Juan Soto shocked the baseball world by signing a 15-year $765 million contract with the Yankees cross-town rival New York Mets. Soto’s agreement with the New York Mets, signed in Dallas, Texas at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings can be worth over $800 million with incentives.
The popular initial take is that Soto’s free agent signing with the Mets (and deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen) is terrible for the Yankees. Still, now that they are freed from a massive financial commitment, the Yankees can go in other, interesting directions, as they plug more of their holes. The Yankees now need another outfielder and need to sign, or trade for, six additional players. This article will detail the impact of the Soto signing with the Mets on the Yankees.
The Upside Of Soto’s Signing For the Yankees
Soto signing with the New York Mets does have some upside for the Yankees. This may be an odd take, but there are at least three distinct reasons. First, at 15 years the contact, for Soto (who just turned 26) will be under contract until he is 41. The Yankees have watched many high-dollar contract players grow old and are now watching Giancarlo Staton and Gerrit Cole do so. Maybe not watching another player grow old is a good thing.
Second, Juan Soto, Clay Holmes, and the rest of the Yankees were not good enough to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. He and Holmes both signed with the New York Mets. It is time for the Yankees to turn over their roster and go in a different direction. Offense does not win championships, defense does. The Yankees did not lose the World Series because they could not hit, they lost the World Series because their pitching was not good enough.
Third, now that the Yankees do not have a massive contact for Juan Soto, they are freed up to pursue other free agent and trade options, which is a good thing because the Yankees now need six players to fill their many holes. Maybe the Yankees’ brain trust will now use that money to sign those free agents and get good value for their money. The Yankees can sign at least three veteran stars to address issues for the money they would have spent on just one player.
Soto’s Signing Impact On Aaron Judge
Juan Soto and Aaron Judge formed the best one-two lineup combination in baseball. There is no doubt Arron Judge, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player and the Captain of the Yankees, will miss Juan Soto. However, the signing will not affect Judge’s proposed move to first base and there are other players out there in free agency that can protect Judge in the batting order. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto were both substandard defensive outfielders and their poor defense hurt the Yankees in the World Series when it mattered most.
Yankees Needs In Wake Of the Signing
In the wake of Soto’s signing with the Mets, what do the Yankees need? Let’s assume the Yankees move Aaron Judge to first base and move Jazz Chisolm to second base. The Yankees need a third baseman, two outfielders (to replace both Aaron Judge and Juan Soto), and three relief pitchers.
The Yankees will need the money they would have spent on Juan Soto’s contract to invest in these many players. Say the Yankees keep Aaron Judge in the outfield, they still need six players (one in the outfield instead of one at first base). The Yankees need three arms in the bullpen to replace losses and improve the relief pitchers that failed them at the end of last season in the World Series.
Conclusion
The fact that Juan Soto signed a 15-year $765 contract will undoubtedly be in the news as a bad thing for the Yankees. Nevertheless, not spending that large amount of money on one player means the Yankees can spend that money on filling some of their other holes. It will also enable the Yankees to evolve a roster that was not good enough to win the World Series.
