Shortly after Juan Soto essentially sent the Yankees to the World Series with a go-ahead, three-run homer in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the ALCS, Jazz Chisholm Jr. put an astronomical price tag on the impending free agent.
“I think we should re-sign Soto!” the third baseman emphatically said as the Yankees popped champagne in their clubhouse. “$700 million! That’s my number. Final offer.”
It turned out that the joking Chisholm’s best offer was off by $65 million. Meanwhile, Hal Steinbrenner’s final bid came in $5 million short after Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets on Sunday night.
The Yankees and Steinbrenner, who knew fans expected him to retain Soto, ended up at 16 years and $760 million, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The end result: a Juan-year stand in the Bronx.
With Steve Cohen and their crosstown rivals winning the first major bidding war between the two owners, Steinbrenner now has a lot of money to play with. He and Brian Cashman also have a lot of holes to fill.
With Soto vacating right field, Jasson Domínguez not guaranteed anything and Aaron Judge capable of playing right and center, the Yankees have questions at all three outfield spots. The same goes for second or third; Jazz Chisholm Jr. can play both and center. First base is wide open, and Steinbrenner has also expressed interest in pitching upgrades.
So, who could fill some of those positions? Here’s a look at some remaining free agents the Yankees can spend on as of Sunday night, though activity at the Winter Meetings is expected to pick up quickly now that Soto’s sweepstakes are over.
Corbin Burnes and Max Fried
The Yankees have reportedly Zoomed with both pitchers, the top starters on the market. Burnes and Fried are expected to fetch deals over $200 million and would give the Yankees a legitimate No. 2 behind Gerrit Cole. The left-handed Fried went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA and 166 strikeouts over 29 starts and 174.1 innings for Atlanta while making his second All-Star team last season. The right-handed Burnes, who won a Cy Young with the Brewers, went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA and 181 strikeouts over 32 starts and 194.1 innings in his first season with the Orioles.
Other starters still available include Jack Flaherty, Sean Manaea, Nathan Eovaldi and Walker Buehler. The Yankees are also expected to pursue Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, who is expected to be posted this week.
Christian Walker
While Pete Alonso is the biggest bat among free agent first basemen, Christian Walker provides consistent power and elite defense. The 34-year-old is only a year younger than Anthony Rizzo, but the right-handed swinger totaled 95 homers, 281 RBI, a .250/.332/.481 slash line, a 123 OPS+ and three Gold Gloves over the last three years. While some of Walker’s surface numbers declined last season, his metrics improved from 2023.
Other free agent first base options include Carlos Santana and Paul Goldschmidt.
Alex Bregman
Could the Yankees turn to a member of the Astros’ 2017 cheating championship team? Maybe, if they’re dying to move Chisholm off of third base. With Willy Adames off the market, Bregman is the best available option at the hot corner. He hit .260/.315/.453 with 26 homers and 75 RBI last year.
The free agent market for third basemen is thin, with other possibilities including Yoán Moncada and Gio Urshela.
Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández
With Soto off the board, Santander and Hernández are the best remaining outfielders on the market. Neither are great defenders – neither is Soto – but they pack a punch at the plate. While not as good of an all-around hitter as Soto, Santander hit 44 homers last season. Hernández crushed 33. Both had a wRC+ of 129 or better.
Other free agent outfielders include Tommy Pham, Jurickson Profar, Harrison Bader and Alex Verdugo, though the last two have already had disappointing stints with the Yankees.
Tanner Scott
The Yankees have avoided spending big money on relievers, as they’ve been able to find diamonds in the rough. However, they have a lot of earmarked money to play with now, and Scott would be an excellent set-up man/fallback closer for Luke Weaver, who took over ninth inning duties at the end of 2024. The left-handed Scott was exceptional for the Marlins and Padres last year, recording a 1.75 ERA and 22 saves.
The Yankees, who have multiple holes in their bullpen, could also look at top relievers Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez. They’ve also expressed interest in re-signing Tim Hill and Tommy Kahnle.
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