Yankees' investment in sluggers pays off: Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton got NY to the World Series

Huge home runs powered the Yankees into and through the playoffs

The New York Yankees earned their first trip to the World Series since 2009 on Saturday, dispatching the Cleveland Guardians to close out the American League Championship Series. When the Yankees do their end-of-year accounting after the World Series, they can credit this season's success to (among other things) their willingness to invest in superstar sluggers.

Historically, few teams love a good home-run hitter more than the Yankees. This is the franchise that Babe Ruth built, after all. The American League's single-season home-run record has belonged to one of three Yankees since 1927. Of the 28 members of the 500-home run club, five suited up for the Yankees at some point or another.

These Yankees, predictably, employ some of the best modern sluggers. There are 25 active players with at least two 35-plus home run seasons to their credit. Three of those players wear pinstripes: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Juan Soto. 

Those three were the first-, third-, and fourth-highest compensated Yankees this season, respectively (ace Gerrit Cole prevented the sweep), and it's fair to write they earned every cent owed to them during the ALCS. Over the five games, they combined to launch nine of New York's 10 home runs and drive in 19 of its 25 runs. 

The Yankees could find out their World Series opponent as soon as Sunday, depending on what happens during NLCS Game 6 between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. But, before then, we here at CBS Sports felt this would be an opportune time to examine the stories and contributions of those aforementioned Yankees sluggers.

Let's get to it.

1. Aaron Judge

His Yankees origin story: Judge is the outlier of the group as the only one drafted and developed by the Yankees themselves. New York popped him with the 32nd pick of the 2013 draft. He's since been, by far, the most productive player of that first round, amassing more than 52 career Wins Above Replacement. According to Baseball Reference, only one other first-rounder that year has topped even 20 WAR: that being Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant, the No. 2 pick that year, at 27.5 WAR.

How he contributed to the pennant win: Judge, of course, helped the Yankees reach this point by authoring what figures to be his second MVP-winning season. He posted a career-high 223 OPS+ and nearly notched his second 60-homer season in three tries. His postseason numbers haven't been as impressive as those regular season marks, but he did hit two home runs and drive in six runs. Those figures include a game-tying home run in the late stages of ALCS Game 3. (The Yankees' bullpen would blow that game.)

The Yankees' investment: The Yankees stepped up when Judge reached free agency the winter before last, keeping him in town by forking over a nine-year pact worth $360 million. 

2. Giancarlo Stanton

His Yankees origin story: Let's face it, the Yankees' acquisition of Stanton during the 2017-18 offseason exemplified why a lot of fans outside of New York loathe the franchise. In essence, the Yankees swooped in and landed a then-four-time All-Star in his prime for a trifling return -- all because the owner of the team he played for didn't want to finance what remained on his lucrative contract. 

How he contributed to the pennant win: Stanton has dealt with myriad injuries during his time in New York, restricting his availability to the extent that he's averaged fewer than 100 games per season. Still, Stanton has been a piston for the Yankees machine this postseason, hitting .294/.385/.794 with five home runs and 11 RBI in nine games. Stanton won the ALCS MVP for a reason, and he ranked second on the Yankees in Championship Win Probability Added. (More on the leader in a moment.)

The Yankees' investment: This is more like the Miami Marlins' investment that the Yankees assumed. Whatever the case, Stanton has a few more seasons to go on his 13-year agreement worth $325 million. He's slated to earn $86 million over the next three campaigns. We'll note that of the three players the Yankees gave up to acquire Stanton -- Starlin Castro, José Devers, and Jorge Guzmán -- only one appeared in MLB this season. That was Devers, who went 1 for 4 in limited action across three games.

3. Juan Soto

His Yankees origin story: Soto has the least amount of service time with the Yankees, joining them last offseason as part of a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres. 

How he contributed to the pennant win: As with Judge, Soto helped the Yankees navigate to this point in part by having a brilliant regular season. His 178 OPS+ was the second highest of his career (and highest for a non-2020 season), and he established a new career-best with 41 home runs. Were it not for Judge's own elite showing this season, Soto would get mentioned as an MVP candidate with greater frequency. Meanwhile, it was Soto, not Stanton, who led the Yankees in Championship Win Probability Added during the ALCS: that's largely because he provided what proved to be the series-winning three-run home run in the 10th inning of Game 5.

The Yankees' investment: So far, the Yankees have only really invested talent in Soto. They traded away a collection of solid or better players, including right-handed starter Michael King and catcher Kyle Higashioka, to add Soto to their lineup for at least a season. The question is … well, what comes next? Soto will qualify for free agency at year's end. If the Yankees stay true to themselves, if they find their love of sluggers validated by this postseason run, then we suspect they'll again step up and hand Soto the massive free-agent contract that he deserves come this offseason.