That misbegotten sense of hope. Remember it? Those brief moments, last week, when you forgot to stay supremely negative, and you let yourself drool happily into your egg cream? What if Bellinger and Goldschmidt both return to MVP form? We'd have the AL's best lineup!
Yeahp, remember that? We toyed with the order, like a cat with supper. Does Judge bat 2nd or 3rd? Does Wells hit ahead of or behind Goldschmidt?
And when we imagined Giancarlo Stanton, we saw him in the playoffs last October, hitting moonshots and stealing 2nd.
The baseball world saw a postseason titan, a mighty slugger, capable of carrying a team. And we let down our guard...
Fools.
So... by now, you've heard the news: Giancarlo Stanton has two inflamed elbows and will likely miss opening day. Add this to the fact that the man could not run last October - he seems to pull an invisible tractor - and suddenly, that fearsome batting order looks like a taxi squad from Oakland, or Sacramento, or wherever the A's will play this season. (By the way, I've decided they will be "Oakland" this year, and maybe for the rest of my life. No "Gulf of America." No "Sacramento A's." I'm keeping it simple.)
But here's the kicker: After a winter of big moves and fine tuning, the Yankees enter 2025 with a massive hole at DH, in the heart of their lineup, and have nobody to replace the 35-year-old, chronically injured Stanton.
Wait. I take it back. There's Trent Grishham. (Nine HRs and a .191 BA last year.) Or Dominic Smith, on loan from Scranton. Or another 2023 scrap heap mashup of Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun and Franchy Cordero. Can Slade Heathcott come out of retirement?
One day into camp, and Stanton is hurt. Can't swing. Can't run. Wow.
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“Stanton informed reporters on Monday morning that he has not swung a bat in three to four weeks and that the pain level he has been experiencing is “very high.” He also described the pain as “definitely not just soreness.” Stanton mentioned that he has tears in the tendons of both of his elbows. Surgery is not being considered at this time, but Stanton warned that overworking his elbows could lead to a worst-case scenario. Therefore, the Yankees will proceed with caution.”
I would have shared more but I rolled my eyes so far up that I can only see the insides of my brain right now.
I’ve been informed by my training staff that a few strong cups of coffee will release the the eyes, but we don’t want to rush it. I’m going to probably deal with some maintenance with it throughout the year but just don’t want to force anything too early.
(typing the the was just a symptom of my current condition and was not meant to be a slight in any way to musician Matt Johnson - my intensive coffee therapy continues…)
That's pretty funny, AA!
Yeah...first week of spring training—and he can't play. Also, I wonder what the "worst-case scenario" could possibly be. Stanton is declared out for the whole season, and the Yanks have to find a new bat? Yeah, that would rob us of all the joy of another season wondering every two weeks if he will come back, how bad he will be when he comes back, etc.
How could we EVER live without that?
Of course, if we had picked up Alonso on a one-year contract, for a pittance, then we could have put him on first and let Goldschmidt DH. Hardly ideal, but—
Oh, what the hell am I bothering with such scenarios for??? Let's just settle back into the 2025 Season of Schadenfreude! Close your eyes, put a warm compress over your eyes, and just think of HAL fuming on his yacht over how Giancarlo is going to lap up another $32 million of his money without playing a blessed inning.
Meant to write, "relative pittance." But you get the idea. And just a great good thing that we never even thought of signing that Freddie Freeman bum.
After all the copious complaints about Stanton, maybe some wishes have come true. We now have flexibility at DH, so Judge and Goldie and the Martian can all get some games in without having to go out and play defense. In fact, if the Martian hasn't improved his fielding, that might be a good spot for him most days.
Whatever. Although I'm probably the only one here who thinks we're better with him than without him, Stanton's time may be coming to an unexpected end.
Stanton has never been on the positive side of the hope ledger.
It would be interesting and possibly possible ("possibly possible" sounds like something Mary Poppins might say) that he decides he's had enough money and suffering and retires. ("Money and Suffering" sounds like a good title for a biography of Hal. He has the money. We do the suffering.
