 2025.
Only time will tell just how bad the Yankees end up missing Soto. But judging by Stanton’s confidence, you may not notice much of a difference.
What are your thoughts on Stanton’s “we’ll be alright” comment???
