The New York Yankees are coming off one of their worst seasons ever, finishing up with a record of 82-80. It also marks the first time the team missed the postseason for the first time since 2016. A lot has gone wrong for the Yankees in this disastrous season. One of the reasons has to do with the struggles on the offensive end. This article will be focusing on why the Yankees should trade for Juan Soto.
3 Reasons Why The Yankees Should Trade For Juan Soto
Inconsistency
The ability to rely on Aaron Judge for part of the season was the issue for the Yankees this year. As soon as the team discovered the “freaky” injury Judge suffered against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the dynamic of the lineup wasn’t the same anymore.
Fortunately, they had to rely on stars such as Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, and Giancarlo Stanton. Unfortunately, some of the stars were not making the case to carry on the workload. As a result, the Yankees finished with a record of 25-31 without Judge in the lineup. Additionally, they managed to own a batting average of.225 combined without him. That just shows how much of a difference-maker Judge is in the lineup.
Even the veterans the Yankees signed prior to the start of the 2023 season did not help. Veterans such as Jake Bauers, Billy McKinney, and Harrison Bader did not provide sparks during Judge’s absence. The worst part is that general manager Brian Cashman did not even bother to make moves before the trade deadline. He even stated that the team was “in to win” despite no moves being made. It got worse for the Yanks as they even had to make some major changes to their hitting coach duties. They had hired MLB Network analyst Sean Casey as interim hitting coach, replacing Dillion Lawson.
To sum it up, Soto fixes all the issues the Yankees had all year long. He also makes the team better by the fact that it doesn’t need to rely on Judge all of the time. He changes the narrative of the lineup as a whole.
Lack of Left-Handed Batters
The Yankees do have other weaknesses that lie apart of their lineup. That weakness is the lack of left-handed batters. This season, they were ranked 29th in at-bats taken by left-handed hitters. The injury to Anthony Rizzo has no doubt impacted that. Soto’s handedness would bring a lot of balance to a lineup full of righties. Not to mention, his swing would fit perfectly with the short porch in right.
In addition to being a left-handed batter, Soto hits exceptionally in clutch situations This season with the San Diego Padres, he managed to own an OPS of 1.015 with runners in scoring position, ranked ninth best in MLB. For his entire career, his OPS number stands at .972. It would be interesting to see what Soto would bring to the table if a trade were able to happen at all.
Championship Window Closing
As both Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge reach their 30s, it is looking certain that the Yankees championship window may be fading soon. Now is the perfect time to go out there and make a blockbuster trade for Juan Soto. If the Yankees want to win it all, Soto is the perfect answer. Considering that Soto is only 25 years old, he may be the one that can finally help the Yankees put their 14-year World Series drought to an end.
Main Image: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