This of course comes as no surprise to any observant Yankee fan, we having been watching it over the last several years. This guy is literally breaking down like an old car and illustrates, once again, the foolishness of long term contracts. In one sense DH is the easiest spot to fill (any player can do it ) but on a team with so many holes it just exposes how poorly contracted the roster really is. Best case scenario is that it will force the team to give an opportunity to a younger player who can handle playing the field. Unfortunately, the team has shown itself as woefully inept at developing young hitters. Steingrubber has already frozen the payroll, so it’s back to the scrap heap for cashman. Boone will soon be given a shiny new contract extension. Let the gaslighting begin!
Stanton won't retire. Why would he when he can pull an Ellsbury?
Perhaps Stanton tore his elbow tendons when bench pressing that model.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1YTyiWbjn9/
Since when do I "forget" to remain negative? What is going on here!?
And one lack of heart!
one eye has dropped back down into place and is regaining functionality.
more updates to come - now on to coffee number four . . .
Did he just wake up yesterday to discover his elbows were bothering him? I mean, where was he these past several months? Dollars to donuts he's on his way to the Ellsbury Memorial Ward. The guy is a mess. In spite of JM's unwavering support for him, I can only hope we never see him in pinstripes ever again.
And a fond thank you to The Intern for bringing this lumbering heap of rubbish to us. Derek Jeter must wake up every morning smiling.
I realize my position is not too popular, but the guy is mostly suffering from a too-big contract. If he was making a third or a half of what he gets, I think the criticisms would be milder.
Still, I do think we're better with than without him. (Cue Bono.)
If Stanton is through, Hall won't lose a penny. He must have insurance on him. And it must be expensive.
From a contract/production standpoint, he's been a bust. But it isn't for lack of talent. He's just not fit enough to play for extended periods of time. Does performing enhancement supplements play a large role in this? I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. His ailments seem to coincide with what many juicers experience. The breakdown of the entire muscular-skeletal system. Especially joints and supporting muscles and tendons. Some claim it's due to having a jacked-up, muscle-bound physique. I don't buy that. Other ripped or beefy players throughout baseball history were prodigious home run hitters or at least supplied consistent power. Especially pre-steroid era. A lot of Ks, sure, but not the persistent body breakdown we see today.
I have had surgery to correct tennis elbow/torn tendons in both elbows and it is a long process of recovery - months to years of rest and physical therapy as tendons heal very slowly. There is a very good chance that we have seen the last of Mr. Stanton.
Carl, I do think PEDs--actually, maybe stopping PEDs--cause physical breakdowns a la Jason Giambi.
If a player retires, his contract is terminated. He is owed $66M by the team. (Note: 2027 is a strike/lockout year.) Nobody is going retire with that much money on the table. Stanton will simply wait to be released.
That sounds like quite an ordeal. Jesus.
Same here. If I’m breathing, I’m bitching.
JD Martinez still out there I believe. He stank from August on last year but there could still be a little gas left in the tank. Just sayin'.
In other shocking news, Frankie Montas is injured.
PS, I hope the Yankees can win the wild card play I game this year.
Did Frankie consider an endorsement tie-in:
"I like a DL stint because it freshens my arm, just like mentos freshen my breath.
I'm Montas, mental for mentos. "
Gee, why would we worry about Stanton, the guy who has not played more than 110 games or hit higher than .233 since 2021? The man who has driven in (exactly) 100 runs (exactly) once for the Yankees?
Would he have been a useful player with a much lower contract? Maybe. But the contract is what it's all about. The contract is what kept HAL from signing Martinez in the first place. The contract is what has precluded HAL from potentially signing all kinds of other, more worthwhile players.
Wait, Derek Jeter? You mean the same Derek Jeter who made a fortune in baseball, lives on an enormous estate, and is married to a gorgeous fashion model? Yeah, I suspect he wakes up smiling, all right. Before Giancarlo Stanton even enters his mind.
That's probably it from Stanton, career-wise. Both elbows? Body's breaking down after years of enhanced...I mean intense, of course...exercise.
So Stanton has been in considerable pain for over a year now. And The Brain quickly moved and signed couple of reasonably priced replacements. The Brain struck... like Thunderball. Only that scenario plays only in a fool's paradise. Unfuckingbelievable. The only way to describe the management. Who fills this hole, Spencer Davis,er, Jones? And currently the upper minors are effectively bare. If Stanton is hurt for an extended time, this season is over. Worse yet is that can be said for roughly five or. six players with our brittle paper thin roster. This might turn into the year of the Great teardown.
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