by Nicholas Cicalese ’18, Staff Writer

Is it really a wonder why those who despise the Yankees refer to “The Evil Empire?” They already had one massive, MVP-caliber right fielder. Now they have two.

By now, you have likely heard that the Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton, last year’s major league home run king and National League MVP.

The trade that sent Stanton to the Bronx sent all-star second baseman Starlin Castro and a pair of middling prospects to the Miami Marlins. Additionally, the Yankees will pay about 90% of the remaining $295 million on Stanton’s massive contract.

Despite Castro’s talent, this is a lopsided trade. The Yankees were able to get a superstar player at such a low price because Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman did what he does so often and so well: he took advantage of a desperate team.

Cashman took advantage of the Cubs and the Indians in 2016. Both were serious contenders for that year’s World Series, but both were in need of back-end bullpen pitchers. He was able to deal Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller respectively, and get massive hauls in return.

Now, he has taken advantage of a Marlins team that is deeply in debt, a team that was looking for any way they could to unload Stanton’s contract, which is the largest contract the history of United States professional sports.

After the 2017 season, it was clear that Yankees were already one of Major League Baseball’s elite teams. Following this trade, the Yankees and the Houston Astros are the two best teams in baseball; they are better than their next closest competitor by a significant margin.

The Yankees have an incredible amount of talent including Aaron Judge, the American League MVP runner-up, an award which many people believe he was robbed of; Gary Sanchez, who is already the best offensive catcher in baseball; Luis Severino, the 23 year-old Cy Young (the award for the best pitcher in each league) caliber pitcher; and many more.

But with this incredible talent level come incredibly high expectations to match. It will be interesting to see how Aaron Boone, former player and first-year manager, manages these expectations.

Boone will also have to juggle an overcrowded outfield, an outfield that boasts 6 players capable of playing at a major league level but only 3 positions.

The most serious concern right now for the Yankees is third base. Todd Frazier has signed with the New York Mets, and Chase Headley was traded to San Diego. Right now, untested prospect Miguel Andujar would likely be the opening day starter.

The Yankees are committed to staying under the 2018 luxury tax, so that they can spend big on the talented 2019 free agent pool. They are currently about $15 million under the luxury tax threshold, so there is some money to sign a third baseman.

These are really the only problems that the Yankees have. These issues may sound serious, but they pale in comparison to the problems of every other team in baseball, even the Astros (weak bullpen).

Much has been made of the Yankees’ starting pitching situation being a weakness, but it is actually one of the team’s strengths. Their projected rotation is:

1. Luis Severino.
2. Masahiro Tanaka, who had a stellar September and postseason last year.
3. Sonny Gray, 2014 Cy Young winner.
4. CC Sabathia, the savvy veteran who was superb all year, especially in the playoffs.
5. Jordan Montgomery, a left-hander who quietly had an excellent rookie year last season, posting a 3.88 ERA.

With all of these factors in mind, I feel comfortable proclaiming the Yankees the best team in baseball. Winning a championship will still be incredibly difficult, but the Yankees have the best chance of the 30 major league teams.

These past few months have been tough for New York fans (looking at you New York Giants). However, these fans can revel in the fact that the Yankees, the most successful sports franchise on Earth, are back, a fact that will dismay the majority of the country.

Elite? Certainly. Likeable? Definitely not, as this image compares them to the “Evil Empire” from Star Wars, a nickname that the team’s fans have embraced ever since a Red Sox team executive labeled them as such in 2002. (Image courtesy Bleacher Report)