What’s Next for Yankees is Soto Says Sayonara?

While the season ended in disappointing fashion for the New York Yankees (especially that horrific fifth inning in Game 5), it was the Bronx Bombers’ best year in more than a decade. Many factors contributed to their success, including another great season from Aaron Judge, the resurgence of Giancarlo Stanton and a strong pitching staff.

It was the addition of Juan Soto in the offseason, however, that seemed to put the Yankees over the top, as he had an MVP-caliber year. But the question now is whether or not he will be one and done. Going into the season, New York knew it had a great chance of re-signing him, and making it all the way to the World Series — with perhaps the lure of many more trips to come — might’ve been enough to get him to sign on the dotted line.

So far, that hasn’t happened. And while the hot-stove season has really only just begun, the Yankees definitely don’t want to be left holding the (money) bag if Soto decides to take his talents elsewhere. So what’s their backup plan?

Recently, the Yankees have been linked to a trio of first basemen. Of course, the other big slugger in New York awaiting a new contract is Pete Alonso. While he didn’t have a great regular season, Alonso came alive in the playoffs and helped the Mets get within a couple of wins of facing the Yankees for the championship. The Polar Bear could fit in nicely with Judge and Stanton, and with the team deciding not to pick up the option on Anthony Rizzo, first base is open.

Christian Walker is another free-agent first baseman the Yankees seem to be doing their homework on. There were also rumblings — particularly during the summer — that New York might be interested in trading for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. But since none of these guys play the outfield, making another move to bring in somebody else might be required.

A name that has popped up a lot recently is Teoscar Hernandez, whom the Yankees just saw quite a bit of in the World Series. While he’s played two more years than Soto, Hernandez’s numbers are actually pretty comparable, especially when it comes to home runs, RBI and slugging percentage. Plus, Hernandez plays the outfield and would probably be a lot cheaper to sign. The downside is that at age 32, he’s six years older than Soto and almost certainly won’t have as many good years left. 

Anthony Santander also seems to be on the radar of the Yankees, and although he doesn’t have Soto’s numbers (who does?), he’s a switch-hitter with good power who plays the outfield.

Another option for New York? Don’t try to replace Soto, at least not right away. Instead of focusing on offense, the front office could concentrate on retooling its pitching staff by bringing in guys like Blake Snell or Max Fried. This would give youngsters like Jasson Dominguez a chance to earn their pinstripes. Then, if necessary, the Yankees could look to scoop up somebody before the trade deadline — perhaps one of the guys mentioned above.