WASHINGTON — The two greatest hitters on the planet occupy the heart of the same lineup, and that may never happen again.
The man who has punished more baseballs harder than any since that sort of thing became measurable is healthy, upright and productive, and the conditions required to maintain those factors is delicate.
What we are witnessing with these New York Yankees is not the dawn of a glorious era, or the emergence of an indomitable force. Instead, it is simply a moment in time in which Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton align as the Nos. 2-3-4 hitters in the Yankees lineup, a trio offering a statistical smorgasbord on which to gorge, yet something much rarer in a sport that is more grind than glitz.
Spectacle.
It was striking enough when Judge, the 6-foot-7 center fielder, and Stanton, the 6-6 slugger, shared outfield space and consecutive spots in the lineup. If the Yankees are arguably the biggest brand in North American sports, you oughta know when they come to town. Those guys checked that box ever since Stanton joined Judge in 2018.
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
The winter trade for Soto checked another. If Judge and Stanton are publicly low key and now on the wrong side of 30, Soto – a mere 6-2 and 225 pounds – makes up for his mortal stature with Hall of Fame-level production that began when he was 19 and has reached a newer level at the still-precocious age of 25.
Together, they represent both the Yankees’ best shot at a championship since 2009 and a crucible for opposing pitchers.
“Those are three incredibly dangerous men,” says manager Aaron Boone.
An uncertain winter, when Soto likely cracks the $500 million mark as a free agent, awaits. For now, a historic season will continue unfolding.
Take it up a notch
Make no mistake: These Yankees are as vulnerable as any flawed ballclub in this season of no likely 100-game winners.
At 78-56, they are nursing a one-game lead in the AL East over the Baltimore Orioles, a pitched battle that’s seen the lead change hands four times in the last two months, and likely won’t be decided until the season’s penultimate series, at Yankee Stadium in September. They’re prone to dropping series to inferior teams, such as the two games they lost at Washington, when their power trio went a combined 4 for 34.
Yet as Boone noted after Wednesday’s 5-2 loss, he will take the odds his club will produce more nights than not.
That’s largely because Judge, aided by Soto, has produced one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history.
The rampage began after a brief, sluggish start: Starting April 27, Judge went on a 102-game heater in which he batted .375 and hit 47 home runs, an unprecedented stretch in major league history.
He’s hit 51 home runs through 134 games, putting him on pace to equal his AL-record 62 home runs set in 2022. Yet this is Judge’s most complete season: He once again leads the majors in OPS (1.198), on-base (.467) and slugging (.731) percentage, RBI (123) and is second in batting average (.333, 22 points above his career high in ’22).
Judge has already joined Babe Ruth as the lone players with three 50-homer seasons who aren’t significantly tied to performance-enhancing drug use.
Similarly, with an adjusted OPS of 229 to pair with his 210 mark in 2022, he’d be the first player to post multiple seasons that far above league average production since Barry Bonds produced four consecutive years with an adjusted OPS between 231 and 268 from 2001-2004.
“Seeing it from his side is great,” says Soto, acquired from the San Diego Padres in a December blockbuster as, essentially, a hired gun for this season. “I’m lucky to see him every time, hitting behind me.
“It’s different to see it from the other side but when you’re with him, you really enjoy it.”
Oh, but Soto has found another level, as well.
He’s on Judge’s tail in almost all major categories, the current silver medalist in both OPS (1.011) and OBP (.421). His 37 home runs are already a career high – he hit 35 in San Diego last year – and his .291 average would be his best since hitting .313 in 2021.
“Just watching Juan hit every single day is amazing,” says Yankees reliever Tim Hill, who was Soto’s teammate for two seasons in San Diego. “I feel lucky to be able to just watch him every day.”
And the fringe benefits of hitting before Judge are painfully clear.
Soto’s six multi-homer games lead the majors. He homered in four consecutive at-bats from Aug. 13-14. He also leads the majors in walks for the fourth time, with 109.
Is Soto seeing better pitches to hit in his first season batting in front of Judge?
“One hundred percent,” he says.
You’d think Soto might just have baseball’s greatest gig. And with the Yankees – current estimated franchise value north of $7.5 billion – able to pay him almost anything they want, signing for good would seem to make sense for all parties.
Yet Soto has walked an almost unprecedented path to free agent riches.
