With their loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday, the New York Yankees’ offseason has officially begun. New York came close to capturing their first championship since 2009, but the team quickly fell apart throughout the World Series.
Top 5 Questions The Yankees Face This Offseason
But as much of a gut-punch the World Series loss was to the Yankees, it’s time to look ahead to 2025 and the upcoming offseason. As per usual, New York has a lot of “spring cleaning” to do, and it will be interesting to see how Brian Cashman and the front office will handle the roster this winter. Here are the top 5 questions that will plague the Yankees heading into 2025.
5. The First Base Dilemma
One of the Yankees’ most significant weaknesses this year, at least during the regular season, was at first base. Anthony Rizzo dealt with multiple injuries throughout the season and didn’t perform well even when he was in the lineup. His replacements, including DJ LeMahieu, Ben Rice, and Oswaldo Cabrera, did not produce much offense whatsoever: New York’s team OPS at first base this season was .619, good for dead-last in the Majors.
Rizzo’s contract has a club option for 2025, with a $6 million buyout for $17 million in salary. The Yankees aren’t expected to pick up this option, but they very well could resign Rizzo to a less luxurious deal, mainly because of his close friendship with Aaron Judge. However, if they don’t go the Rizzo route, they may not look to replace him in free agency. Ben Rice showed a sliver of potential early on this season, and 24-year-old prospect TJ Rumfield is waiting in the ranks in Triple-A, leaving them with multiple internal options at first for next year.
4. Gleyber Torres
For Torres, 2024 was a tale of two seasons: he struggled mightily in the first half but then switched to the leadoff role and found his stride from August all the way through the postseason. Though his numbers don’t look pretty (.708 OPS and 15 homers in the regular season), Torres became an essential piece of the Yankees’ lineup towards the season’s end, and the front office should seriously consider bringing back one of the longest-tenured current Yankees.
However, Torres may get a lucrative deal somewhere else despite saying he wants to stay in pinstripes. If that ends up being the case, the easiest option may be to move Jazz Chisholm to second base, his natural position. This leaves another gaping hole, however, at third base. If the Yankees want to keep Chisholm at third, then they could consider switching shortstop Oswald Peraza to the position. They could also look to a different free agent second baseman to solve the problem, though this offseason second-base class is not particularly strong. The best-case scenario for both sides would be for Torres to return to the Bronx.
3. Gerrit Cole
The Yankees’ ace could be another free agent this offseason. The 2023 AL Cy Young winner has an option for four more years with New York, which would amount to $144 million. But Cole may very well exercise his opt-out, and the Yankees could let him test the market.
It would be unwise for the Yankees to let go of the future Hall-of-Famer; though his option entails a large sum of money, Cole has been remarkably valuable in his 5 seasons with the Yankees. Not only has he won a Cy Young, but he has consistently performed well in both the postseason and the regular season. Not to mention, Cole is essentially the team’s second pitching coach. If the Yankees decide to let him go, not only will they lose their most valuable pitcher, but they’ll also face a huge hole in the number one starter role.
2. The Payroll
One of the biggest uncertainties this offseason will be how much money owner Hal Steinbrenner is willing to hand out. Remarking multiple times throughout the year that he wished to lower the Yankees’ player payroll (New York’s ’24 payroll ranked third highest in MLB), the Yankees may have to deal with some cuts to the roster. All of the aforementioned players may not be resigned simply to cut costs; a significantly lower payroll would be detrimental to the Yankees’ roster, which is already facing the reality of being worse off than in 2024. And, of course, a lower budget would mean that the team isn’t nearly as likely to resign the biggest star in this year’s free-agent class…
1. The Juan Soto Sweepstakes
It’s fair to say that Soto’s arrival in New York this year changed the entire landscape of the team. Even just his presence in the lineup was a significant help to the entire team, so much to the point that fans and even his teammates can’t imagine a Yankee lineup without him. Unfortunately, as magical as his lone season in the Bronx was, Soto may depart the team that came so close to the ultimate prize this October.
Things would be bleak for the Yankees without Soto in right field next year. This scenario could mean moving Judge back to right field and potentially playing Jasson Dominguez in center. But no matter who they bring in to replace him in the outfield, Soto’s historical offensive prowess will be sorely missed. The 26-year-old already seems to have one foot out the door based on his comments after the Game 5 loss:
We will look at every situation and every offer we get. I don’t know what teams want to come after me, but definitely, I’ll be open to listening to every single team. I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that, so we’re going to be available for all 30 teams.
Of all the things the Yankees have to do over the offseason, this one is by far the most important. They have to resign Soto if they want any good chance at making another run to the Fall Classic in 2025.
Main Photo Credits: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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