SAN DIEGO — The Yankees obtained their man, the person they needed to have. Aaron Decide is the one who saved their 2022 season, and now Aaron Decide has helped them save their offseason. Are you able to think about the place the Yankees could be with out Decide? Fortunately, now they — and all their followers — don’t should.
The deal for Decide was the precise one, logical and honest. He will get $360 million over 9 years, a fair $40 million a 12 months. And in contrast to most of the contracts we’ve heard about this winter — particularly for pitchers — it's a deal that is sensible.
Decide, 30, is the highest-paid place participant within the sport now, as he needs to be. He's not solely the face of essentially the most storied franchise however the face of baseball. Past being the very best place participant within the sport, Decide is the very best advertising and marketing man as nicely (tied with Shohei Ohtani), promoting jerseys and extra by the truckload, through his on-field exploits.
Higher but, he wins video games. The WAR stat prompt he was about an 11-win participant in 2022, when he carried the Yankees on his again for half a season. That determine doesn’t do him a lot justice. Whereas many of the different fundamental on a regular basis Yankees have been hobbled or slumping for months, Decide put collectively a season for the ages in that incredible second half alone.
The Yankees completely needed to have him, they usually knew it. When a pair false studies began to flow into (together with one by me on Twitter) it appeared he was heading to the Giants, of us within the Yankees room mentioned it was “like a morgue,” which is comprehensible. Sorry about that.
The Yankees had a proposal in for eight years and $320 million. As soon as Decide knowledgeable Hal Steinbrenner that he had bigger affords, Steinbrenner added a 12 months and one other $40 million. Whereas the Yankees tried to get a deal to start out the winter, it is a determine extra befitting Decide’s standing within the sport. He's on the high of the heap, and needs to be there financially as nicely.
Anyway, this was a necessity for the Yankees, who've all the time been star-driven, and way back to a few of us can bear in mind, have all the time received (30 years and counting with profitable information). The choice would have been unthinkable.
Had Decide gone “dwelling” to San Francisco (he’s truly from Linden, Calif., two hours away) and even to the shock San Diego Padres, who obtained concerned late, it will have been a catastrophe.
Oh, there are some excellent gamers left in free company. Rising lefty Carlos Rodon had a really good 2022 season, and has earned a giant contract. Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson are terrific shortstops, however the actuality is the Yankees are deeper at that place than wherever else, with youngsters Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe believed prepared to hitch Isiah Kiner-Falefa in prime time now.
Decide is the one they needed to have. The Yankees have all the time been about stars, and since historical past — if not their followers — calls for it. Decide can be higher off holding the legacy of the pinstripes, to make certain, however the group completely wanted him.
There are few 99-win groups dominated by one man because the Yankees have been by Decide, and whereas nobody ought to anticipate him to repeat his 2022 season and break the American League dwelling run report once more, they'd barely be the Yankees with out him. Giancarlo Stanton is a positive slugger, Anthony Rizzo an underrated star and Gerrit Cole a real ace. When wholesome, it’s a strong roster even past these glorious gamers.
However with out Decide, it is a crew that wins within the 80s, and worse it's a crew that lacks pizzazz. The Yankees have been must-watch TV in 2022 (test the YES scores), and they are going to be once more with Decide.
Past being the very best participant, he's the chief, and a positive one at that. When slumping gamers invariably want a pick-me-up, Decide is true there. Some have had the captain title and failed to satisfy the duties, Decide does it with out the credit score of the C (although the Yankees ought to make that official now).
He was an ideal participant and individual in 2022, by no means displaying any frustration and all the time holding his cool. You would possibly recommend there was nothing to be sad about, however there are all the time lots of ups and downs in a 162-game season, even a personally historic one. Decide didn’t even enunciate his unhappiness over the Yankees’ choice to disclose their spring supply till Tuesday in a Time journal article that was well-timed for him.
Decide handles disappointments and slights like virtually nobody else. One thing tells me Yankees followers wouldn’t have dealt with it as nicely had he gone dwelling to California, and I wouldn’t have blamed them for any response.
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