As Juan Soto arrives, the New York Yankees are rearranging the deck.
In an interview with reporters on Thursday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman revealed that the team has an intriguing plan for former MVP slugger Aaron Judge for the upcoming campaign. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Cashman stated that the Yankees do, in fact, now plan to have Judge play centre field.
Judge switching to centre field makes the most sense from a lineup standpoint, especially considering the Yankees’ recent moves to acquire both Soto and Alex Verdugo, two corner outfielders. The Yankees have Giancarlo Stanton as their everyday designated hitter, but Judge is a capable defensive centre fielder.
But the obvious physical risk that comes with having to cover more ground out there is the clear drawback to playing centre field. Judge has a reputation for being prone to injuries. He already missed a significant amount of play last season due to an injury he sustained while playing in the outfield.
The Yankees were once connected to a former All-Star centre fielder who was a free agent. But based on their actions over the past few days, it appears that the Yankees plan to use Judge as their starting centre fielder going forward and use their free agent money to acquire a quality starting pitcher (possibly this guy).
Leave a Reply