The New York Yankees 2024 season comes to an end, losing in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The Yankees will have some major questions to think about this offseason, as some key players are set to become free agents.
The main priority for New York is bringing back superstar Juan Soto, who did what all Yankee fans expected him to do in just one year with the team. Soto was one of the main factors for the Yankees to get to their first World Series appearance since 2009.
The main question with Soto is the amount of money he is set to get in the offseason, and the Yankees must pay him. The 26-year-old superstar will be expected to earn 500+ million dollars this offseason and it could go a few ways.
Some other teams could pay him more than the Yankees and he can go take the most money possible, or if he really enjoys being a Yankee, he could potentially take less money and think about winning championships. Remember, Soto is already a World Series Champion and has already accomplished so much at a young age.
What also factors in is the fact that Aaron Judge is 32 years old, and Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole are both 34 years old. At some point, even though all these players have a few good years left in them, they could potentially hit a wall at some point once they all get into their late 30s.
Bringing back Soto gives the Yankees much more hope of winning a World Series Championship with this core and without his presence, the lineup won’t be nearly as good as it was this season. Even if the core of Judge, Stanton, and Cole decline, Soto will still be in the prime of his career being one of the best players in baseball.
The Bronx Bombers will also need to figure out the right side of the infield as Gleyber Torres will be a free agent and Anthony Rizzo has a team option, which the Yankees more than likely will not pick up, making him a free agent as well.
The Yankees should try bringing back Torres on a potential one-year or two-year contract with a possible player option to solidify their 2nd base position. There aren’t any other better options that are in free agency besides Brandon Lowe, who does have his share of injuries in the past.
There also isn’t anyone coming through the Yankees farm system that will take the 2nd base job so it may be best to resign Torres. He did have a disappointing regular season but ended the season strong, which led to a great postseason for Torres. This would be a deal that could work out for both sides on a low-risk, high-reward deal for the Yankees while Torres can potentially have a great season to get himself the money he might be looking for.
A potential replacement for Anthony Rizzo at first base could be Christian Walker on a short-term deal. Walker is one of the more underrated first basemen in baseball who hits for power and plays gold glove defense. That is something the Yankees have not had from Rizzo and will need to part ways with him.
Barring any injuries to start the season, Jasson Dominguez needs to be the starting left fielder going into 2025. He just needs to stay healthy and get consistent at-bats to show his full potential. Dominguez will also have to get better defensively out in left field and assuming Soto comes back, a Dominguez, Judge, and Soto outfield left to right could be very scary.
As for the pitching staff, Gerrit Cole is coming off a good regular season although it wasn’t a Cole-type dominant season for him after missing the first two and a half months to start the season due to a right elbow nerve irritation. He’s still one of the best pitchers in baseball, but he is also 34 years old as well coming off a sub-par regular season.
The rest of the starting rotation will stay in tack with Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt solidifying the middle of it. The Yankees will figure out who will get the 5th spot in the rotation between Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes. It wouldn’t also be an issue to possibly see the Yankees add a starter in free agency.
The bullpen will have some free agents with Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, and Tim Hill, but the Yankees always seem to figure out how to find reliable arms. Since 2021, the Yankees have ranked in the top 10 in bullpen ERA.
It will be a very interesting off-season for the Yankees, but in order for them to win a World Series, they will need to have a very busy off-season and go all in just like what the Dodgers have done.
For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @TheWhitSports or email sports@thewhitonline.com
