Author: Deesha Thosar

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“He’s ascended to one of the top starters in the game,” Yankees skipper Aaron Boone said of King after Tuesday’s win.

In December 2023, the Yankees were putting the finishing touches on the blockbuster trade for Soto. The deal was close to done, but New York was reluctant to give up King, a talented reliever who had developed into an essential piece of its pitching staff. 

The Padres wouldn’t budge. Just like the Yankees, San Diego had big plans to promote King from a high-leverage reliever to a top-end starting pitcher. As tough as it was for the Yankees to part ways with King, they needed Soto more. So King and four other players in the Yankees system departed for San Diego, while Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham came to the Bronx. 

King has flourished in brown pinstripes and will be one of the most coveted starting pitchers in the free agency market after the season. The 29-year-old boasts a 2.80 ERA in 218.1 innings and 38 starts for the Padres, including a 2.22 ERA across eight starts this year.

The Yankees need to reinforce their rotation as ace Gerrit Cole’s rehab from Tommy John surgery will extend into next season. King has always seemed like the answer, and in a handful of months, the Yankees will have the opportunity to bring him back to the Bronx.

King said he’s open to a reunion with the Yankees, but if he keeps pitching like this, they can expect a bidding war for the Rochester, New York product.

“Hopefully by the end of it,” King said, “I can have all 30 teams calling me.”

In that scenario, it’s fair to say that the Yankees will have an advantage. King loved his time in New York; he posted a 2.60 ERA with 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings in his final two years with the Yankees. He became an irreplaceable part of the pitching staff across that stretch, interchanging between an effective high-leverage reliever and a starting pitcher with maximum potential to develop into one of the game’s best arms. 

From the Yankees’ perspective, they loved that King was unflappable in the Bronx. Over the years, the organization has seen too many pitchers crumble under the bright lights. Being successful in New York’s cutthroat environment is an accomplishment in itself. 

“A lot easier playing with him than playing against him,” Schmidt said of King. “Great pitcher, great person. I can’t speak highly enough of him and everything that he’s done for this organization and for myself. Hopefully, somewhere down the line we can reunite, but it’s a lot of fun being able to compete with him as well. We’re both very competitive. It’s kind of like playing with one of your brothers in the backyard.”

To be clear, King is enjoying his time in San Diego, too. He appreciated that the Padres gave him a long leash during his first year transitioning into a full-time starter, allowing him to make 30 starts and record a career-high 173.2 innings in 2024. That trust led to King receiving down-ballot votes for the National League Cy Young award last year. And he hasn’t missed a step this season. King’s 2.22 ERA ranks fifth in the NL, and his 44.2 innings are ranked eighth. 

Both the Yankees and the Padres should be highly interested in King’s services for the long-term future, but it’ll cost them. The righty earns just under $8 million this year, but his market value, according to Spotrac, is closer to $18 million. If he continues his dominance this season, the bidding war for King could reach up to a total of $100 million on a multi-year contract.  

A trade for King is all but certainly out of the question as the Padres remain a competitive force in the NL West. They enter Wednesday just a half-game behind the league-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. For now, all King cares about is carrying San Diego into the postseason and going from there. King picked up how to handle approaching free agency after he watched Judge navigate his walk-year with the Yankees. 

“[Judge’s] whole thing was he’s gonna make the person next to him the best player that they can be and all he’s gonna do is try to care about wins,” King said. “And once you finish 162 or hopefully more in the playoffs, then you can actually look up and figure out what’s happening in free agency. So I’m taking it game by game, trying to make every starter around me as good as they can be and trying to win as many games as possible.”

Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. Follow her on X at @DeeshaThosar.

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2024 stats: .232/.358/.494, 15 HR, 135 wRC+, 2.4 fWAR
2025 ZiPS projection: .214/.341/.434, 21 HR, 119 wRC+, 2.4 fWAR

It seems like every year Muncy enters the season with expectations that he’ll decline, but besides his missed time with injuries, he’s stayed consistent at the plate. With the Dodgers, Muncy doesn’t have the luxury of shifting to designated hitter with Shohei Ohtani batting leadoff, so give him credit for posting up at third in his mid-30s, all while carrying a high ceiling of 35 home runs, which he’s achieved four times since 2018.