He was a World Series champion by his 21st birthday, when the 2019 Washington Nationals rode his 34 homers, .949 OPS and .927 postseason mark to a stirring upset of the Houston Astros. He was gone less than three years later, stunned by a trade to San Diego after prudently declining the Nationals’ 15-year, $440 million offer.
And now, he’s playing mercenary, dealt from the Padres to the Yankees for a one-year run at a championship – all at the tender age of 25.
It’s a platform year far different than the only other players in this decade to hit free agency at such a prime age. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado knew only of Washington and Baltimore, save for Machado’s two months as a Dodger, before cracking the $300 million barrier at age 26, for Philadelphia and San Diego, respectively.
Soto’s experience has taught him the value of controlling his future. With super agent Scott Boras primed to field offers and clubs like the crosstown Mets readying for a big play, the buzz from whatever happens in October will be replaced by a sober and very lucrative reality.
“Right now, I play for the Yankees, I’m happy where I’m at,” Soto said this week.
“And we’ll see what happens in free agency.”
If it is just one year in the Bronx, that outcome could very well be determined by the third giant among them.
Nothing but a G thing
Asked what allows Judge to be the slugger he is, Soto deadpans: “He’s 6-7.”
And it’s true: The game’s titans of exit velocity are all giants, led by Judge’s 95.9 mph average on 331 batted balls. Shohei Ohtani (6-4, 95.2) and Oneil Cruz (6-7, 95.1) are second and third, while Stanton and Soto are fourth and fifth.
Yep, the Yankees boast three of the top five hardest hitters in the game, batting consecutively. But sometimes, more size brings more problems.
Judge might be amid an historic three-year run had he not torn a ligament in his right big toe making a catch against – and breaking – the right field bullpen gate at Dodger Stadium in June 2023. He’d hit 19 homers in 49 games but missed the next 42 with the toe injury. He “settled” for 37 homers and a 1.031 OPS in 131 games.
Stanton, meanwhile, has battled injury much of his career, that muscular 6-6 frame prone to the occasional soft tissue malady. He hasn’t played more than 139 games since 2018, his first year in New York, and in 2023 struggled to a .191 average and .695 OPS, managing 24 home runs in 101 games.
This year, a left hamstring strain in June sent him to the injured list for the eighth time in six seasons and sidelined him for 30 games. Yet unlike past years, the ailment will not define Stanton’s season.
He’s hit 23 homers in 90 games and his .776 OPS – 116 adjusted – are both his best since 2021, when he clubbed 35 homers. Stanton leads active players with 425 career home runs, and should post the eighth 30-homer season of his career.
Most important: When he’s available, the Yankees are the best team in baseball this year.
New York is 58-33 when Stanton’s in the lineup – a .637 winning percentage and a 103-win pace – and 20-23 when he’s not. Yes, it’s about production – but also presence.
“He’s been a threat. Every day he’s been in there,” says Boone. “I feel like he’s been very consistent this year, just with the quality of at-bat. Whether you get him out a couple times, he’s really good at going to school on pitchers.
“They may make him look bad at a certain time. But he’s really good at turning the page. All season long, that real threat in the middle of the lineup behind the two big guys.”
For now, it’s a big three. Judge is a forever Yankee, the captain serving the second year of a nine-year, $360 million contract. After this season, Stanton has three years and $96 million remaining on his $325 million deal, with the Miami Marlins paying $20 million of that.
Throw in ace Gerrit Cole’s $324 million deal and lefty Carlos Rodon’s $162 million pact, and there’s four guys already lugging nine-figure contracts around.
Soto? He is a lock to vault way past Judge’s then-record $360 million free agent deal, and almost certainly the estimated $460 million present-day value of Ohtani’s extremely-deferred $700 million deal.
The Yankees certainly have the wherewithal to retain him, so long as they can stomach at least a couple more years of luxury tax pain. Yet October, judgment month for any Yankee, has a funny way of affecting mutual vibes.
A championship may bring a sense of finality, or maybe slake the thirst for more. Falling short might create the feeling of unfinished business, or maybe a cleave in the relationship.
Those are problems for another month. For now, the planets are aligned. Soto is in place. Stanton is healthy. Judge remains generational.
The Yankees are figuratively larger than life. Whether they can live up to that stature will make the next two months a wild ride.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.