Juan Soto’s presence — or departure — dominates 3 of top 5 questions Yankees face this offseason

All summerlong the future hung over Yankee Stadium like a storm cloud.

As Juan Soto, that swashbuckling typhoon of baseballing ability, endeared himself to the pinstripe faithful he concurrently faced a barrage of inquiries about whether he would remain in the Bronx for the long haul. In the wake of New York’s embarrassing World Series defeat, the spotlight immediately panned toward Soto, who spent that evening (understandably) advertising himself for the free-agent frenzy to come.

The 2024 Yankees were both a success and a failure, a sensationally skilled team that accomplished a great deal despite a laundry list of flaws. Aaron Boone, whose job is unlike any other big league skipper, had his 2025 option picked up this past week and will continue as Yankee manager. Any changes to Boone’s coaching staff have not yet been revealed, though he did, in a recent media session, divulge that the group would remain “largely intact.”

However that shakes out the Yankees, as per usual, will play a major role in this MLB offseason. They face a plethora of unknowns. Four of their starting nine position players are free agents, as are three key members of the bullpen. And while Gerrit Cole’s contract situation — in which the ace opted out, but then seemed to reverse course — began strangely, it will surely end with Cole back in pinstripes. Of course, whether the Yankees retain Soto will dictate their own decisions and the decisions of 29 other clubs.

With that in mind, here are the five main questions that will shape the Yankees’ winter.

Current strengths: CF/SP/C

Current holes: 1B/2B/RF

Free Agents: OF Juan Soto, 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Gleyber Torres, OF Alex Verdugo, RHP Clay Holmes, RHP Tommy Kahnle, LHP Tim Hill

1. Can the Yankees retain Soto?

The entire winter begins and ends with that question. Soto’s 2024 in the Bronx was dreamland stuff, far beyond even the wildest expectations. He was an on-base machine in front of Aaron Judge and proved his October mettle again with an ALCS clinching smash.

As magical as Soto’s New York debut was, a return is far from a given. The crosstown Mets figure to make a strong play at the slugger’s services and the deep-pocketed Dodgers can’t be counted out either. Priorities Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 for general manager Brian Cashman and team owner Hal Steinbrenner are keeping Soto in pinstripes.

2. If the Yankees keep Soto, how does the OF alignment work out?

A Soto return would create a fascinating outfield situation; a good problem, but still a problem. With the DH spot clogged up by the plodding, aging, still unequivocally dangerous Giancarlo Stanton, Soto would again be the everyday rightfielder, keeping Aaron Judge as the regular centerfielder. Barring a free-agent or trade addition, top prospect Jasson Domínguez seems primed to command the majority of time in left field. While the offensive ceiling on that outfield trio is sensational, it’s incredibly worrisome from a defensive standpoint.

Judge’s ability to man the outfield’s most demanding position as a 6-foot-7 goliath is remarkable, but the impending 2024 AL MVP graded out as one of the league’s worst centerfielders. Soto, farcical Gold Glove nomination aside, is a rough scene in right. And Domínguez, once hailed as a potential centerfielder, appeared utterly lost in left during a September trial. All three players, assuming a Soto returns, would be under contract for the foreseeable future. Judge cannot be the long-term centerfield option; he’ll decline even more out there and will be more susceptible to injuries. So, what’s the path forward? Here are a few options:

• Wait out Stanton and hope Domínguez gets better: The slugger’s lengthy contract can expire after 2026. New York could hope Domínguez improves into a regular centerfielder, move Judge to Yankee Stadium’s expansive left field and keep Soto in right. When Stanton moves on, Soto moves to DH.

• Move somebody to first base: The most glaring hole on this roster is at first; why not fill it with an All-Star? Neither Judge or Soto have ever played a professional inning at first base, but that was also the case with Bryce Harper who has evolved into quite the reliable glovesmith.

