5 Yankees Free Agent Signings and Trades to Salvage Offseason After Juan Soto to Mets
The New York Mets walked away victorious in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, signing the generational star to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal.
How will the New York Yankees respond?
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees' final offer was 16 years and $760 million, so they were prepared to tack a $47.5 million AAV onto their payroll for the foreseeable future to keep Soto.
After coming up short in the World Series and then watching the rival Mets swoop in and steal their star free agent, they should be more motivated than ever to go all-in on an offseason spending spree.
To that point, the Yankees were far from a perfect roster even with Soto in the mix last year, and there is a strong case to be made that the money they would have given him is better utilized by spreading it around to plug multiple holes on the roster.
Ahead we've done just that with a series of proposed moves for the Yankees to make in response to losing Soto.
Buckle up, it will be a wild few days now that the biggest domino on the free-agent market has fallen.
Current 2025 Projected Roster
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Let's start by laying out the Yankees' current projected Opening Day roster, courtesy of FanGraphs, to get a clearer idea of what needs to be done.
Starting Lineup
1. SS Anthony Volpe
2. 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
3. RF Aaron Judge
4. C Austin Wells
5. DH Giancarlo Stanton
6. LF Jasson Dominguez
7. 1B DJ LeMahieu
8. 3B Oswaldo Cabrera
9. CF Trent Grisham
Bench
C Jose Trevino
IF Oswald Peraza
IF/OF Caleb Durbin
OF Everson Pereira
Starting Rotation
RHP Gerrit Cole
LHP Carlos Rodón
RHP Clarke Schmidt
RHP Marcus Stroman
RHP Luis Gil
Bullpen
RHP JT Brubaker
RHP Yoendrys Gómez
RHP Scott Effross
LHP Nestor Cortes
RHP Mark Leiter Jr.
RHP Jake Cousins
RHP Ian Hamilton
RHP Luke Weaver
Shopping List
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1. Outfielder
The Yankees would be wise to keep a clear path to playing time for top prospect Jasson Dominguez, but there is also no way Trent Grisham should be anything more than a fourth outfielder. The 28-year-old is a solid defender, but he has hit just .191/.298/.353 for an 84 OPS+ in 1,288 plate appearances over the last three seasons. If he exceeds the 209 plate appearances he logged in 2024, the Yankees are in trouble.
2. Starting Pitcher
The Yankees already checked one major item off their to-do list by assuring that Gerrit Cole did not exercise his opt-out. Still, now the question becomes whether his supporting cast in the rotation is good enough to win a World Series.
3. First Baseman
Freezing cold take: DJ LeMahieu will not be the Yankees' starting first baseman on Opening Day. They can't replace Soto's production with one player, but adding an impact bat in the outfield and at first base could actually give the team a more balanced lineup.
4. Third Baseman or Second Baseman
The market is thinner at third base, especially considering Alex Bregman is likely not on the Yankees' radar, but this is also an obvious area to upgrade. Alternatively, they could leave Jazz Chisholm at the hot corner and instead target a second baseman, perhaps even kicking the tires on a reunion with Gleyber Torres.
5. Multiple Setup Relievers
The emergence of Luke Weaver gave the Yankees a built-in replacement for the departing Clay Holmes in the closer's role, but there is still significant work to be done building out the late-inning contingent around him. A healthy Scott Effross and a full season of Mark Leiter Jr. could help, but multiple impact relievers must be brought aboard to solidify the relief corps.
Move 1: Sign Teoscar Hernández
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Transaction: Yankees sign OF Teoscar Hernández to a four-year, $96 million deal
The logical next domino to fall now that Soto is off the market is outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who now has become the best bat available.
The 32-year-old hit .272/.339/.501 for a 137 OPS+ while slugging a career-high 33 home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season while playing on a one-year, $23.5 million deal.
He is a more complete player than slugger Anthony Santander, who hit 44 home runs in 2024 but has limited on-base skills (.308 OBP) and a poor glove (-7 DRS in RF).
After spending the 2024 season hitting behind Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in the Dodgers lineup, Hernández is more than capable of serving as the primary protection for Aaron Judge.
The Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers have all been linked to Hernández this offseason, with Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com framing him as a fall-back plan for each team if they miss out on Soto.
His market could move quickly now, so don't be surprised if he has a deal done before the winter meetings are over.
Move 2: Sign Max Fried
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Transaction: Yankees sign Max Fried to a six year, $150 million deal
The Yankees did a terrific job navigating the loss of ace Gerrit Cole for the first 75 games of the 2024 season, and the emergence of 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil went a long way, as did a bounce-back season from Carlos Rodón.
They ultimately finished 11th in the majors with a 3.85 ERA from the starting rotation, and their starters went 2-3 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 14 starts during the postseason.
If they had landed Soto, they might have been content to run it back with the same cast of characters, penciling in some combination of Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes behind Cole and Rodón, but now making a splash on the pitching side seems like an obvious counter.
Corbin Burnes and Max Fried are the two top starters on the market, and the Yankees have reportedly already met with both players.
Adding Fried to the mix would give the Yankees another ace-caliber starter to plug into the No. 2 spot in the rotation, which makes the entire staff as a whole stronger by sliding everyone else down a spot.
