If it were merely the million dollar question, Hal Steinbrenner would be thrilled.
The $500 million dollar question? $600 million? $700 million? What is Steve Cohen’s net worth again?
The Yankees have plenty of questions to answer this offseason, but the biggest will be the biggest in the sport. In the aftermath of World Series heartbreak in the deciding Game 5 on Wednesday, Juan Soto — maybe the best pure hitter in the game and 26 years old — declared himself open to all bidders.
The Yankees, who mortgaged significant parts of their future to retain his rights for one season, will do everything they can to keep Soto in The Bronx for the rest of his career.
But Soto, on a clear Hall-of-Fame trajectory who will reach the open market at an uncommonly young age and who has proven himself in this market and in October, is a Scott Boras client who sounds as if he will go to the highest bidder.
Will Steinbrenner simply top every other offer? The Mets and Cohen’s wide-open wallet loom. The Blue Jays are a wild card, the Dodgers are involved with every megastar and really every team in baseball should attempt to land a slugger and showman.
“I don’t know … the teams that are going to come after me,” Soto said after being the last Yankee in the dugout watching the Dodgers celebrate. “Definitely, I’ll be open to [the Mets] and every single team. I don’t have any doors closed. I’m going to be available for all 30 teams.”
There is a foreseeable path on which the Yankees retain Soto and surround the enormous expenditure with minor moves, and there is a foreseeable path on which the Yankees blink, lose Soto and spread that money around in a host of other signings.
Which path the Yankees travel upon will dictate how they answer other offseason questions, such as:
Anthony Rizzo reacts during the Yankees’ Game 5 loss to Dodgers on Oct. 30, 2024.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
What about Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo?
There is a good chance the Yankees have to replace half their infield, with only Anthony Volpe (at shortstop) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (second or third base) presumed returning.
Torres, who will turn 28 in December, will present a fascinating free-agency case.
The second baseman is a two-time All-Star who has not returned to his 2019 heights but who has settled in as typically an above-average hitter with bewildering defense, a glove that can amaze and frustrate in the same game.
Gleyber Torres reacts during the Yankees’ Game 5 loss to Dodgers on Oct. 30, 2024.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
After a miserable start to his 2024, Torres finished strong and logged a .348 on-base percentage in 14 postseason games as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter.
It is difficult to envision both Torres and Soto remaining.
Rizzo, at 35, essentially could be brought back for $11 million, with a $17 million club option and $6 million buyout. The declining first baseman, who still believes he has more left in the tank, is unlikely but not impossible to return to a clubhouse in which he is close with Aaron Judge.
Rizzo addressed media more than an hour after Wednesday’s loss in his full uniform.
“I don’t want to take this off,” he said.
The Yankees do not have solid, in-house replacements for Torres or Rizzo. DJ LeMahieu is owed $30 million over the next two seasons, while Jon Berti, Oswald Peraza and Ben Rice could factor in.
With losses on the horizon, it is difficult to envision the 2025 offense being better than the 2024 version, a Soto return likely constraining other possible upgrades. Unless the Yankees’ youth takes leaps, which presents the question:
Is Jasson Dominguez seen as an everyday outfielder next season?
If the domino that is Soto returns, the Yankees likely would look to cost-efficient prospects like Dominguez to fill out the remaining holes.
If Soto leaves, the Yankees’ backup plan could include Teoscar Hernandez or Anthony Santander.
Jasson Dominguez looks on during the Yankees’ Game 5 loss to Dodgers on Oct. 30, 2024.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Dominguez endured an injury-filled 2024 in which Tommy John surgery kept him sidelined until mid-May, and he built up in the minors until an oblique strain knocked him out for about six weeks.
“The Martian” played just 58 minor league games, finally got his major league chance in the second week of September and did not run with it, Alex Verdugo outplaying Dominguez and earning the postseason starts. Verdugo is a free agent who said he loved his time in The Bronx.
There are plenty of questions around the Yankees’ lineup. There is one significant one in the rotation.
Will Gerrit Cole opt out?
Probably, but he still likely would not hit the open market.
Gerrit Cole reacts during the Yankees’ Game 5 loss to Dodgers on Oct. 30, 2024.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The ace can opt out of the remaining four years and $144 million on his current deal, but the Yankees could then prevent him from becoming a free agent by tacking on a fifth year, in 2029, valued at $36 million.
Cole’s triggering the opt-out and the club’s triggering the additional season is the most likely outcome here.
Cole might not have taken the opt-out chance if he suffered a more serious injury, but he rebounded from elbow concerns that delayed his season debut until June.
If he was not quite a traditional workhorse in the postseason, he was excellent and survived for 6 ²/₃ innings and 108 pitches Wednesday, when his only mistake — not covering first base on a ground ball — led to five unearned runs.
Source : nypost.com
