Why do Yankees post Soto believe to be better than in 2024?

After losing Juan Soto, the Yankees launched a wave of movements to raise the level of their roster
On December 8, a month and nine days after a fifth nightmare entrance torpedo the hopes of the New York Yankees to overcome a 3-1 deficit against Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, the Yankees suffered another defeat that changed His franchise at winter meetings in Dallas.
Juan Soto was not going to return. And not only was he not going to return, but I was going to sign with the New York Mets.
The Yankees offered the gardener Superstar a contract for 16 years and 760 million dollars. When he rejected it, the general manager Brian Cashman and his main office resorted to the plans they had devised during the search for Soto in case they needed to make a change. His departure launched an wave of activity for a period of 12 days, in mid -December, to try to raise the level of a roster with franchise pillars such as Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole still at their best.
“You can’t replace a Juan Soto,” Cashman told AM850 this week. “So how is the coup damping and diversified throughout the lineup? And then the defense was a real problem in our roster. We had a bad defensive team. We have the opportunity to improve defense at the same time, which will improve our racing prevention and our pitching.
The Yankees believe that their aggressive attempt of restoration after an unknown disappointment (losing a war of offers for their free superstar agent, against the Mets?) It was not only successful. They believe it was an improvement. “Some people may disagree with me,” said the owner of the Yankees, Hal Steinbrenner, to the Yes Network, on Tuesday, “but some people will agree with me: I think we have a better team now than a year ago.”
The first Yankees movement after Soto-Appeins 48 hours after Soto accepted a 15-year contract for $ 765 million guaranteed dollars to defect Queens-was to reinforce a strength: they added another first-line arm to a rotation Deep with an eight -year contract for 218 million dollars with Max Fried, one of the three best openers in the free agents market.
A day later, the Yankees agreed to sign the reliever Jonathan Loaisiga with a one year for 5 million dollars. Two days later, they acquired Devin Williams, possibly the best closer of the sport, of the Milwaukee Brewers for the left -handed Nestor Cortes and the Caleb Durbin prospect. Four days later, they finished an exchange with the Chicago Cubs by Cody Bellinger. Three days later, they acquired the reliever Fernando Cruz and the recipient Alex Jackson of the Cincinnati Reds by the alternate receiver Jose Trevino. Then, on December 21, the latest important incorporation: an agreement with the veteran first base Paul Goldschmidt for a one -year contract for 12 million dollars.
“The agreement with Soto is crazy,” said a rival executive. “It could be a blessing in the end. Fried is an As. Bellinger could connect 30 home runs there and underpin his defense. Goldschmidt is a member of the Hall of Fame. He added an arm for the Bullpen. In general, quite good.”
The Yankees let the second base Gleyber Torres and the reliefs Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle were in the free agency. Anthony Rizzo and Alex Verdugo are among the other taxpayers of the club last season that will not return.
“I think they have practically succeeded with everything they have done,” said a rival cazatide.
Among the potential objectives of the Yankees in a pivot were the left -handed Blake Snell and the Willy Adames campocorto. The team made zoom calls with both free agents. Both sides expressed a real interest. But both players decided to sign the week before Soto made their choice. The Yankees, who did not want to commit to any long -term contract before knowing where Soto would sign, saw them go elsewhere.
The Yankees also kept a zoom call with Corbin Burnes, the third of the three great free agents, but an offer was never made, the sources said. The Yankees, with Snell outside the market, focused instead on Fried.
In the Bullpen, Williams represents an improvement with respect to Holmes, the Yankees closure until he lost his job in early September, although it could only be for a season. Williams arrives with only one year of remaining control, just like Soto.
“At the end of the day, we are trying to win,” Cashman said. “It is a movement to win now, just as Soto’s acquisition the previous year was a movement to win now. And, obviously, the Yankees seek the impact and are trying to find it.”
The Cubs, who seek to release payroll, were considering changing Bellinger to the Yankees or the Toronto Blue Jays, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations. Finally, the Cubs decided on the Yankees offer of the right launcher Cody Poteet, and also sent the Yankees $ 5 million to pay Bellinger’s salary over the next two years.
