It's A Good Time To Be A Yankee

“It’s a good time to be a Yankee,” said Yankee first baseman Greg Bird said last week after Aaron Boone took the helm of the New York Yankees.  Now, following the potential signing of NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton, pending a clear physical expected on Sunday or Monday, does this mean it is a really good time to be a Yankee?  I say it’s always a good time to be a Yankee, because being a Yankee means you are part of baseball history, a winning dynasty.  And we don’t necessarily need a big A-Rod-like contract for it to be a good time to be a Yankee

“Adding Stanton, who led the majors in homers (59) and RBIs (132) last year, certainly helps the Yankees’ chances of winning the AL East for the first time since 2012 and getting to the World Series for the first time since winning it in 2009,” reported the NY Post on Saturday.

Sure, it’s an exciting venture to have the power and skill set of a Stanton on your team, but at what cost?  Apparently it’s a cost that the Yankees are willing to take on and Kentucky Wildcat John Calipari thinks is worth it.

“Calipari met with GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone after the Wildcats beat Monmouth on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. ‘We talked about Stanton. We’re going to get that one done,’’’ Calipari said.  I could care less what Calipari has to say about anything, quite frankly.  He needs to keep his nose out of anything but his own business, which is not always the tidiest of businesses.

Read all you want about Stanton, his fat contract of $295 million of which the Yankees will pay $265 million, and what he could potentially contribute to the 2018 Yankees.  You may agree with Greg Bird that it’s a good time to be a Yankee, or you may think that it is always a good time to be a Yankee and we don’t need Stanton to give us that impression.  Whatever you think, whatever you feel, own it.  Just like I do.  I think as long as the Yankees aren’t going back down the path of paying big contracts for little return (ARod) and they are keeping their home grown, legacy players like Brett Gardner, then go for it.  But if the business plan is changing and the Yankees are going back to their old ways, then we are in trouble as a franchise.

It’s a good time to be a Yankee yesterday, today and tomorrow with or without Giancarlo Stanton.  One man does not make a team.  A winning team has its leadership roles fulfilled, and works together for a common goal.  New blood can add to the team as long as the fixtures, the foundation remains intact and strategic plan stays on task.

–Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof 




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