Aug 17, 2020; Bronx, New York, USA; A general view of rain falling on the New York Yankees logo on the first base dugout roof during a rain delay in the game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Sunday was a day to celebrate for the New York Mets, as they welcomed superstar outfielder Juan Soto to training camp in Port St. Lucie.
Soto, who signed a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract, is just as eager to take the field as the fans are. His batting practice session increased the excitement even further, as the Mets are widely expected to have one of the best lineups in the majors; in addition to Soto, the return of Pete Alonso and the electric play of Francisco Lindor will set up a fearsome triple-threat, while the likes of Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos extends the heart of the order.
Notably, the Mets managed to lure Soto away from their cross-town rivals, the New York Yankees - and it didn't take long for his absence in the lineup to hurt them.
Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who joined Soto and Aaron Judge in the heart of the Yankees' order last season, is reportedly dealing with discomfort in both of his elbows. Manager Aaron Boone described it as "something akin to tennis elbow". While Boone expressed optimism that the 35-year-old slugger would be ok, his status for Opening Day is now unclear.
Stanton, who the Mets know well due to his time with the Miami Marlins, is one of the league's most fearsome power hitters when healthy. Sadly, injuries have limited his playing time in recent years.
The Mets' signing of Soto clearly hurt the Yankees' lineup - Soto had the best season of his career last year by hitting .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs, a 180 wRC+, and 8.1 fWAR - and with Stanton potentially on the shelf, it is being exacerbated.
The Yankees still have Aaron Judge, who is arguably the best hitter in all of baseball. However, much of their lineup is surrounded by question marks, depending on younger players breaking out and veteran players recreating past success or staying healthy. When Soto played in the Bronx in 2024, he played to the back of his baseball card along with Judge to anchor the lineup; even then, the rest of the lineup after that dynamic duo was prone to slumps, which highlighted a lack of depth.
In sharp contrast, the Mets had built a strong lineup in 2024, led by Lindor, Alonso, and Vientos. Lindor, who finished second in NL MVP voting, hit .304/.374/.554 with 26 home runs, 82 runs scored, and a 160 wRC+ as a leadoff hitter. Alonso, despite having a down year by his standards with a career-low .788 OPS, still hit 34 home runs and has hit at least 30 in every full season of his career. Finally, Vientos enjoyed a breakout campaign by slashing .266/.322/.516 with a 133 wRC+. Adding Soto to the mix makes that lineup even deadlier, while simultaneously weakening the lineup of their cross-town foes.
The Yankees managed to address the loss of Soto by improving their pitching and defense, which sets them up well to defend their American League crown. But with Stanton, one of their most important bats, potentially missing time, their already-suspect lineup depth will be tested.
And that can be traced back to the Mets one-upping their older brother, gaining the offensive advantage (on paper) in this year's Subway Series.