• Make a trade: It’s unlikely, but if the Yankees truly think Domínguez won’t become a CF, they could trade the youngster for an infielder and backfill the position. Stanton’s massive contract makes a deal difficult, but his value right now, after a spectacular October, is as high as it’s been in years.

3. What would the Soto pivot be?

If Soto signs with the Mets, Dodgers, Rays or any of the other MLB clubs, the world will continue to spin, the grass will continue to grow and the Yankees will continue trying to field a competitive ballclub in 2025.

The most like-for-like replacement is free-agent right fielder Anthony Santander, a switch hitter who clubbed 44 homers for the Orioles in 2024. But Santander’s on-base skills are poor, and besides his handedness, he doesn’t really fit within the Yankees’ slug-happy lineup. Teoscar Hernández presents a similar dynamic, except he hits only righty. Jurickson Profar has the most enticing on-base profile among non-Soto free agents and is also a switch-hitter, but the former top prospect is a middling outfield defender with a very short track record of elite production. Pete Alonso has raked in NYC for years and would fill the Yankees’ first base void, but wouldn’t solve the club’s issue of being too one-dimensional. For years, infielder Alex Bregman was one of the league’s biggest walkers, but his BB% fell off a cliff in 2024 even as the rest of his game generally held steady.

The 2024 Yankees thrived because they had two world-beating monsters in the middle of the lineup, two of the best five players on the planet. Replacing Soto in the aggregate would be nearly impossible.

4. What is the Opening Day infield?

Anthony Volpe will be the shortstop. The rest is a haze.

Jazz Chisholm Jr should join Volpe in the dirt, but it’s unknown whether he’ll play third base (where he played for the Yankees in ’24) or second base (Chisholm has much more middle infield experience). First base, with the likely departure of Anthony Rizzo, for whom the club declined a 2025 option, is a total question mark. Over the past three seasons, Gleyber Torres started 85% of Yankee games at second base, and he is also expected to be in different laundry next season.

The internal options to fill those two open infield spots are plentiful, though relatively uninspiring.

• Oswaldo Cabrera, a Swiss Army knife who played every position last season but centerfield and catcher. But the 26-year-old has been a well below average hitter over 827 career plate appearances and his defensive versatility works best as a bench option.

• The Yankees would love a bounce-back from the 36-year-old DJ LeMahieu, who was both injured and gruesomely bad in 2024. Both corner spots are, theoretically, options for “DJLM,” but the lanky infielder might be cooked. He graded out as the seventh worst player in MLB last year (-1.6 bWAR).

• Jon Berti played an admirable emergency first base in the playoffs and gave the plodding, powerful Yankees lineup a different look as a high-contact, high-speed player. But the 35-year-old battled injuries all year, tallying just 74 plate appearances, and can’t really be relied upon as a regular option.

• First baseman Ben Rice came up in June and lit the world on fire for three weeks before falling back to Earth. He even hit fourth behind Judge for a handful of games.

• A trio of infield prospects, Oswald Peraza, Jorbit Vivas and Caleb Durbin all have prospect pedigree and/or high minors performance. Yet, giving an everyday spot out of spring training to any one of the three would be a surprise.

The most likely scenario: the Yankees fill one infield spot internally and one externally. Whether or not they keep Soto is likely to determine what level of free-agent infield they go for.

5. Rebuilding the bullpen

By the end of the World Series, the top of New York’s reliever hierarchy looked something like this: Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Tim Hill, Mark Leiter Jr. It will almost certainly look different next year, with Holmes, Kahnle and Hill all hitting free agency. The Yankees have shown great aptitude at turning discarded and overlooked hurlers into elite bullpen arms, as was the case with Weaver and Holmes. They could try that buy-low strategy again in 2025, but given the current state of the ‘pen, an outside acquisition feels likely.

An older reliever with a strong résumé like Kirby Yates or Blake Treinen feels like a reasonable fit. The Yankees could then backfill the other high leverage spots with reclamation projects, spring training invites and the like. It’s worked for them before.