Yankees immediately lose Juan Soto 'Plan B' option as SF Giants land star infielder

Ah, yes, finally! The San Francisco Giants' revenge for Aaron Judge! It has arrived, and it has drastically affected the New York Yankees' offseason plans ... but mostly only if they fail to re-sign Juan Soto.

On Saturday evening, the Giants signed shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million contract, which is the largest deal in franchise history. Adames gets his money, the Giants get the star free agent that has eluded them for years, and now the rest of the dominos will continue to fall.

As recently as Friday, it was reported the Yankees were interested in Adames as their potential full-time third baseman, but as a Soto "backup plan" should the superstar sign elsewhere. Though Adames is an incredibly appealing target with a lot of characteristics the Yankees need, fans wouldn't have exactly viewed the signing as favorably if it wasn't accompanied by Soto.

Additionally, it would've played a role in further aging this Yankees roster, which is already dealing with a lot of older players on longer-term contracts, such as Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole and DJ LeMahieu (among others).

Then again, Adames will earn a $26 million AAV over the length of this contract that will take him through his age-35 season, so, really, it wouldn't have been too prohibitive of an investment for the Yankees.

Yankees News: Juan Soto 'Plan B' in Willy Adames is no more after Giants contract

No matter how Adames might have fit into the Yankees' free agency picture, it's no longer an option, and the clock is ticking on Soto. The longer the Yankees have to wait, the more at risk they are of losing other desirable free agents. They reportedly expressed interest in Adames and have also spoken to Corbin Burnes and Max Fried in addition to the Cubs about a Cody Bellinger trade.

Adames' deal doesn't exactly break the free agency dam — Soto will do that whenever he signs. But with Blake Snell coming off the board right before Thanksgiving, it's clear that not every star player will wait out Soto's decision. Some guys want their money and don't want to get stuck in the business lull.

This now makes a Soto reunion even more imperative for the Yankees. A pitcher flying off the board wouldn't have been as detrimental, but they can't afford to see a horde of position players gone while the Soto sweepstakes drag on.