Valid critique or not, the truth is that in recent seasons, the Yankees have quite often gone to the market searching for improvements and on far too many occasions, the results were almost the worst possible outcomes.
They might have been solid players at the time they came to the Bronx, but the likes of Joey Gallo and Josh Donaldson fell off a cliff. Gallo, who was still rather young after the Yankees traded for him, has bounced around multiple teams since then, unable to regain the form he featured with the Rangers. Donaldson showed his age in a hurry and is now retired, 15 months after manager Aaron Boone ravedabout his ability to bounce back.
Now every case is different, and far be it from any of us to boil everything down to one factor, but it stands to reason that some of these names had trouble adjusting to playing with the Yankees. It’s something that, while it is tough to quantify and not easy to admit for all, definitely plays a role. The Gallo situation in particular made that quite clear.
Juan Soto has arrived and has been outstanding from day one, but beyond him, the other additions to this ballclub in 2024 were complementary pieces. They were players who might not make the headlines, but could absolutely help a playoff candidate become a playoff lock. Championship teams have plenty of those kinds of contributors.
Marcus Stroman and Alex Verdugo were notorious additions, and no one expected them to carry this team. However, particularly with extenuating circumstances that arose — such as Gerrit Cole missing a huge chunk of time and Gleyber Torres looking completely lost at the plate — the Yanks would need them more than ever.
While Stroman and Verdugo aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire, one could easily argue they’re performing at or near the best version of themselves.
As we’ve discussed before, Stroman needs to cut down on the homers and that 1.40+ WHIP before it’s too late, but as of this moment, an ERA in the low 3’s is about the best one could aim for with the veteran right-hander. He’s commendably held down his rotation spot with minimal critiques, and whatever you project for the future, that’s an entirely separate argument.
Regarding Verdugo, the former Red Sox outfielder is doing his thing as a slightly above-average hitter, providing consistency in depth to this lineup anchored by Soto and Aaron Judge.
We are past the days of Jake Bauers and Billy McKinney, too. The Yankees have a real, competent defender out there covering left field in addition to providing a threat in the lineup.
In hindsight, it’s easy to make the argument that the extensive experience in the AL East with the Red Sox played a role in helping Verdugo make this transition into another extremely demanding market. When in actuality, had he struggled, it would not be hard to spin that in a different way.
The reality is that Verdugo has found a way to maintain his accustomed level of production amidst a drastic change to a new team. And that’s something we’ve seen many players struggle to accomplish. It happened to Gallo. It happened to Donaldson. Harrison Bader is another name who took a step back in the calendar year after his trade to the Yanks, although there’s plenty more to complain about that particular move.
On the pitching side, Andrew Heaney certainly wasn’t blowing anybody away at the end of his tenure with the Angels, but the abysmal showing he had in the Bronx in late 2021 was an outlier in his career. All it takes is a look at the solid work he’s delivered with the Dodgers and Rangers since leaving the Yankees to understand that (3.90 ERA from 2022-24).
As often as it can be about covering that extra mile, meeting expectations is what leads one of the more talented teams in baseball to be at the top of such a strong division. Stroman and Verdugo have done their part to raise the floor and then some.
Giancarlo Stanton
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