Brian Cashman wasted no time making his pivot from Juan Soto after the superstar free agent signed with the rival Mets this past winter, swinging a trade for Cody Bellinger less than a week later while signing Max Fried as well.
The Plan B initiative also included signing Paul Goldschmidt and trading for superstar closer Devin Williams, and on Sunday night, for one night, the Bombers new faces showed that the grass could be greener on the other side.
In the Yankees’ 8-2 win in the Bronx to take the Subway Series, Bellinger provided the decisive blast with a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eight inning to blow the game open, fittingly soaring over Soto’s head and into the right field seats to ignite a celebration inside Yankee Stadium. Earlier in the inning, Goldschmidt lined a single up the middle to drive in an insurance run and put the Yanks ahead 4-2. In the top half of the inning, Devin Williams breezed through a scoreless frame, logging a strikeout while not allowing a baserunner, making it five straight outings where he hasn’t allowed a run.
Williams was one of the three bullpen arms to come on in relief of Fried, who allowed just two runs in six innings of work, striking out eight along the way, including one punchout where he completely overpowered Soto, ending the at-bat on a backwards K off a filthy curveball. Fried’s ERA now stands at 1.29.
Meanwhile, Soto heard loud boos throughout the weekend and finished the series 1-10 with three strikeouts and no extra-base hits. But Bellinger had two three-hit games in this series, driving in seven runs, scored four, and has raised his season OPS by 176 points since the calendar flipped to May.
Fried has filled in seamlessly as the unquestioned ace of the staff when Gerrit Cole went down for the year. Bellinger has seemingly come alive, batting .351 this month while providing a major defensive upgrade in the outfield. Goldschmidt is third in all of baseball in batting average, while Williams, after a nightmarish start, is looking more and more like his peak self. It’s still very early, but Sunday’s win provided a statement for the Yankees and their Plan B initiative after Soto bolted for Queens. Soto’s contributions to the Yanks in his lone season in pinstripes were undeniable, but right now, so are the contributions from the players that took his place.