Re-signing Juan Soto is clearly the New York Yankees’ top priority this offseason. But should that fall through, the Bronx Bombers will need a backup plan.
The Yankees got a superstar season from Soto in 2024. The 26-year-old Dominican batted .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs. His OPS of .989 was third in the majors behind Shohei Ohtani and teammate Aaron Judge, the favorites to win the NL and AL MVP awards, respectively.
Soto’s MVP-caliber production obviously comes with an MVP-caliber price tag, which has reportedly risen since the Yankees’ World Series exit.
Should the Yankees fail to re-sign Soto, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi spoke on Friday about who the Pinstripes could seek out to replace him. Morosi shared the Yankees would likely spread out their money toward multiple star-caliber free agents.
“If you imagine the Yankees not signing Juan Soto. Then perhaps, they pivot to a combination of [Anthony] Santander, Christian Walker, maybe, in that situations, even a Willy Adames.”
"If you imagine the Yankees NOT signing Juan Soto. Then perhaps, they pivot to a combination of Santander, Christian Walker, maybe… Willy Adames."
– @jonmorosi on #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/KVIqMqqeYU
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 9, 2024
Morosi stated that Santander’s market “links up” with Soto. Both are hard-hitting right-fielders who could bat in the heart of the Yankees’ order. Santander earned his first All-Star nod last season after he led the Baltimore Orioles in home runs (44) and RBIs (102). Teams that strike out on Soto, even potentially the Yankees, could look to Santander as the next best thing.
However, Santander does not hit for average like Soto does. The 29-year-old batted .235 in his career campaign last season, significantly lower than Soto’s .285 career batting average. Santander by himself would not be able to replace Soto. But adding him in combination with names such as Adames and Walker could ease the pain of the Yankees potentially losing Soto.
Given that the New York Mets and even a few surprise teams are making overtures toward Soto’s camp, the Yankees’ road to keeping him won’t be easy.