At the time of the exchange for Bellinger, the Yankees were still looking for a first base. They never had an interest in signing Pete Alonso, the sources said. Christian Walker could have been an option, but the Yankees decided that they did not want to pay the penalty for signing a player to which the qualified offer was made. The Yankees filed conversations with the Cleveland Guardians about Josh Naylor, but the two parties could not reach a resolution, according to a source, before Naylor was exchanged for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In the end, he reduced to give Ben Rice, a rookie last season, or sign one of two free agents of almost 30 years: Goldschmidt or Carlos Santana. Goldschmidt, another former MVP, is 37 years old and comes from its worst season, but the Yankees felt sufficiently encouraged by their solid second half (.271/.319/.480) with San Luis as to make the investment of low risk .
The bad season of Goldschmidt (hit .245 with 22 home runs, PAHOs of .716 and FWAR of 1.1) would be a considerable improvement with respect to the production that the Yankees received in 2024 from their first base, who occupied the last place in the major In PAHO (.594), they tied in the 26th position in homers (17) and 27 in FWAR (-1.2).
Compensate the loss of a player of Soto’s caliber (one who registered an OPS of .989, connected 41 homers, recorded an 8.1 FWAR An inaccurate science, with several pieces in motion beyond all these transactions.
Judge is scheduled to move from the central garden, where the metrics said he had a bad performance last season, to the right garden. Jasson Dominguez, the main prospect of the organization, should have a more extensive opportunity for the first time after the promotions in September of the last two seasons, and should be an improvement in the left garden compared to Verdugo, one of the least holders productive in baseball last season. If we add Bellinger in the central garden, the projects of the Yankees gardens will drastically improve defensive.
“What will ultimately import are the victories and defeats that occur during the six months we started on March 27,” Cashman said. “Once that begins, that will be the real world. They do not take us into account, they do not take us into account. We are overwhelmed, underestimal. None of that matters. All that matters is that we win. And if we win as much as we are capable , then we will keep those dark storms away, which are not really fun to face.
The Yankees have not yet finished. They would like to recover the roster in two areas. The acquisition of a third base or second base, and that Jazz Chisholm Jr. plays in the other position, remains on their list of pending tasks, although club managers argue that they have internal options, including DJ Lemahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza The exchange for Nolan Arenado or the hiring of Alex Bregman are not among the options, the sources said.
They could also use a left -handed reliever; The roster of 40 men of the team currently does not include any. A meeting with Tim Hill, which stood out after joining the Yankees in June and registering an effectiveness of 2.05 in 35 appearances, is on the table.
In financial terms, Goldschmidt, Fried, Williams and Bellinger wages will be combined to add $ 74.6 million in the payroll of the Yankees Competitive Balance Tax (CBT), while Soto will only count as $ 51 million against the CBT accounting book of the Mets. However, to facilitate more acquisitions, Yankees prefer to get rid of the right pitcher Marcus Stroman, which includes 37 million dollars during the next two seasons. The current CBT CBT of the Yankees is 302.9 million dollars, according to Cot’s Contracts, which places them almost 62 million dollars above the tax threshold.
As the tax has exceeded for at least three consecutive years, the Yankees would pay a tax at a base rate of 50 percent plus a surcharge of 60 percent if they exceed the threshold in at least 60 million dollars at the end of the season.
Last campaign, the Yankees paid a tax of 62.5 million dollars for their CBT payroll of 316 million dollars. The tax bill was the third highest among the nine beneficiaries. The Mets were the second. The team that defeated them in October was the first.
The Dodgers, after investing more than one billion dollars in players contracts last winter, continued to waste after winning the World Series, compromising more than 450 million dollars to free agents this winter after paying taxes for 103 million dollars In addition to its payroll of 353 million dollars last season. His expense frenzy has caused anguish in every corner of the baseball world, including the Yankees, once the Goliath of the spending without control that generated anger throughout the industry.
“It’s hard for most of us, owners, to be able to do the kind of things they are doing,” said Steinbrenner.
According to Forbes, Yankees are the most valued franchise of the major leagues and the fourth most valued sports franchise in the world, with an estimated 7,550 million dollars. The Dodgers occupy a second place in baseball and the place 24 in the world with 5,450 million dollars, but they are making great advances in Japan with Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and now Roki Sasaki in the roster.
For now, the Dodgers are the defense champions and, on paper, they are better than ever, with all-stars apparently everywhere. The Yankees, without Soto, will try to chase them with a very different roster after a very busy low season. Time will say if your change was enough.
“It is impossible to make 110 percent of good decisions at all times,” Cashman said. “We are trying to aspire to that, but maybe this 2025 version is the magical streak. We’ll see.”