What does this lineup look like after the trade deadline?
Dayne Huber
8/1/2024
What does this lineup look like after the trade deadline?
The Yankees desperately needed help in the infield, so they went out and got that player in Jazz Chisholm. No matter how you look at the Jazz trade, the Yankees have a better player back than they had coming into the deadline. The problem surrounding Jazz has always been health concerns and attitude. In these first five games of his career as a Yankee, you can see the talent and why the Yankees were willing to give up so much to get him. Initially, coming into this trade deadline, most of us were expecting Torres to be dealt and expecting Jazz to take over second base and become a leadoff hitter. We got that all wrong. I do not believe the Yankees intend to make Jazz the everyday second baseman or leadoff hitter. They see him as likely their everyday third-baseman and middle-of-the-order solid bat. The Yankees went out and got the right guy in Jazz. He adds an energy and flare that the Yankees sorely needed. We can see why CC and Jeter were so excited about him coming to the Yankees.
Let’s look at what this lineup looks like around the time September rolls around. To start with, Alex Verdugo will be on the bench when Jason Dominguez returns. Dominguez is the better player and brings dynamic to this team with his power and speed and an elite approach at the plate from both sides, which we still need to improve throughout the lineup. I believe that they have Dominguez in mind as our future leadoff hitter. He brings incredible bat-to-ball skills and can work his way into deep counts and punish the opposing pitcher’s mistake. His ability to hit from both sides of the plate makes him dynamic at the leadoff position. He also has elite power and elite speed. So everyone knows, hitting leadoff is nothing new to Dominguez because that’s where they penciled in going through the system. If you put Dominguez in front of Soto, who is in front of Judge, that is easily the most dynamic 1-2-3 in baseball
The First 3
1 Dominguez CF/ LF SH
2 Soto RF ‘LH
3 Aaron Judge LF RH
That has the potential to be the best 1-2-3 in all of baseball.
The middle of the lineup
4 Austin Wells C LH
Over the last two months, we have seen Wells blossom before our eyes since the Yankees started getting him regular playing time. If you look back at Austin Wells’s numbers for the last two months, you will see that he’s arguably been the most valuable catcher in the American League. Concerns were coming through the system about his defense, and he has put all those concerns to bed. He does a great job handling the staff and is a solid defensive catcher. He is their long-term plan behind the plate. The one thing you have always known about Austin Wells is that he can hit. He hits; in college, he hit in the minor leagues, and now, given the regular playing time, Wells is proving he will hit at the MLB level. Hitting him behind Aaron Judge actually will give Judge excellent protection. Wells works counts well and he has sneaky power and a great eye at the plate. I believe he can be a .275 hitter with 25 to 30 home run power as the primary catcher. Hitting Clean up and catcher should be Wells for the foreseeable future.
5 Stanton DH RH
Coming into this year, I wanted Stanton Gone. I have always thought we should pay for that roster spot and move on from Stanton. Was I wrong about that? Absolutely! We saw the difference in the offense without him in the lineup. His presence alone is a decisive point in this lineup. Stanton has looked much better at the plate this year, and I still believe there is something left in that tank that can contribute to this team from now on. I was wrong that Stanton should be gone, and Stanton should stay at least through next year.
6 Jazz Chisholm 3rd LH
When we made the deal for Jazz, he should hit leadoff and play second base. It’s a good thing Brian Cashman is a lot smarter than I am. Chisholm brings everything that you want as your everyday third baseman. He has the arm and can play the position, which solves a long-term need for this team. There were concerns about Jazz and his attitude while on the Marlins. He’s always been one of the two best players on that team, but he has never had a solid team around him, especially elite veterans like Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Chisholm has always had a talent that has never been the issue, but his ability to reach the ceiling of a star-caliber player has been questioned for several years. Adding Chisholm to guys like Juan Soto and Aaron Judge and being allowed to go to the playoffs and compete for a World Series every year bring out the best player in Chisholm. He brings power from the left-hand side at the plate and has some opposite field power. Chisholm also can steal bases by batting him in this spot in the lineup. It allows him to use his power-speed combination to drive on runs or, when he gets on base, manufacture runs with his speed. I think this will end up being one of the great trades the Yankees made in the long term
The bottom three
7 Gleyber Torres 2B RH
While most of us are tired of seeing him at second base, this organization must believe in his abilities. They easily could have traded Torres but decided to stick with him at second base, at least for the rest of the season. We all know that when Torres gets hot, he can be a very, very good hitter. In this position in the lineup, he brings power, and when he’s on, he can be an incredible hitter. If Torres is your seventh hitter in the lineup, you have a stacked lineup.
8 Ben Rice 1B LH
When Rice debuted, you could immediately see the ability in the bat. His ability to work counts, take walks, hit for average, and hit for significant power make him a solid young talent. Rice is a player that I have liked since his emergence on the scene last year. Rice is our first baseman of the future and should be the long-term answer there. One thing about Rice already, as you can see, is that he has the clutch gene. We’ve seen the three-home run game early in his career and the ability to get on base and even run. Rice is a good enough hitter to hit anywhere in the lineup. You put this line about with Rice as your eighth hitter, and you have an incredible lineup.
9 Anthony Volpe SS RH
Anthony Volpe is still developing. We’ve seen flashes of the great player he can be. His ability to go the other way and to be a terror on the base path makes him the perfect 9-hole hitter. Hitting him 9th here is actually like a second leadoff hitter. Hitting him here makes him dynamic in the 9th spot. Until he develops more, this is the perfect spot to use his speed and ability to get on base and steal bases. With him 9th, this almost becomes a circular lineup, which is what every team dreams up.
Overall lineup
1 Jasson Dominguez CF SH
2 Juan Soto RF LH
3 Aaron Judge LF RH
4 Austin Well C LH
5 Giancarlo Stanton DH RH
6 Jazz Chisholm 3rd base LH
7 Gleyber Torres 2nd Base RH
8 Ben Rice 1st base LH
9 Anthony Volpe SS RH
Final Thoughts
We have all been heavily critical of Brian Cashman and, for the most part, deservedly so, but if you look at the construction of that lineup, it now has every piece you need to go the dynasty-like team. You have two players on that roster over the age of 30. You now have speed, athleticism, the ability to hit for power, the ability to score runs, and the ability to win championships. This is currently one of the best young lineups in all of baseball. Cashman has been trying to get younger and more athletic for years and has done it right before our eyes without even thinking about it. There is a core of the future here, and Juan Soto, Jasson Dominguez, Jazz Chisholm, Austin Wells, Ben Rice, and Anthony Volpe can seriously play together for the next ten years.
Our lineup has everything you want, and we still have the pieces in the farm to improve the team however we want. Yes, they gave up some good prospects, but the prospects they gave up were never going to get a shot with the Yankees. I hated losing Agus Ramirez, but they dealt with the position of strength in the system to get a young, dynamic player in Jazz Chisholm that we did not have in our system. Cashman has done an excellent job assembling a lineup that will compete with anybody scoring runs for the foreseeable future. If the pitching is there this lineup can win in October. This team is now one of the best and most talented lineups in all of baseball, and we have to see if they can put it together to win a championship, not only this year but for multiple years in the future.