As the Yankees come off losing in the World Series to the Dodgers there’s the certainty that next years team is going to look vastly different. The most important question will be whether or not they can resign Soto and whether or not he wants to come back anyway. Assuming they lose him to free agency that will be five spots that will need replacement. Soto RF Verdugo LF Rizzo 1B Torres 2B Jazz 3B This is why I’ve said this team is looking more like a team in need of a rebuild. Outside of that it’s the same loading up more high priced free agents. A move they likely make because with Judge not getting any younger the window will start to close. Granted they also have prospects they can look to fill some of these spots. Unfortunately, that comes with growing pains and there’s no move that will replace the potential loss of Juan Soto.
I think it's pretty clear that Soto will follow the money, period...good riddance. Not a fan of his act. Torres, gone. Good riddance. Not a fan of his bipolar baseball acumen. Chisholm, unless they keep him to take over for Torres at 2B, let him go. Not a fan of his act. Volpe, I like the kid but his offense and defense is spotty...I am a fan of his, but not sure he is the answer at SS. Rizzo, give him a Yankee friendly 1 year deal and let Rice learn from him...unless they move Judge to 1B which is doubtful. Vertigo...name says it all...not at fan. DJL, gone. Holmes, gone. Stroman, gone. Kahnle, gone. And oh, Boone and Cashman,....GONE.
I predict Soto ends up in San Francisco. The Yankees will be involved but I’ll be surprised if they end up with him. Teams are going to get nuts and it’s going to end up in the $55 to $60 million range. Nothing deferred and no concessions to anyone.
Yanx pick up Luke Weaver's 2025 club option for $2.5 Mil...no brainer move and very Yankee friendly salary.
He pitched well and should stay in the closer role. The rest of the pen will need to be strengthened.
Smoltz' take on Soto's defense...and Boone typical apologist's BS ; https://apple.news/AS4OJGu3uQFa-p5AMSt8cgA Yankees RF Juan Soto’s defense mocked by Hall of Famer When Yankees right fielder Juan Soto was nominated for a Gold Glove, there were a few snickers. Those who watched Soto every day conceded that he was a better defensive player than many expected when he was traded from the San Diego Padres, but a Gold Glove winner? Probably not. Follow us on Apple News Well, on Tuesday night, in Game 4 of the World Series, FOX baseball analyst and Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz mocked Soto’s defensive abilities. Smoltz went after Soto after watching Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts hold Yankees Alex Verdugo to a single on a line drive toward the foul line in the fourth inning. “You see the difference just right field play in this series already?” Smoltz said. “I mean, it’s almost impossible to get a double when you hit it to Mookie Betts, but we’ve seen the doubles and triples when it’s gone to Soto’s positioning and defense. It’s like he’s playing goalie out there.” Soto committed two errors in 143 games in the outfield this season, while throwing out 10 base runners. But other metrics are against him: Soto registered minus-four Outs Above Average, which was tied for 37th among qualified
Still a chance they resign Rizzo anyway but he's no longer worth $17 Mil...not surprised at Cole's decision, that's on Cashman because he gives out "opt outs" like candy.
I think they’re done with Rizzo. Frankly, he should retire. Cole they will likely pick up the option.
You may be right about Rizzo...injuries have plagued him recently and he'll be 36 by the end of next season.
The Yankees declined their 2025 club option for RHP Lou Trivino on Sunday, making the 33-year-old a free agent.
