After their most successful season in 15 years, the New York Yankees had a lot of unfinished business to address as free agency began.
Despite winning the pennant, New York had flaws that the Dodgers roundly exposed in the World Series. The scathing scouting report the Dodgers conducted on their Fall Classic opponent amplified the improvements the Yankees needed to make after falling short against Freddie Freeman and Co. My own appraisal of the World Series was thoroughly incorrect, too.
So, how exactly have the Yankees improved so far? Time to take a look.
The gloom of the World Series defeat was exacerbated by the loss of Juan Soto, who signed the most lucrative contract in the history of professional sports.
The Yankees had offered Soto a 16-year, $760 million contract, but Soto accepted the crosstown rival Mets’ offer of 15 years for $765 million. Soto’s deal with The Bad Guys includes an opt-out after five years with no deferred compensation.
The Mets can void Soto’s opt-out by upping his annual salary by $4 million in the final ten years of the pact. Such a maneuver would hike Soto’s historic agreement’s value to $805 million.
Witnessing the Mets commandeer the “Soto Sweepstakes” was disconcerting. The Yankees are uncharacteristically short in a bidding war for a supreme talent.
This off-season’s top priority was to retain Juan Soto, whose 2024 heroics catapulted the Bronx Bombers to their first pennant since 2009. Soto and team captain Aaron Judge formed one of the most prolific tandems in MLB history last year.
Not coincidentally, Soto had the best season of his stellar career, and Judge won his second MVP award. While losing out on Soto caused many Yankees fans to use exuberant language, Yankees general manager and senior vice president Brian Cashman insisted that he and team owner Hal Steinbrenner had a Plan B.
Any team executives worth even a sliver of their remuneration know that backup plans are a necessity and often a reality. Brian Cashman knows this better than most as someone entrusted with roster construction for the Yankees since February of 1998.
Always a vociferous force when the Hot Stove is burning, Cashman and Steinbrenner have spared no expenses so far this off-season, having invested $235,500,000 so far. That is already after the Yankees had to pony up a $62.5 million luxury tax bill that followed their final 2024 payroll of $316.19 million.
The 2024 luxury tax threshold was $237 million – and because the Bronx Bombers went over said threshold for the third straight year, they had to pay a 50% rate on any amount over $237 million. More on that can be found in this excellent article by The Associated Press.
Only the Mets – entirely due to Juan Soto’s contract – have spent more during this off-season.
So what part of this “Plan B” has the nearly quarter-billion dollars doled out by the Yankees gone towards, then? That is an excellent question!
Fittingly enough, the Yankees awarded former Mets nemesis Max Fried the largest contract ever for a left-handed pitcher. Much to the elation of Yankees Universe, Plan B was beginning to look more like Plan A for most other teams willing to spend.
Among all starting pitchers since 2021, per Fangraphs, Max Fried ranks third in ERA (2.87), eighth in FIP (3.11), fourth in ground ball percentage (54.4%), and second in medium-hit rate (56.8%) – which measures how often batted balls into play were classified as hit with medium speed.
During the same period, Fried relinquished the third-lowest hard-hit and sixth-lowest fly ball rates, bringing a vast array of pitches. The former first-round pick has a four-seam fastball that averages 94 miles per hour and can hit 96. Fried’s signature pitch, however, is his curveball – which he threw 21% of the time in 2024.
Also in his utility belt are a sinker, changeup, slider, and cutter. Acclaimed Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake and Fried will surely be a match made in heaven.
The powers that be with the Yankees were far from done. It seems that Plan B is an amalgamation of several plans.
Luke Weaver was outstanding for the Yankees last season. He became one of the most effective closers in the game. As the case has been for a decade now, Brian Cashman wanted to overhaul the bullpen and turn it into an omnipotent weapon.
That is exactly what has happened. While it was unfortunate that beloved fan favorite Nestor Cortes was included in a trade, that transaction yielded Devin Williams.
Williams is a two-time National League Reliever of the Year Award recipient. He also won Rookie of the Year in 2020. Since 2019, Williams’s 1.83 ERA is second-best among all relievers, behind only Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians.
Bullpen bolstering did not come to a halt with Williams, either. The Yankees also facilitated a rare trade with hated rival Boston.
In exchange for Carlos Narvaez, minor leaguer Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz came in for international bonus pool money. Rodriguez-Cruz is 21 years old and is a Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico native. He has a 2.60 ERA in 183.1 innings of work in the minors.
More additions to the Yankees’ stable of relievers have occurred, too. While this trade also involved giving away another fan favorite – Jose Trevino was traded to the Reds – the return gave the Yankees a relatively unknown but somewhat coveted flamethrower in Fernando Cruz. Catcher Alex Jackson was also sent to the Bronx.
Cruz’s peripheral numbers don’t blow anyone away, but his 109 strikeouts in 66.2 innings suggest he can be molded. After all, can any Yankees fan dispute pitching coach Matt Blake’s track record?
Also part of the bullpen overhaul, returning to Yankee Stadium is Jonathan Loaisiga. While he had Tommy John surgery in May, he has been one of the best relievers in the game when healthy. He can be a setup man, be part of mop-up duty, and even close games. The Yankees covet that kind of versatility.
Another veteran who has been in the crosshairs of Brian Cashman for years now, Cody Bellinger is now donning pinstripes himself – something he has always wanted to do.
Cody Poteet was shipped off to the north side of Chicago in return for Bellinger’s services. Bellinger had succumbed to injuries during his final days as a Dodger but has posted an OPS of .815 in 260 games since 2023.
More than anything, Bellinger brings more balance to a lineup largely devoid of production from left-handed hitters for years, outside of the departed Juan Soto. Bellinger figures to complement the ebullient Jazz Chisholm as a dynamic southpaw in the batting order.
Last but certainly not least is Paul Goldschmidt. He comes to the Yankees on a one-year, $12 million contract. While the 2022 NL MVP and decorated veteran struggled last year, Goldschmidt had a resurgent second half and still firmly believes in himself. This is the end of my Yankees off-season rant.
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