Since his first full season in the majors in 2019, Fried ranks fourth among all pitchers with 22.2 WAR, behind only Zack Wheeler (28.7), Cole (26.5) and Max Scherzer (22.3).
The 30-year-old went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 166 strikeouts in 174.1 innings in 2024.
Move 3: Sign Christian Walker
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Transaction: Yankees sign 1B Christian Walker to a two-year, $44 million deal
The Yankees ranked 30th in the majors with a .619 OPS from their first basemen in 2024, so upgrading at the position will not be difficult.
They cut ties with veteran Anthony Rizzo at the start of the offseason, and rookie Ben Rice ended up hitting .171 with a 27.0 percent strikeout rate after showing some initial promise, so first base was always going to be an area of need whether or not they brought back Soto.
Paul Goldschmidt, Carlos Santana and a reunion with Rizzo on a lower base salary are all potential options, but the top first baseman on the market is Christian Walker.
The 33-year-old posted his third straight season with a 120 OPS+ and the NL Gold Glove at first base in 2024, hitting .251/.335/.468 for a 121 OPS+ with 26 doubles, 26 home runs and 84 RBI in 130 games.
Since the start of 2022, he has averaged 34 home runs and 102 RBI per 162 games while racking up 11.4 WAR as one of the best players in the league at his position.
Given his age, he should be available on a short-term deal, and a $22 million AAV would represent an attractive raise over the $10.9 million he made in 2024.
Move 4: Trade for Alec Bohm
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Transaction: Yankees acquire 3B Alec Bohm from the Phillies in exchange for SP Nestor Cortes, LHP Brock Selvidge, OF Everson Pereira
After finishing 95-67 during the regular season while looking like the team to beat in the National League for much of the year, the Philadelphia Phillies made a disappointing early exit in the playoffs when they fell to the New York Mets in the NLDS.
With the window starting to close on an aging core, they are looking to shake things up a bit this offseason, and third baseman Alec Bohm has been a popular name on the trade block, with the front office dangling him in an attempt to add to the MLB roster, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
Bohm, 28, started the 2024 All-Star Game for the NL at third base, but a second-half swoon has made his long-term outlook less clear.
- 1st Half: 94 G, .830 OPS, 11 HR, 70 RBI
- 2nd Half: 49 G, .681 OPS, 4 HR, 27 RBI
A change of scenery could serve him well, and with club control through the 2026 season, he represents more than just a rental addition.
In return, the Yankees move a pitcher they have shopped in the past in Nestor Cortes, one of their better pitching prospects in Brock Selvidge and an out-of-options former top prospect in Everson Pereira.
Move 5: Sign Kirby Yates, A.J. Minter and Ryan Yarbrough
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Transaction: Yankees sign RP Kirby Yates to a one-year, $12 million deal
Yates was one of the best relievers in baseball in 2024, posting a 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 12.4 K/9 with 33 saves while finishing eighth in AL Cy Young voting and earning his first All-Star selection since 2019. Despite that success, he is unlikely to land a long-term deal since he is already 37 years old, which helps mitigate some of the risk of signing top-tier relievers to big-money contracts.
Transaction: Yankees sign RP A.J. Minter to a two-year, $16 million deal
With a 3.28 ERA and 10.9 K/9 in 384 career appearances, Minter has been a reliable lefty bullpen option throughout an eight-year career spent entirely in Atlanta. The 31-year-old missed the final month and a half of the 2024 season after undergoing hip surgery, but he is expected to be ready for Opening Day. He would give the Yankees a much-needed southpaw with high-leverage experience.
Transaction: Yankees sign SP/RP Ryan Yarbrough to a one-year, $5.5 million deal
Yarbrough has been an effective swingman for the Rays, Royals, Dodgers and Blue Jays over seven seasons in the majors, posting a 4.21 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 768 career innings spanning 68 starts and 128 relief appearances. The 32-year-old had a 3.19 ERA in 98.2 innings in 2024, and he would be a solid replacement for Nestor Cortes on the staff.
New 2025 Projected Roster
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Starting Lineup
1. SS Anthony Volpe
2. 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
3. CF Aaron Judge
4. RF Teoscar Hernández
5. 1B Christian Walker
6. DH Giancarlo Stanton
7. 3B Alec Bohm
8. C Austin Wells
9. LF Jasson Dominguez
Bench
C Jose Trevino
IF DJ LeMahieu
IF/OF Oswaldo Cabrera
OF Trent Grisham
Starting Rotation
RHP Gerrit Cole
LHP Max Fried
RHP Clarke Schmidt
LHP Carlos Rodón
RHP Luis Gil
Bullpen
LHP Ryan Yarbrough
RHP Scott Effross
RHP Mark Leiter Jr.
RHP Jake Cousins
RHP Ian Hamilton
LHP A.J. Minter
RHP Kirby Yates
RHP Luke Weaver
Current 2025 Payroll: $229,006,666
Projected 2025 Additions/Subtractions: $96,300,000
Projected 2025 Payroll: $325,306,666
The Yankees finished the 2024 season with a $308,574,607 payroll, so even with all of the proposed additions, their new projected 2025 payroll figure is not unfathomably high relative to what they spent this past year.
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