Juan Soto left the New York Yankees for the New York Mets — a sentence that, as recently as five years ago, wouldn’t make sense.
Late Sunday night, Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million contract that can go up as high as $805 million after the 2029 season. For the reigning American League champions, losing a star like Soto is a foreign concept to them, especially after putting forward an offer nearly as valuable as the one he accepted from the Mets. However, while the loss of Soto may hurt, this is not the end of the world for the Yankees.
In the 2000 offseason, the Seattle Mariners lost four-time All-Star Alex Rodriguez in free agency to the Texas Rangers, who signed him to a 10-year, $252 million contract. The next season, the Mariners won an MLB-record 116 games.
In 2018, 25-year-old superstar Bryce Harper left the Washington Nationals to sign a 13-year $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nationals won the World Series a year later.
Even in other sports, during the 2018 NHL offseason, the New York Islanders, who had made almost zero noise in the NHL playoffs in the previous 25 years, lost star captain John Tavares to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The following three years saw two Eastern Conference finals appearances.
While losing a big-impact star is a negative, it’s not always the end of the world.
The Yankees play the Mets six times a year, so they won’t see much of Soto anymore. He’s not their worry, not their problem, and no longer a discussion. The question now becomes ‘where do we go from here?’
Truth be told, if the Yankees had inked Soto to that 16-year deal, it wouldn’t fix the hole at first base, or the hole at third, or the missing top-of-the-line starter. The Yankees, who were set to commit $760 million to Soto, can now spread that money around to build the best team they possibly can. The American League isn’t getting any stronger, so for a team with one of the best hitters on earth, Aaron Judge, still in their lineup, this isn’t the time to take their foot off the gas.
The memory of Anthony Rizzo and Gerrit Cole bungling that fateful play on Mookie Betts’ grounder to first in Game 5 of the World Series will likely live in the heads of many Yankee fans. And a change at first base seems to be on the cards.
There is a chance that change will come in the form of long-time Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker. Although he didn’t truly burst onto the scene until his age 28 season, Walker has become a staple of a Diamondbacks team that won the National League pennant in 2023.
In his MLB career, Walker has hit 147 home runs, recorded 443 RBI, and has a career batting average of .250. Most importantly, he won three straight Gold Gloves at first base. While still providing power, he is the best defensive first baseman in baseball. Would Soto fix the Yankees issues at first? No, he would not.
While Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Luis Gil are a strong front three of a rotation, the Yankees are in need of one more big name, and while there are talents both on the trade market and free agency, the Yankees main target should be Max Fried. The three-time All-Star has spent the first eight years of his career shining as a member of the Atlanta Braves and would put the finishing touches on a very strong Yankee rotation. Fried has a career 3.07 ERA, and the southpaw would benefit from pitching in a ballpark like Yankee Stadium. Could the Yankees afford both Fried and Soto? Probably not, but could the Yankees land both Walker and Fried, fixing two major issues, with less money than Soto earns yearly? Absolutely.
In terms of the outfield, there’s one option that outshines the rest, and that is Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros. Tucker is entering the final year of his contract, and while the Yankees could be hesitant to make a move for Tucker after the Soto saga, he is not a Boras client, which makes him more likely to negotiate prior to his contract ending.
In his career, Tucker has put up solid numbers, and a seamless transition from Soto could be the best-case scenario for the Yankees. Not to mention, Tucker has a Gold Glove under his belt, and with the focus of the Yankees moving to defense, he could fill the void of Soto in one swoop.
The Yankees lost a fan favorite and a superstar, but this is no time for the train to stop. Judge is still a superstar, and as long as he’s on the team, they have a chance to win No. 28. While they were unable to keep Soto, possibilities remain endless, and fans should still be excited for the future of the team.
