The New York Yankees made the most of their offseason despite watching one of the best players in the entire league depart in free agency.
Even though they offered Juan Soto a massive 16-year deal worth $760 million, the phenom slugger opted to join the New York Mets on a 15-year deal worth $765. It was a tough blow for the Yankees, especially after witnessing what life was like with Soto in the lineup.
Despite failing to re-sign Soto on a massive contract, the Yankees did a strong job of pivoting immediately, and it earned them an A- mark in the offseason grades from Dayn Perry of CBS Sports.
It’s hard to lose Juan Soto and wind up on the honor roll, but the Yankees pulled it off. Chiefly, that’s because they landed the excellent and underrated Max Fried to slot in behind Gerrit Cole in the rotation. That’s not all, though. Cody Bellinger’s a great fit for Yankee Stadium, and he allows Aaron Judge to finally move off of center field. Bellinger also came at very modest cost in trade. Devin Williams, nabbed from the Brewers in trade, is perhaps the best closer in baseball when healthy. Paul Goldschmidt is in decline, but he’s likely to give the Yankees a solid upgrade over what Anthony Rizzo did last season as their first baseman. On top of all that, Fernado Cruz has elite strikeout stuff in a setup role. Yes, the Yankees would be better off if they still had Soto in the fold, but as Plan Bs go this one is an A (minus).
The immediate pivot toward improving the team’s run prevention was a stellar move by Brian Cashman. The additions of Max Fried and Devin Williams give the Yankees arguably the best pitching staff in the American League, and they should be a better team defensively as well.
Adding Cody Bellinger to center field improves the outfield defense, especially with Aaron Judge moving over to right field where he excels as a defender. It remains to be seen how Bellinger and Goldschmidt will perform offensively, but they are both upgrades defensively over what the Yankees had last season.
It could have been the perfect offseason if the Yankees added more competition at third base, but it’s clear they don’t want to exceed the $301 million luxury tax threshold.
Much of the Yankees’ season will be defined by what they get from players around Judge, and it will be interesting to see if this change in philosophy will have a positive impact in a wide open American League.
More New York Yankees News
Yankees trade acquisition primed for breakout season, per MLB analyst
Yankees non-roster invitee making strong case for bullpen role
Former Yankees All-Star breaks silence on historic World Series blunder
