The New York Yankees after losing in devastating fashion to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series have a big decision to make. Do they go all in and try to re-sign Juan Soto to a long term deal, or do they allocate the money elsewhere to try and build the best all around team possible?
The short answer is go all in on Juan Soto. The 26-year old is beyond the word generational. He is a once in a lifetime type of baseball player, one we may not see the likes of ever again. A near career .300 hitter with some of the most elite plate discipline is already thought to be a future hall of famer, and will command one of the largest contracts we’ve ever seen.
There will be lots of potential suitors for Juan Soto, but the Yankees are obviously one of the top teams. They have the resources to spend on him as well as the culture and rich history to keep Soto drawn to the club.
However, with hungry teams like the Mets and Dodgers in on the sweepstakes as well, there’s no telling if Soto will be a lifelong Yankee. Here’s how the front office can retool the Yankees if they don’t land him in free agency.
Move #1: Decide where Jazz Chisholm Jr. will play in 2025
Once deciding where Jazz will play in 2025, the Yankees can have an easier blueprint to fill out with the rest of their team. He played great at third base for the short term in 2024, but would be much better at second base to fill in a gap left by Gleyber Torres. For the sake of this retool, let’s say the Yankees move Jazz to second base, while electing to not re-sign Torres.
That would make the projected starting lineup a little clearer, at least in the field. The projected opening day starting lineup would then look something like this:
- Anthony Volpe (SS)
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B)
- Aaron Judge (RF)
- Austin Wells (C)
- Giancarlo Stanton (DH)
- Jasson Dominguez (LF)
- DJ LeMahieu (1B)
- Oswaldo Cabrera (3B)
- Trent Grisham (CF)
There’s multiple holes to fill here. First off DJ LeMahieu cannot be the starting first baseman heading into this season. After battling injury, LeMahieu hit .204 in 67 games with an awful .527 OPS. The Yankees need to address the first base position.
Move #2: Sign Christian Walker to play 1B
This seems to be a pretty popular move among Yankee fans, and for very good reason. The Yankees have needed a solid, younger first baseman for quite some time now and that’s exactly what Walker offers.
Walker hit for an .803 OPS in 2024, well above the league average clip of 100 with a 121 OPS+. The last three seasons Walker has seemed to consistently hover around this type of production, with a bat that’s capable of hitting 30 home runs a year. The three time Gold Glove award winner is exactly what the Yankees need in the field as well.
He ranks in the 97th percentile for range on Baseball Savant with 13 outs above average. While his arm strength and sprint speed isn’t great, that’s not necessary for a great first baseman to succeed. This would be a cheaper signing compared to bats like Pete Alonso, and would help immensely on the defensive side of the ball.
So first base is settled, let’s look at the other holes in the lineup now. The remaining glaring holes in the lineup sit at the center field and third base positions.
Move #3: Sign Anthony Santander to play RF
This move would probably be more unlikely than anything else in this article, but if there’s no Soto the Yankees should be in on Santander. The former Orioles right fielder was one of the best power hitters in the entire league, hitting 44 home runs in 2024. That was good enough for third in the league, only behind Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge.
Santander offers a dream bat as a switch hitting power hitter, and offers above average arm strength out of right field. This would allow the Yankees to shift Aaron Judge back to center field for the 2025 season, with the ability to sub Grisham or Jazz in the spot if needed.
Move #4: Sign Jose Iglesias to play a mix of 3B/2B
This would be another slightly surprising move as Iglesias is pretty much now the entire culture of the New York Mets. If the Mets won’t re-sign him this would be a solid move to help re-tool the infield. It’s unlikely to me that the Yankees would sign Alex Bregman and players like Ha-Seong Kim will likely stay in San Diego.
Iglesias provides a solid veteran bat that could provide valuable leadership and influence to guys like Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Oswaldo Cabrera. A .337 hitter in 2024, Iglesias provided above average defense with above average sprint speed to pair. At 34-years old he still is an incredibly valuable player to have.
Move #5: Sign Sean Manaea for the starting rotation
The Yankees have a hole in the rotation with Marcus Stroman. He’s probably not a guy you want going into 2025, and signing a lefty arm could be more beneficial. Sean Manaea is one of the best arms available in free agency, and getting him to come across the bridge into the Bronx is not too far-fetched of an idea.
In 181.2 innings Manaea was great in what seemed to be a bounceback season. He recorded a 3.47 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP. He’s proven he can step up in a big market, and his mechanical changes with the Mets can make him a great back end of the rotation left hander for the Yankees.
Move #6: Clean up the bullpen
Most of the arms from the 2024 bullpen that are set to come back would be solid pieces to have for 2025. Arms like Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, Mark Leiter, and supposedly Nestor Cortes provide solid relief but there’s a need for at least two more relievers.
Re-signing Clay Holmes could be a go-to move for this. He can be brought back on a short term deal, and knowing that he won’t be the closer could help him put together another All Star caliber season.
Tanner Scott is another arm the Yankees could look to pursue. There were rumors that he was attempting to be put in the Jazz Chisholm trade package, and now could be the time to go get him. Scott was one of the league’s best relievers in 2024, recording a 1.75 ERA in 72 games. If he can improve the walk rate, Scott becomes essentially one of the most untouchable relievers in the sport, and the Yankees could definitely be interested in that.
That would have the Yankees projected roster for Opening Day look like the following:
- Anthony Volpe (SS) R
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B) L
- Aaron Judge (CF) R
- Anthony Santander (RF) S
- Giancarlo Stanton (DH) RÂ
- Christian Walker (1B) R
- Austin Wells (C) L
- Jasson Dominguez (LF) S
- Jose Iglesias (3B) R
Rotation
- Gerrit Cole (RHP)
- Carlos Rodon (LHP)
- Clarke Schmidt (RHP)
- Sean Manaea (LHP)
- Luis Gil (RHP)
Bullpen
LR – Nestor Cortes (LHP)
MID – Tim Mayza (LHP)
MID – Mark Leiter Jr. (RHP)
MID – Clay Holmes (RHP)
MID – Jake Cousins (RHP)
SU7 – Ian Hamilton (RHP)
SU8 – Tanner Scott (LHP)
CL – Luke Weaver (RHP)