2024: .264/.312/.481, 18 HR, 125 wRC+, 2.8 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .256/.317/.437, 17 HR, 116 WRC+, 3.6 fWAR

Coming off a breakout 2024 season that earned him his first career All-Star nod, Westburg is a first-timer on our third-base rankings with the possibility of a huge year in front of him. He split his time between second and third last year and now has the green light to begin settling into the hot corner full-time. He’s not as flashy of a young O’s star as Adley Rutschman or Gunnar Henderson, but that’s not at all a knock on his talented skill set. Westburg, with a quieter disposition, has the same potential to make a big leap in his second full season in the big leagues this year.

2024: .266/.322/.516, 27 HR, 133 wRC+, 2.9 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .250/.313/.459, 26 HR, 116 WRC+, 3.1 fWAR

It’s incredible to think Vientos didn’t make the Mets’ 2024 Opening Day roster given the way he rose to prominence by the All-Star break. Now he enters 2025 with the starting third-base job and a ton of pressure to replicate last year’s numbers in a Juan Soto-powered offense. Vientos’ production trailed off by September, so the key for the 25-year-old will be to make in-season adjustments to continue building off his early-career success.

2024: .272/.325/.394, 16 HR, 102 wRC+, 3.1 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .264/.321/.423, 18 HR, 107 wRC+, 3.1 fWAR

Let’s be honest: Arenado’s down year in 2024 was a bit overemphasized in the context of the Cardinals missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year. He still hasn’t missed more than 20 games since 2014, and he still finished the year as an above-average player. The veteran is starting to decline, no doubt. But it’s time for us to adjust our expectations of Arenado. His days of being a perennial MVP candidate are likely behind him, but he still had the sixth-highest fWAR among qualified third basemen last year.

2024: .247/.328/.463, 27 HR, 121 wRC+, 5.5 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .241/.328/.438, 23 HR, 115 wRC+, 4.1 fWAR

Chapman fell just short of becoming the Giants’ first 30-home run hitter since Barry Bonds in 2004. Entering his age-32 season, he still has the chance to break that record in 2025. Power numbers aside, Chapman went from attempting to steal 3–4 bases per season to successfully swiping 15 bags in 17 attempts last year on his way to recording the second-highest WAR among his peers at the hot corner.

2024: .260/.315/.453, 26 HR, 118 wRC+, 4.1 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .252/.333/.430, 22 HR, 119 wRC+, 3.9 fWAR

Bregman and the Green Monster seem like a match made in heaven given how much the veteran likes to pull fly balls, so it’ll be fascinating to see how he hits in his new home, with a bump in batting average all but certain after singles turn into doubles at Fenway. A dramatic drop in his walk rate (12% in 2023, to 6.9% in 2024) remains concerning, and he no longer plays at the level of his MVP-caliber days. But he sure looked like vintage Bregman in the second half of last year (.266 BA, 14 HR, .833 OPS). We’re not counting him out of our top-five just yet.

2024: .256/.322/.461, 19 HR, 116 wRC+, 2.4 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .275/.343/.499, 29 HR, 131 wRC+, 4.4 fWAR

Riley was attempting to record a fourth consecutive 30-homer season when a hit by pitch led to a fractured wrist and ended his season in August. But when he’s healthy and at his best, he deserves to be moved up our rankings. A third baseman with an OPS+ in the 130-140 range doesn’t come around all that often, and that’s the type of production the Braves are expecting from the 28-year-old power hitter for at least the next several years.

2024: .272/.354/.516, 28 HR, 134 wRC+, 4.1 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .269/.349/.505, 30 HR, 131 wRC+, 4.0 fWAR

As of this writing, Devers hasn’t played a single game at third base during spring exhibition games — making it clear he’ll be taking over designated-hitter duties in Boston’s ideal lineup construction. Still, he’s one of the best and most consistent offensive third basemen in the game, he’s been adamant about wanting to play third (glaring defensive woes aside), and there’s no telling how the roster will look next season. With nine years left on his contract, this figures to be an ongoing topic within the Red Sox organization.

