MLB
The Yankees weighing up alternatives in case they lose Juan Soto
The Dominican is aiming for a contract lasting more than a decade that could be worth more than $600 million. There is no certainty that he will stay in New York.
Juan Soto is one of the most coveted free agents in Major League Baseball heading into the 2025 season. The Dominican player spent the last year with the New York Yankees, but has already received offers from at least five other organizations to acquire his services.
The question is what will happen to the Yankees if they lose Soto. The outfielder is looking at a decade-long contract worth more than $600 million, and Hal Steinbrenner’s organization may not be willing to spend that much with a high payroll which already includes Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton.
According to the New York Post, the Yankees have made calls to pitchers Corbin Burnes and Max Fried in case they are unable to sign Soto. However, neither pitcher has received a formal offer from the Manhattan Mules.
Burnes made 32 starts for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024 and posted a 2.92 ERA while allowing 63 runs in 194.1 innings worked. Financially, the right-hander is worth $15.6 million, according to Spotrac.
Meanwhile Fried appeared in 29 games for the Atlanta Braves, two of which were complete games and one ended in a shutout. The left-hander posted a 3.25 ERA as opponents scored 63 earned runs during the 174.1 innings he worked. Fried’s contract would be similar to Burnes' with a difference of $600,000.
The best outfielders in the major leagues available in free agency
After Soto, the quality of free agents drops dramatically at the outfield position.
Available players include Teoscar Hernandez, Michael Conforto, Mark Canha, Anthony Santander and Harrison Bader.
The main drawback is that none of them can produce like the former Yankees player. Soto had a WAR of 7.91 while the five most outstanding outfielders barely add up to 10.13, of which 4.29 are for Hernández and 2.93 for Santander.