Yankees Analyst Identifies Potential Reunion With Veteran Player
The Atlanta Braves recently received slugger Matt Carpenter in a trade.
Then, they released him a few days later after they didn’t find a taker for his contract.
Carpenter was once one of the top table-setters in baseball back when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Then, with the help of the New York Yankees in 2022, he reinvented himself as a top slugger after posting a .305/.412/.727 line with a 1.138 OPS in 47 games.
That earned him a contract with the San Diego Padres in 2023, but he struggled with injuries and inconsistency and posted a disappointing .641 OPS in 76 games.
The folks at Fireside Yankees believe New York should call Carpenter and set up a reunion.
As always, it would depend on the terms of the agreement.
If Carpenter is looking for an MLB contract, perhaps he will find it elsewhere.
If, on the contrary, he is willing to settle for a minor league deal with an invitation to camp (this in case he can’t find anything with guaranteed MLB time, of course), then it makes all the sense in the world for the Yankees to bring him in to see if there is anything left in his left-handed bat.
As a lefty, he took advantage of the Yankee Stadium short porch in 2022, with 15 homers in those 47 games.
Now, the question remains: is he closer to his 2022 version or the 2023 one?
Even in 2022, he was starting to cool off after a fast start when he fractured his foot after a foul ball and his season ended.
It wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Yankees to have him around as depth.
In a perfect world, the New York Yankees would be able to add another stellar bat to the lineup in 2024. Fortunately, it may still be possible, as Francys Romero, an MLB reporter, suggested that the Seattle Mariners are actively trying to acquire Jorge Soler from the Miami Marlins but that the Yankees have also approached and expressed interest.
For those who don’t know Soler, he’s a 31-year-old outfielder who represents a fantastic right-handed bat. Last season, he played 137 games, hitting .250/.341/.512, including 36 homers, 75 RBIs, a 24.3% strikeout rate, an 11.4% walk rate, and 126 wRC+.
It is important to note that Soler is essentially a better version of Giancarlo Stanton at this point in time. In fact, he also barely plays the outfield anymore, enjoying just 241.2 innings last year, hosting a perfect fielding percentage, -5 defensive run saved, and -3 outs above average.
Acquiring Soler is nearly impossible as long as Soler is on the team. The Yankees are still optimistic that the 34-year-old slugger can bounce back next season, considering he’s working on slimming his frame and trying to improve his mobility.
Stanton has been regressing for several years now, hitting .191/.275/.420 last season, including 24 homers and 60 RBIs. This is the first time in his career he ever dipped below a 100 wRC+, indicating he was a below-average hitter. There’s hope he can turn things around and carry his weight in the future, but the Yankees still owe Stanton $98 million over the next few years until a $10 million buyout in 2028.
Not to mention, Stanton has a full no-trade clause, so he would have to waive that clause in order for the Yankees just to offload him and replace the designated hitter role. It is possible that the Yankees could convince him to waive it for Miami, the original team that signed him to the long-term deal and moved him to the Bombers in 2018. However, it is unlikely, considering his substantial financial situation.
Soler is a pipe dream at this point in time, but we’ve seen crazier things happen, for example, the Yankees acquiring Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. Anything is possible in this market, but this one is undoubtedly a bit more complicated.
