So did anything happen of note in Yankeeland during the off season? Let’s see…
First there was Juan Soto. I think I knew it was coming while I was sitting on the couch shortly after the Yankees’ self-destruction in the final game of the World Series. As the Dodgers were celebrating on the Yankee Stadium infield, I told my wife (a passive Dodger fan who grew up in a Dodger household thirty minutes from Dodger Stadium) that I would never get over that loss. Twenty minutes later manager Aaron Boone would share that he’d told the team, “This stings, and it will always sting.” Twenty minutes after that — and after we had heard from one devastated Yankee after another — Juan Soto looked into the cameras and, presumably with suffering teammates standing within earshot, announced that he was a free agent available to all thirty teams.
The timing of an announcement that only told us what everyone already knew was worse than salt in the fresh wound. We know that baseball is a business, but it was telling that Soto couldn’t even respect the moment. It was akin to standing up at your grandmother’s funeral and asking when the will would be read. So even though I was disappointed when he signed with the Mets a few weeks later, I was neither surprised by his decision nor bothered that the Yankees had allowed themselves to be outbid. Is it petty that I can’t wait to hear the boos the first time he returns to the Stadium? Perhaps.
But then there was Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt. It was a free agent haul reminiscent of 2008 when C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett arrived in the Bronx, and when reliever Devon Williams was added via trade, optimism was high. The Yankees suddenly had one of the best starting staffs in baseball, a dominant bullpen, a much improved defense, and perhaps a more balanced offense. They were the overwhelming favorites in the American League, and even though the Dodgers were playing with Monopoly money and creating a team that appears significantly better than their 2024 version, I still felt great about the Yankees’ chances at improving on last season’s result.
But then.
Gerrit Cole was scratched from a spring training start because he wasn’t feeling right, and I was mildly concerned. The team announced that he was flying north for tests, and I was more than a little nervous. After they got those test results back and that announced Cole was seeking other opinions, I knew the worst was coming. When everyone finally admitted that Cole would need Tommy John surgery and miss the 2025 season, the news came just a week or so after we heard that last year’s Rook of the Year, Luís Gil, would miss at least three months with an arm injury of his own, and just a week or so before we’d learn that Giancarlo Stanton, inexplicably, had tennis elbow in both elbows and would also begin the year on the injured list.
It was a lot.
The Yankees take the field in just a few hours, and even with all of the injuries, I’m still looking forward to the season. We’ll get to watch Aaron Judge again, we’ll finally get to see a full season of Jasson Domínguez, the star we’ve been wishing on for seven years now, and we’ll get to watch the continued development of Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells. We’ll get to watch baseball. Oh, and like it or not, there will be beards.
Let’s go, Yankees!
Happy Baseball!
I’m disappointed that Hal got outbid. Say what you will about The Boss (and I’ll be right there with you) but he’d never let the frigging Mets outbid him.
As for Juan, I’m a free market Capitalist. I harbor no ill will. Best of luck to him.
To be clear, I don't mind that Soto took the highest offer, I'm just bothered by the way he did it.
Let's Go YANK-EES!
Huzzah! Happy Opening Day, all. Go Yankees! Go Baseball. I ordered my not so wee one anymore a Rizzuto shirt yesterday because someone hits 10 in a few weeks. Sob. Time flies!
Scooter!
Love it.
A friend once told me his favorite Scooter in the broadcast booth story. One day, Bill White took a moment to send his very best wishes to little Timmy so-and-so at Sloan Kettering who was recovering from surgery.
To which, Rizzuto replied: “Oh, jeez, White, you gotta be pretty sick to be at Sloan Kettering.”
True or apocryphal, I don’t know. But who cares? It sounds like something he’d say!
Happy Opening Day all.
oh my. Let's Go Yankees!
There ya go ski!
Nice way to start the season, Mr. Wells.
Hell yeah! Atta boy, Volpe!
I'm not able to watch.
Goddam it.
Trying to use mlb . tv but it's not loading.
Holy Christ! Wtf was that?
Missed up til now. Had to take the parents to the drug store. Aw jeez better be nothing, Rodon.
Did catch the Volpe HR, because, D’oh, I have the tv app.
[2] I hear you.
[9] so it’s not just me.
Yeah I think the mlb servers are overwhelmed.
Oh my god. We have a man on base!
MLB app is wonky for me. I can't even listen!
Phew!
Hm, four guys with OPS in the 1.000 to 2.500 range, and the other five guys all at zero.
That would be cool, if it stayed like that the whole season.
Ahhhhh.
I accept that RBI hit!
Acceptable
And.... I accept that sac fly too.