This pretty much echoes my sentiments last week about Cole; (I especially like the very last line if they really want Soto)) https://apple.news/AlOYSgnP8QkmO3lkwvSbevg Ex-MLB GM: Yankees should not re-sign Gerrit Cole, a ‘tremendous risk’ YANKEES Ex-MLB GM: Yankees should not re-sign Gerrit Cole, a ‘tremendous risk’ Published: Nov. 04, 2024 Gerrit Cole‘s decision to opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees on Saturday was not surprising. The Yankees‘ likely response to keep him in pinstripes by adding another year at $36 million to trigger a $180 million deal over five years won’t be, either. But as the 5 p.m. ET decision to make this possible looms, some have questioned if the right move is to keep him — or, at least, whether questions should be asked about how easy a call it should be for general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner. One of those people is ex-New York Mets general manager Zack Scott, who wrote on X this weekend: I expect the Yankees to pick up the option to bring him back, but in a vacuum, they probably should let him walk. $180m/5 years for his age 34-38 seasons is a tremendous risk. Perhaps they’re right that it’s a risk they have to take (and can manage better than most clubs). It would take huge stones to walk away. NJ Advance Media‘s Randy Miller wrote Sunday that it remains “doubtful” that the Yankees let Cole walk after he opted out of the last four seasons of his $324 million deal, but that it was “strange that they didn’t immediately void the opt-out as soon as it was triggered on Saturday.” What makes this decision more complicated than it seems? While Cole is building a Hall of Fame resume and has been among baseball’s top aces for the last seven seasons, which included a 2023 Cy Young and two runners-up finishes, the track record of health for pitchers is not strong, let alone those in their mid-to-late 30s and with the workload of Cole, who has thrown more than 2,000 innings in his career. Cole also dealt with an elbow injury last year and took some time to recapture his dominance, though it came with decreased fastball velocity (95.9 mph) and strikeout rate (25.4%, which would be the lowest since 2017). In his 95 regular-season innings, he posted a 3.41 ERA/3.69 FIP with 99 strikeouts. He‘s still an excellent pitcher, but legitimate questions have surfaced as to whether he’s as dominant as he once was. The other factor here, which could conceivably lead to Cole staying on an altered deal (perhaps with deferred money?), is Juan Soto’s future. Steinbrenner said earlier this year that he does not want another $300 million payroll. Soto is expected to sign for around $600 million over 10-plus years and go to the highest bidder, which many presume would come from the Mets, who have the richest owner in Steve Cohen. “I just don‘t think (keeping Cole) as inevitable as what people think just because of the injury he had in spring training,” ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney said Oct. 31 on the “Baseball Tonight” podcast. “Look, the Yankees, they know what’s going on with his elbow better than anyone else in the industry.” Cole’s $36 million average annual value would place him fourth among starting pitchers, per Spotrac. “Honestly, if Gerrit Cole opted out and the Yankees elected to not exercise that 10th-year option, that‘s the best thing for the franchise,” ESPN’s Paul Hembekides said on the Nov. 1 “Baseball Tonight” episode. “I know you wind up letting him walk for next to nothing. But I don‘t know that paying Gerrit Cole through his 30s is wise — that‘s not a get to, that’s a have to, especially if it comes at the expense of Juan Soto. Could the Yankees be seeking to save some money with Cole so they have extra to make their best pitch to Soto, who is 26, and/or add a younger starting pitcher, like Corbin Burnes, who is 30?
Not according to this; (sounds like they are still working on a deal to lower his salary AAV) https://apple.news/AAuBtA1p3SkOrqpBRVEvtFg Updated 6:07 pm EST Nov. 4, 2024 Yankees, Gerrit Cole fail to reach extension, but ace will remain in Bronx SAN ANTONIO — The New York Yankees declined to give ace Gerrit Cole a contract extension by Monday’s deadline, but Cole ultimately decided that he didn’t want to leave as a free agent anyway, and is staying with the Yankees for at least the next four years. The Yankees had until 5 p.m. Monday to give Cole a one-year, $36 million extension to void his opt-out, but when they didn’t exercise the right, Cole elected to stay put, and will still be paid the four years and $144 million remaining on his original nine-year, $324 million contract. The Yankees and Cole will remain in talks about a revised contract, but there no longer is a deadline. Cole exercised his opt-out clause on Saturday, allowing the Yankees to walk away, and saving $144 million. Yet, they still would have needed to hit the free-agent market to replace him. They ultimately decided he’s better than anyone on the market, even with Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried available. They also weren’t about to enter the 2025 season with a starting rotation of Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman. Cole, 34, certainly has been everything the Yankees envisioned the first five years of his contract, going 59-28 with a 3.12 ERA. Yet, after being limited to 19 starts this past season because of nerve inflammation in his elbow, the Yankees balked at immediately giving him another year in which he would have been pitching at the age of 40. If the Yankees had given him the extra year, Cole’s contract would have turned into a 10-year, $360 million deal, the richest in baseball history for a pitcher. The Yankees and Cole left negotiations Monday with the understanding they will continue to talk about an extension, with the Yankees seeking to lower Cole’s average annual salary for luxury tax purposes.
Soto will be either a yankee or met. didn't think Hal would sign him but with 50 plus million coning off in salaries starting to think it would be too embarrassing not to. Sign soto and play the youngsters like rice, wells, the martian and who knows if jones has a big spring training maybe the yanks jump triple A like they did with volpe. the pitching staff of Cole, rodon, Gil, Schmidt and either stroman, Nestor or a youngster brought up is pretty much done already. would like to see one or two of their drafted arms that throw hard brought up for the bullpen
Not sure if Cashman was just playing nice or not, but he claimed the door was still open that Torres could return but not under the contract/salary that Torres wants. Personally, I hope the Yanx move on from Gleyber. The more I think about it, the less I think Soto is worth what he and Boras are asking....but I'm sure someone will pay it. I'm just tired of Cashman giving out galactically bad contracts that don't age well. Also, Luis Gil wins ROY. https://www.si.com/mlb/yankees/news...aseball-digest-al-rookie-of-the-year-michael9