2024: .275/.325/.472, 29 HR, 122 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .266/.323/.462, 26 HR, 119 wRC+, 4.0 fWAR

Machado looked sluggish and was a below-average hitter to start the 2024 season, only to turn it on with a .900 OPS in June and never look back. If you look closely at his yearly production, that’s just what Machado does. But his Baseball-Reference page paints the better picture: a consistent, 30-ish homer dude with 90-105 RBIs per year. Machado is still as dependable as they come at the hot corner.

2024: .279/.335/.537, 39 HR, 141 wRC+, 6.5 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .270/.342/.496, 29 HR, 131 wRC+, 5.6 fWAR

Ramirez’s brilliance and durability can sometimes be taken for granted. He did, after all, fall one home run short of a 40/40 season last year and hardly anyone outside of Cleveland was talking about it. Now entering his age-32 season and 13th year in the big leagues, Ramirez has finished in the top 10 in MLB voting in seven of the past eight years. He remains the best of the bunch among the top third basemen in the league. 

Honorable mentions: Eugenio Suarez, Arizona Diamondbacks; Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros; Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins; Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies; Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays

Deesha Thosar is a MLB reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for four years as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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The former first-round pick struggled mightily last year, recording his worst OPS since 2018 and forcing the Cubs to drop him to eighth in the batting order. Swanson’s skillset returning to his career norm will be crucial for a Kyle Tucker-powered Cubs team that hopes to make it past the postseason wild-card round for the first time since 2017.

9. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies

2024: .295/.338/.469, 21 HR, 124 wRC+, 3.9 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .287/.335/.462, 21 HR, 120 wRC+, 4.4 fWAR

Turner’s numbers have been somewhat quietly declining over the past couple of years, and his age (32) likely has a lot to do with it. But he still projects to be a 20-20 player for the Phillies, where a possible shift to batting leadoff could help him set the table and boost his outlook. But it’s fair to question whether this is the final year Turner will appear in our top-10 shortstop rankings as his defensive value continues to trend downward.

8. Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants

2024: .251/.331/.462, 32 HR, 119 wRC+, 4.8 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .246/.319/.430, 23 HR, 110 wRC+, 4.2 fWAR

Adames steps into his age-29 season having set career highs in home runs, runs, doubles, stolen bases and games played for the Brewers in 2024. Now, in the pitcher-friendly Oracle Park on a new team in a new division, the shortstop has the challenge of maintaining that quality performance — even though a dip in power is expected.

7. Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins

2024: .310/.388/.517, 14 HR, 155 wRC+, 4.3 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .272/.354/.456, 18 HR, 130 wRC+, 4.1 fWAR

It’s a testament to Correa’s pure talent that he remains a top-10 shortstop in MLB despite battling plantar fasciitis and missing significant time over the past few seasons. Last year, Correa played just 86 games, but he enjoyed an All-Star season before hitting the injured list in July. The veteran shortstop has high hopes of playing a full season this year, aiming to help the Twins win their first World Series since 1991.

6. Elly Da La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

2024: .259/.339/.471, 25 HR, 118 wRC+, 6.4 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .263/.335/.472, 25 HR, 117 wRC+, 5.0 fWAR

EDLC garnered his first career All-Star honor and led MLB with 67 stolen bases in his first full season in the big leagues last year. The 23-year-old is a sight to see and if he can work through the setbacks that accompany his raw talent, he could take a step forward this year by relying on his five tools and added experience that should slow the game down for the Reds’ budding superstar.

5. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers

2024: .278/.353/.512, 30 HR, 140 wRC+, 4.5 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .281/.359/.511, 28 HR, 143 wRC+, 5.3 fWAR

The two-time championship winner remains one of the most potent hitters in the sport while being widely regarded as the best glove at shortstop. Despite missing around 40 games in 2023 and 2024, Seager in 2025 is vying for a 30-homer season for the fourth consecutive year. When healthy, he’s capable of being the best shortstop in the majors, and he still finds a way to be a top-tier high-impact player regardless of how much time he may miss with injury. 

4. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

2024: .289/.372/.491, 19 HR, 141 wRC+, 4.4 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .283/.381/.495, 24 HR, 145 wRC+, 5.1 fWAR

Betts would rank in the top-five of any position he decides to play, and this is no exception as the Dodgers are once again depending on him to man the hardest defensive position in baseball. Skipper Dave Roberts said Betts has “unfinished business” at short after he fractured his left hand last June, missed two months, then returned to right field for the Dodgers. If he excels this year, Betts could become just the third player in history to win a Gold Glove award at multiple positions.

3. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

2024: .281/.364/.529, 37 HR, 155 wRC+, 8.0 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .274/.359/.495, 28 HR, 144 wRC+, 6.1 fWAR

The 2023 Rookie of the Year is expected to improve in his second season as the O’s full-time shortstop — and that should be terrifying for opposing pitchers. Henderson has high expectations after he decreased his strikeout rate and increased his walk rate in 2024. He finished fourth in a stacked AL MVP class last year and, as long as he can stay healthy, he has a legitimate path to winning the award in 2025.

2. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets

2024: .273/.344/.500, 33 HR, 137 wRC+, 7.8 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .260/.337/.462, 27 HR, 125 wRC+, 6.0 fWAR

Lindor has become the most underappreciated superstar in MLB since he was traded to the Mets four years ago, but he’s still a top-three shortstop in the league after he inserted himself in the middle of the National League MVP conversation last year, ultimately finishing second to Shohei Ohtani. Lindor’s 53.3 fWAR since his 2015 rookie season leads all active shortstops, and it’s not even a little close.

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

2024 stats: .332 /.389/.588, 32 HR, 168 wRC+, 10.4 fWAR
2025 ZiPS projections: .288/.343/.517, 29 HR, 135 wRC+, 6.1 fWAR

Fresh off a second-place finish in American League MVP balloting, recording the top batting average in the major leagues, it’s incredible to think we haven’t even seen Witt’s best season yet. He enters his age-25 season this year, and he’s arguably baseball’s most well-rounded player after sharpening his defense. All eyes will be on Witt, the fastest player in MLB, as he attempts to put up a 30-30 season for a third consecutive year.

Honorable mentions: Ezequiel Tovar, Zach Neto, Jeremy Peña, Bo Bichette, Anthony Volpe

Deesha Thosar is a MLB reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for four years as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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Instead, the Cubs whiffed on Bregman, made a series of low-to-mid-level signings and operated like a small-market team.

[MLB Tokyo Series 2025: Everything you need to know]

Unloading outfielder Cody Bellinger’s contract to the Yankees allowed the Cubs to dip $34 million below the first luxury-tax line, and then there were crickets. Left-hander Matthew Boyd signed a two-year, $29 million contract, but he’s essentially just a replacement for the departures of Drew Smyly and Kyle Hendricks. They reportedly tried to sign top free-agent closer Tanner Scott, but wound up trading with the Astros again, this time for veteran reliever Ryan Pressly. In terms of free-agent splashes, Chicago has remained incredibly stubborn to spend — outside of manager Craig Counsell’s five-year, $40 million contract, that is. 

Remember: the Cubs are one of the most prominent franchises in Major League Baseball, valued at more than $5 billion, according to Sportico, with a rich history and a passionate fanbase. And yet, the Athletics, Angels, Tigers and yes, even the Rays, outspent them this winter. If winning was a priority, the Cubs should have done more to build a strong supporting cast around Tucker. But it increasingly seems like they gave up future talent and team control to meet the bare minimum. 

Sure, they have a solid shot at winning the division and getting into the playoffs, where health and luck are major factors in giving any team the opportunity to make a run for it. FanGraphs projects the Cubs to win around 84 games, which is right in line with their back-to-back 83-win seasons of the past two years, and that wasn’t enough to qualify for the playoffs in either year. It certainly won’t be enough to compete with a stacked National League, either.

As the Cubs gear up for the Tokyo Series against the almighty Dodgers on Tuesday, it looks more and more like trading for Tucker simply wasn’t enough to make them serious contenders. There’s now heightened pressure on a young roster that needs more star power, to go along with the legitimate concerns and unanswered questions about their pitching depth. Still, there are bright spots to look forward to. 

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The Cubs No. 1 prospect, 23-year-old third baseman Matt Shaw, is making his major-league debut at the Tokyo Dome, and he has a legitimate shot at winning the NL Rookie of the Year award. Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong will be a delight to watch as he takes over full-time center field duties this year while he tries to find consistency at the plate. Shortstop Dansby Swanson and second baseman Nico Hoerner make a terrific double-play duo up the middle. Southpaw Shota Imanaga will look to build off his special rookie campaign, and left-hander Justin Steele is entering his prime. And there’s potential for a 30-30 season from Tucker.

