With the baseball world heading to Dallas for the Winter Conferences on Sunday, one gigantic query is hovering over the Yankees and the remainder of the league: the place will Juan Soto signal?
The Yankees are hoping to retain the 26-year-old proper fielder after a blinding 2024 season within the Bronx, however the pennant-winners have additionally been competing with the Mets, Crimson Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers as Soto seeks a contract that may exceed a decade in size and $600 million in earnings. It’s unclear precisely when Soto will make his determination, however a alternative is anticipated no later than the conclusion of the conferences on Thursday.
After all, Soto’s future shouldn’t be the one urgent query going through the Yankees as they enter the Winter Conferences…
HOW MUCH ARE THE YANKEES WILLING TO SPEND ON PAYROLL?
After exceeding a $300 million payroll for the primary time in franchise historical past in 2024, Hal Steinbrenner would like to keep away from the best luxurious tax threshold, set at $301 million, in 2025 if he can. That mentioned, Steinbrenner mentioned he had but to consider parameters for an working price range at MLB’s House owners Conferences final month.
Even when Soto re-signs for a record-setting common annual wage, the Yankees might nonetheless make extra strikes and keep underneath $301 million if Steinbrenner desires, as a number of in-house free brokers have taken cash off the staff’s books. The Yanks should make extra strikes in some kind or one other, as they’ve questions at first, second or third — Jazz Chisholm Jr. can play both place and middle — and left. Steinbrenner additionally mentioned to count on a “deep dive” on the pitching workers.
There are free brokers who can fill all of these wants, however the Yankees could need to take a tougher take a look at the commerce market in the event that they make a large dedication to Soto. The Yankees might additionally shed some wage by buying and selling well-paid veterans comparable to Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, Trent Grisham and Jose Trevino.
WHAT COULD YANKEES’ PLAN B LOOK LIKE IF SOTO LEAVES?
If Soto picks certainly one of his different suitors, the Yankees may have loads of earmarked cash to play with. It could be fascinating to see how they unfold it round, although that path is definitely not their first alternative.
Would they spend huge on high-end starters like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried, two starters they Zoomed with this week? Do they attempt to exchange Soto’s generational bat with just a few hitters, comparable to some mixture of Christian Walker, Willy Adames, Alex Bregman and Anthony Santander? How a few break in typical technique and spending huge on a top-shelf reliever comparable to Tanner Scott or Jeff Hoffman?
Once more, the Yankees might go after a few of these free brokers even when Soto splits. However he’s their high precedence, and the staff he chooses will decide simply how a lot cash the Yankees should work with.
WOULD YANKEES BE COMFORTABLE WITH MULTIPLE ROOKIES STARTING?
Soto and the Yankees’ potential want to remain underneath the $301 million threshold might additionally decide how reliant the staff is on cost-efficient rookies. Jasson Domínguez could possibly be an choice in left or middle relying on what strikes the staff makes, whereas Caleb Durbin is a candidate to start out at second base.
Domínguez didn’t precisely lock himself right into a full-time beginning job with a September audition final season, however the highly-hyped prospect remains to be well-regarded inside the group and anticipated to issue into the Yankees’ 2025 plans. The identical goes for Durbin, whose bat-to-ball expertise have positioned him for a “big role,” as Aaron Boone mentioned, even when he doesn’t begin. If the Yankees don’t re-sign Soto, they might pursue one of many aforementioned free agent third basemen and transfer Chisholm again to second. That will restrict Durbin to extra of a utility function.
WILL BOONE GET AN EXTENSION?
With brokers, managers and entrance workplace personnel assembly up in Dallas, might Boone get an extension?
The skipper had his 2025 membership choice picked up earlier this offseason, however Boone is assured nothing past that after taking the Yankees to the World Collection for the primary time as a supervisor this previous season. Final month, Steinbrenner mentioned he would focus on Boone’s scenario with Brian Cashman however added “there’s no huge rush.”
The Yankees might additionally add onto Gerrit Cole’s deal, although there’s nothing essentially imminent there both. The ace opted out of the remaining 4 years and $144 million on his contract initially of the offseason. The Yankees had the flexibility to void that decide out by including an additional yr and $36 million to his deal, however they didn’t try this. As an alternative of testing free company, Cole then basically modified his thoughts about opting out. On the time, it was urged that the Yankees, Cole and his agent, Scott Boras — who additionally reps Soto and might be in Dallas — might focus on an extension at a later date.
“Any discussions they want to have, we’ll have,” mentioned Steinbrenner, who’s shut with Cole.
