With a number of lavish spenders competing for Juan Soto, the 26-year-old famous person stays the Yankees’ high precedence in free company.
It’s no secret that re-signing the gifted hitter is Plan A for the Bombers after Soto helped them attain the World Collection this previous season. Nonetheless, Soto goes to price a ton of cash, and proper subject isn’t the one emptiness on the Yankees’ depth chart proper now.
So, what may the remainder of the crew’s offseason appear to be if Soto is retained?
For the sake of this train, let’s assume that Soto’s contract – which is able to seemingly price over half-a-billion {dollars} in whole worth – pays him a mean annual wage of $47 million. That determine could be the best in baseball. Per Cot’s Contracts, Shohei Ohtani’s common annual wage comes out to $46.08 million, as his 10-year, $700 million pact with the Dodgers is closely deferred.
Let’s additionally assume that Hal Steinbrenner wish to keep underneath the best aggressive stability tax threshold, which is $301 million subsequent 12 months. Whereas the Yankees’ proprietor lately stated he had but to resolve on an working funds for 2025, he known as the Yankees’ 2024 payroll unsustainable after they went over $300 million for the primary time in franchise historical past.
Based on Cot’s Contracts, the Yankees’ projected 2025 payroll is roughly $231 million after non-tendering Jon Berti and Tim Mayza. Add $47 million for Soto, and also you get a projected payroll of $278 million.
With questions at first, second and left and Steinbrenner stating he’d additionally like a “deep dive” on the bullpen and rotation, the Yankees have roughly $23 million to play with. Take into accout, groups don’t need to hit focused CBT thresholds within the winter, as cash is usually required for in-season upgrades.
With that out of the way in which, let’s make a couple of extra assumptions whereas mapping out what a great Yankees offseason may appear to be after re-signing Soto.
Commerce Effectively-Paid Backups
The Yankees lately agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with Trent Grisham to keep away from arbitration, however that doesn’t imply they’ll’t commerce a middle fielder who solely totaled 179 at-bats final 12 months. The identical goes for Jose Trevino, who’s projected to make $3.4 million in arbitration after watching Austin Wells declare the Yankees’ beginning catching gig in 2024.
Each gamers are elite defensively however don’t convey a lot offensively, and the Yankees can discover cheaper choices for his or her jobs. That’s very true behind the plate, because the Yankees have six catchers on their 40-man roster.
It’s laborious to see the Yankees getting a lot for Grisham, however they’ll fortunately take the wage reduction on this situation. The Marlins, in the meantime, may use a veteran catcher after buying prospect Agustin Ramirez from the Yankees within the Jazz Chisholm Jr. commerce final summer season. How about swapping Andrew Nardi for Trevino, a Platinum Glove winner who may mentor the bat-first Ramirez?
Nardi had a 5.07 ERA final season and ended his marketing campaign with a left elbow muscle damage, so there’s some threat right here. Nonetheless, the southpaw’s 2.76 xERA suggests he bought unfortunate, and his 33.3 Ok% ranked within the 96th percentile. He additionally isn’t arbitration-eligible till 2026 and is estimated to make simply $800,000 subsequent 12 months.
If the Yankees could make these strikes, they’d have a payroll of roughly $270.4 million.
Commerce Marcus Stroman
Buying and selling Stroman received’t be simple after a poor second half and nil postseason appearances, as he’s owed $18.5 million in 2025 and may make the identical in 2026 if he logs 140 innings subsequent season. The Yankees will seemingly must eat cash, tackle an expensive contract and/or connect a prospect to any deal involving the righty.
The Angels, already spending in free company, may use one other starter. How about an trade for Taylor Ward? A right-handed swinger and strong defender in left, he may present pop whereas working in a semi-platoon position with Jasson Domínguez.
With Ward projected to make $9.2 million in arbitration – roughly half of Stroman’s 2025 wage – the Yankees may throw in $2 million and outfield prospect Everson Pereira, who debuted as a promising prospect in 2023 however underwent elbow surgical procedure final season.
That might give the Yankees about $263.1 million to work with.
Signal Roki Sasaki
Nearly each crew in baseball goes to need Sasaki, because the 23-year-old Japanese ace will probably be restricted to worldwide signing bonus pool cash. Some have pegged the Dodgers as favorites for Sasaki as a result of they make use of fellow countrymen Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, however the Yankees have been scouting the righty for years.
Sasaki would solely make the minimal wage ($760,000) subsequent season, leaving the Yankees with about $263.9 million. He would additionally give the crew a sixth starter and make Nestor Cortes and his projected $7.7 million wage expendable. Nonetheless, the Yankees all the time say you possibly can by no means have sufficient pitching, so we’ll go away Cortes alone for now.
Signal Christian Walker
Okay, it’s time to make an costly splash with all the cash the Yankees have been saving. How about utilizing it on Christian Walker?
MLB Commerce Rumors, the place all these projected arbitration figures come from, predicted the long-time Diamondbacks first baseman will signal a three-year, $60 million deal. That’s a mean annual wage of $20 million.
Walker, 34, is barely a 12 months youthful than Anthony Rizzo, who simply had a $17 million choice declined by the Yankees after two injury-riddled, unproductive seasons. Nonetheless, the right-handed swinger totaled 95 homers, 281 RBI, a .250/.332/.481 slash line, a 123 OPS+ and three Gold Gloves over that span. Whereas a few of Walker’s floor numbers took a dip final season, his metrics truly improved in comparison with 2023, an encouraging signal for a participant his age.
Additionally an elite defender, Walker would simply be an improve at first whereas giving the Yankees a projected payroll of $283.9 million.
Signal Jeff Hoffman
The Yankees haven’t sometimes spent a ton of cash on relievers within the Matt Blake period, because the coach and crew have proven a knack for locating diamonds within the tough. Nonetheless, it took some time for the Yankees to place these items collectively in 2024, and Hoffman has been dominant with the Phillies the final two seasons, recording a 2.28 ERA over 122 video games. He additionally had a 33.6 Ok% final season; he and Nardi would supply the Yankees with the ability stuff their pen lacked at instances.
MLB Commerce Rumors predicted a four-year, $44 million contract for Hoffman, a Latham, New York native. His $11 million wage would put the Yankees’ payroll at $294.9 million.
Re-Signal Tim Hill
The Yankees and Hill have mutual curiosity in a reunion, which is smart after the groundball specialist turned his season round within the Bronx in 2024. After getting away from the woeful White Sox, the lefty recorded a 2.05 ERA over 44 innings with the Yankees. Hill then put collectively a dominant postseason, logging a 1.08 ERA over 10 appearances and eight.1 innings.
A two-year, $5 million deal could be truthful for either side. That places the Yankees at about $297.4 million.
Second Base & Wiggle Room
The Yankees have a gap at second base with Gleyber Torres on the open market. We’re going to foretell that Caleb Durbin wins the job in spring coaching.
The infield prospect has already been talked about as a candidate for the gig by Brian Cashman, and Durbin’s high-contact, low-strikeout bat and velocity have earned reward all through the group. Plus, Durbin could be a cheap choice after an offseason of heavy spending.
This route would additionally give the Yankees some wiggle room earlier than hitting the $301 million threshold. They may save that for in-season strikes, damage replacements within the spring and/or a couple of different wants, similar to an extra reliever or left-handed bench bat.