As is that sac fly
I hate the MLB app. I pay for Extra Innings via DirecTV, which means I should also be able to watch on my phone using the MLB app. The problem is that it never remembers my credentials, and when you try to authenticate it leads you into a maze of links and verifications that make it seem like they're guarding state secrets. It's the absolute worst. So I'm currently sitting in my classroom listening to it on the radio. But my ten-year-old self wouldn't believe that I'm complaining about something like this, so I'll just be happy that the Yanks are winning.
[21] Well, it's fricken blacked out anyway, for some reason. I don't see any explanation for why on the mlb.tv site. I can watch the Orioles, but not the Yankees.
Heh, "like they're guarding state secrets..." So probably we can just watch on Signal!
Fortunately, rbj and I are entering the requisite two Acceptances for the add-on runs. It's not a glamorous job, but someone has to do it.
Nice, Weaver.
[22] I think that’s because it’s a four letter network game.
Um?
So we got Todd Jones as our closer?
Whew.
Pheeeeewwww!
Yeah, it was nationally televised, that's why, you're right.
phew!
Happy Baseball everyone ... life is madness at the moment, know that I love you all and will try and drop in as the madness allows.
Go Yankees!
I found last years team supremely unlikeable for a while but they kept winning and won me over a bit and got to the WS. (Fully acknowledge their job isn’t to appeal to me.).
I’m still salty about Boone and Cashman coming back and assume we’ll be bemoaning roster construction and in game decisions soon enough, but why kvetch about that on Opening Day.
With the injuries to start this year it’d be easy to go all pessimistic from day one, but I’m going to try and follow and enjoy this team as I would’ve in high school. Every day a new chapter. Today’s was good.
The game is blacked out on my streaming tv. Have to watch on my phone.
Belly to belly to belly!
This is not really what I expected from the Yankees. But I'm nog complaining.
Holy cow! Glad I made it home for the 1st inning. History! 75 in the bronx? Wtf? It's 34 in Rochester.
This is not good.
And worse
Lame. Routine freaking comebacker.
It's important to be able to throw well, in baseball.
The Bronx Bombers are back.
Hitting the ball very hard is probably more important than the throwing part, though.
All rise. Double digit salami!
I've lost count.
Five off Nestor, one off this other guy?
No, two.
Jesus.
Anyone here order a score truck?
Yowza.
Probably Jazz told himself this morning that he wanted to homer, to do something special. But then it turned out he had to homer just so he wouldn't feel left out.
Wow, if we weren't hitting eleven teen home runs, the defense would be infuriating.
Yeah, Reyes picked a good day to boot the ball all over the infield but it’s not a great look.
I’d give Judge the rest of the day off. Don’t get greedy and don’t risk anything.
My god.
I dunno, Knuckles. You don't want to see him have a shot at history?
JFC. All hit no catch.
Not with this defense like this. First hot day of an early season etc.
Rather see him make history over 600 AB’s this summer.
Maybe just watch the bottom of innings??
Anything happen since Judge’s third homer? I had to drive dad to the grocery store.
[55] Yes. Someone by mistake put a circle on the bottom of the fifth on the scoreboard where we usually get an indicator of run-scoring.
Rats, only an RBI double for Judge.
Booooo.
Booo Aaron Judge.
That's only half of what we were looking for!
Thanks. My fault for not watching.
Not a bad day for Judge. Not bad at all.
Number Nine!
Good to see the bottom of the lineup contribute. And the bench. At the same time.
Aw nerts
I accept that win. Just not the defense
Boo, only a lead off single.
All rise yet again!
Holy cow.
6 first inning home runs, the rest of baseball, 5
Rice-a-roni!
Rice joins the party
I wonder how many abs Rice gets this year?
Uncle Ben's converted Rice!
Okay that doesn't make any sense, I just thought it sounded funny.
I was also thinking, "Max Fried" sounds like one of the meal deals at KFC. You get French fries, some drumsticks, and some fried pickles.
Jazzercise!
That's it.
Just walk Judge, you'd much rather pitch to Jazz. Good move.
That Dominguez "catch" does not inspire much confidence that his defense is going to be any better this year.
99% of left fielders make that catch. Sigh.
Wow, terrible ball/strike calling.
Judge should have walked on pitch five, but then on 3-2 he got it back, pitch clearly in the zone called ball four.
I accept that run.
Even though nobody homered.
Run scoring WP/PB are acceptable.
And I'll take that one too, even though Volpe got robbed.
Low pitches called strikes all day today.
Yeah I like Mark Jr.
Glad we got him.
RISP hits? Who is this team and what have they done with the Yankees?
Lol.
That's okay. There's more than one way to fatten the OPS, Aaron.
Babe Chisholm!
Oh wow.
That must be incredibly satisfying.
Jazzamatazz!!!!!
Dang.
This is a very fun start to the season, and a fun game too. And that was a fun at bat.
gg
Second straight game in which we had more runs than hits.
I approve of this series. Just more fielding practice.