After watching superstar outfielder Juan Soto depart for the rival New York Mets, the New York Yankees‘ offseason plans will have to change — drastically, and quickly. Gone is the idea of a decade-plus of World Series contention with Soto anchoring the Bronx Bombers‘ lineup alongside team captain Aaron Judge; in search of their first World Series title since 2009, the Yankees have to pivot to something different in their bid to catch the Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Soto signed with the Mets after agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million contract with the perennially-underachieving Queens-based club; the Yankees offered him a 16th year but $5 million less than their crosstown rivals. While losing a 26-year-old slugger just entering his prime as a player is a body blow, the Yankees — baseball’s winningest team — are in a position to get sweet, sweet revenge.
Yankees can fortify the rest of the roster
While Soto was a major contributor to the Yankees’ success in 2024, he was far from their only elite player. Judge won the AL MVP award hitting behind Soto, although he fizzled out in the postseason; Gerrit Cole, the team’s top right-handed pitcher, won the AL Cy Young Award in 2023 and pitched to a 2.17 ERA in last season’s playoffs.
The Yankees no longer have to fear paying Soto up to $800 million for the next decade-and-a-half; according to Jon Heyman, New York‘s top brass could be breathing a sigh of relief over that fact.
“I would think there are a lot of people in their room who are like, ‘We dodged a bullet. I’m glad we didn’t do this,'” Heyman said on the “Pinstripe Post” podcast.
The failed Soto pursuit could see the Yankees turn toward Pete Alonso, the Mets’ slugging first baseman who is unlikely to return to the team after it signed Soto. Alonso, the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year, has hit 226 home runs over six seasons in the major leagues, and he would instantly slot in as the Yankees’ starting first baseman after New York opted not to retain Anthony Rizzo‘s services at the position.
The Yankees could also take this opportunity to bolster their pitching staff behind Cole. New York has been linked with right-hander Corbin Burnes, regarded as the top starter on the market this winter, while All-Star left-hander Max Fried is also available after a successful stint with the Atlanta Braves.
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