So, there are plenty of reasons to expect butts in the seats at Wrigley Field this year. But the Cubs don’t struggle with attendance. It’s all that spending on top-tier talent that they just can’t seem to figure out how to do. 

Deesha Thosar is a MLB reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for four years as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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Initial imaging suggested Cole would need surgery for his elbow and, over the weekend, a trip to Los Angeles for a second opinion confirmed it. This is the second consecutive year Cole, 34, will miss significant time due to his right elbow. He dealt with elbow inflammation last March, but was able to overcome the nerve-related injury through rest and rehab before rejoining the Yankees in June and staying fully healthy through their run to the Fall Classic. But lightning won’t strike twice for the Yankees and their ace. 

It’s a devastating blow to the Yankees rotation and an enormous hit to the club’s chances of ending its 16-year championship drought. Cole will be nearly 36 years old by the time his Tommy John rehab is complete — a tedious recovery timeline of anywhere from 14 to 16 months — and it’s impossible to forecast how effective he’ll be by that point. In December 2019, the Yankees signed Cole to a nine-year, $324 million deal, the largest contract ever given to a pitcher at that time, with the expectation that he would help deliver at least one title in that span. Now, it’s fair to question whether the rest of New York’s pitching staff has the depth and talent needed to return to October.

“From the time I first dreamed of wearing the Yankees uniform, my goal has always been to help bring a World Series championship to New York,” Cole wrote on Instagram. “That dream hasn’t changed — I still believe in it, and I’m more determined than ever to achieve it.”

The Yankees rotation now includes Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman, and Will Warren. Fried, who accepted the largest contract ever issued to a left-handed pitcher (eight years, $218 million) over the winter, will become the Yankees’ de-facto ace without Cole. But, after a myriad of recent injury issues, he was already facing a ton of pressure to stay healthy this year. Now, in addition to staying injury-free, the spotlight will be on Fried, Rodon, and Schmidt to be utterly dominant. The Yankees simply cannot afford another blow to their pitching staff if they hope to keep their World Series dreams intact. 

Right-hander Luis Gil, the AL’s 2024 Rookie of the Year, is set to miss at least three months of the season with a high-grade lat strain. Gil did a spectacular job making us forget about Cole’s elbow injury last year when he jumped into the rotation and recorded a 2.03 ERA in 14 starts while the ace was sidelined. The Yankees would love another surprise performance from an up-and-comer in their system and the 25-year-old Warren could very well be the answer. Warren has allowed two earned runs in 11.2 innings (1.54 ERA) so far this spring. Other rotation options in Yankees camp include 38-year-old Carlos Carrasco and former Braves right-hander Allan Winans. 

Really, the Yankees are in no position to cross their fingers and hope for the best from the arms they have in-house. This is the time for general manager Brian Cashman to be aggressive on the trade market — yes, it will sting to get rid of high-ceiling prospects — if only because the Yankees have to try to win a championship while Aaron Judge is in his prime. The Yankees slugger is entering his age-33 season this year, and the club is already extremely careful with his usage due to his own injury concerns, so any year he stays healthy and plays a full season is considered a win for the organization. Judge, fresh off his second-career MVP award, should be surrounded by elite talent on both sides of the ball in order for the Yankees to give themselves the best chance to capitalize while he’s in his prime. 

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has pushed this year’s payroll past $300 million, but it’s clear from the series of injury hits that he could’ve spent more money on roster depth. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is sidelined with tennis elbows in both arms and season-ending surgery is on the table. DJ LeMahieu was slated to be the Yankees’ starting third baseman before he went down with a calf strain. Even before LeMahieu’s latest injury, the Yankees entered spring training with an obvious lack of dependable talent at the hot corner, and it ultimately went unaddressed. Without blockbuster trades, the Yankees may have to spend to fix their roster holes, but there are hardly any solid starting pitchers still available through free agency this close to Opening Day.

