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The New York Yankees have had to work overtime in their quest to replace the production they're set to lose in 2025 with the departure of Juan Soto for the New York Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract. They have already begun reworking their outfield, acquiring Cody Bellinger in a trade with the Chicago Cubs and taking on his huge contract in exchange for Cody Poteet — which is expected to move Aaron Judge back to his more comfortable position at right field.
Bellinger, however, is no longer the MVP-caliber player he once was. In fact, his 2024 campaign saw a bit of regression in Bellinger's production, as he wasn't his usual good defensive self in center field and he only produced a wRC+ of 109 — down from his 2023 production of 136. Thus, the Yankees acknowledge that more has to be done in making sure that their offense doesn't suffer too much of a drop-off next season.
To that end, the Yankees are looking at adding another impactful bat, with general manager Brian Cashman saying that “he remains engaged with the agents of most ‘above average' options available at the spots, as well as in the outfield”, as per Dan Martin of the New York Post. That list includes first basemen Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, Carlos Santana, and Paul Goldschmidt, while they have also kept in contact with Anthony Santander, a corner outfielder/first baseman who hit 44 home runs last season.
Yankees continue quest to bolster lineup depth
Losing Juan Soto is a bitter pill to swallow for the Yankees; Soto combined with Aaron Judge to form the deadliest duo in the MLB, with both hitters elevating one another. Soto put up an MVP-caliber 2024, tallying 8.1 WAR (per Fangraphs) — the best total of his career.
Of course, it's not the same for the Yankees to acquire multiple players worth 8.1 WAR combined in their quest to replace Soto. But they cannot sit idly and not do anything to round out the roster so they won't fall off the pace after making it to the World Series this past season.
Pete Alonso could be a worthwhile get, if only to get back at the Mets, but the trend of his production is worrying as he enters his 30s. Christian Walker is solid, but he's 33 years of age, and he doesn't possess the power upside that Alonso has. Carlos Santana is an ageless wonder, but there is reason to believe he won't keep up the 3.0 WAR-level of play that he had last season. Paul Goldschmidt's days as an everyday player might be over.
In terms of pure power production, the Yankees' best bet may be to add Anthony Santander, whose production has been trending upward over the past three seasons.