Ultimately, there’s no replacing a vintage workhorse like Cole. The six-time All-Star and 2023 Cy Young winner is ranked second in baseball with 1,954 innings pitched since his 2013 rookie season. A lifelong Yankees fan, Cole is a throwback frontline starter who has anchored the rotation since he joined the Bronx Bombers in 2020. In the Yankees’ spring training from hell, the outlook of trying to win without him — for the next couple of years — is just the latest nightmare. 

Deesha Thosar is a MLB reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for four years as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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“Knowing you’ve got No. 27 lurking on deck behind you, it always helps you out,” Aaron Judge told reporters at George M. Steinbrenner Field last week. “It’s going to be a tough blow, you can’t replace him.”

Ahead of the 2024 season, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said it’s only a matter of time before Stanton runs into an injury. The slugger responded by staying relatively healthy, missing a few weeks due to a hamstring strain, and hitting 27 home runs and 20 doubles with a 115 OPS+ across 114 games. Then he erupted in October, crushing seven home runs with a 1.048 OPS in a loud postseason that helped the Yankees reach the World Series for the first time since 2009. He was named MVP of the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians and reminded us that, when he’s healthy, Stanton is one of the most lethal hitters in the game.

But this year, the Yankees announced Stanton was dealing with pain in both elbows before the full roster even reported to spring training. Stanton hasn’t swung a bat since mid-January due to the pain, and there has been no update on a timeline for his return since he received PRP injections in both arms last week in New York, where he’s since been for personal reasons. Stanton is expected back in Yankees camp this week but, since he dealt with elbow pain throughout last season, the Yankees will likely slow-play his resumption of baseball activities.

“He’s definitely frustrated,” said Judge, who has spoken to Stanton since he left Yankees camp in Tampa. “But we all want him back.”

The Bombers should still hold onto their high expectations for the year and avoid letting the extended missed time from key players derail their season. They’re still the favorites to win the AL East, and FanGraphs’ projection system is giving the Yankees a 7.4% chance of winning the World Series. Only the Dodgers (22.7%) and Atlanta Braves (15.1%) have a higher chance of winning a championship, according to their preseason odds. Besides Judge doing Judge things, huge performances from new Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger and veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, plus a full season in pinstripes from Jazz Chisholm and top prospect Jasson Dominguez, will ameliorate the sting of Stanton’s time on the IL. 

Skipper Aaron Boone has indicated the Yankees will turn to in-house options and rotate through a cycle of designated hitters to make up for Stanton’s bat. Outside alternatives are essentially nonexistent at this point in the spring, besides 37-year-old free agent J.D. Martinez, who the Yankees reportedly have had contact with, but he’s coming off a disappointing season with the Mets. The only other DH on the market is Matt Carpenter, who just turned 39 and posted a -0.1 WAR in 59 games for the Cardinals last year. 

Players in Yankees camp who are vying for Stanton’s role include first baseman Dominic Smith, first baseman/catcher Ben Rice, outfielder Everson Pereira, and catcher/infielder J.C. Escarra. The high-water mark for those candidates is underwhelming compared to what Stanton offers as a right-handed power bat, particularly in a Yankees lineup that is skewed left-handed, but if Cashman can be savvy with the way he uses his roster depth, then it could buy the Yankees the time they need until No. 27 returns. 

Start expecting Judge to receive some DH at-bats, too, to give his legs a rest from the outfield and increase the odds of the Yankees’ most important hitter staying healthy all year. With Judge as the DH, the Yankees could slide fourth outfielder Trent Grisham into the lineup, or give more chances to other hitters in camp competing for a larger role on the team. 

The silver lining is Stanton’s injury woes are at the onset of the season, rather than in the middle of a pennant race. The Yankees have options to stay afloat while he’s sidelined and, until then, they can learn about the strengths of their new lineup without him. At this point in his career, Stanton’s greatest asset is being dangerous for the Yankees in the playoffs, and spring is only just beginning. For now, time is on the Yankees’ side.

“G was so steady for us last year,” Boone said. “Obviously, what he did in the postseason and just his presence in the middle … there’s no sugarcoating that. We miss that presence. But hopefully we get him right before too long, and we’ll get him back in the middle [of the lineup] in due time.”

Deesha Thosar is a MLB reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for four years as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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