The New York Yankees faced the impossible challenge of replacing the production of a 25-year-old megastar outfielder this offseason, and responded as well as could've been expected.
They are not immediately "better" without Juan Soto, as some pundits have suggested, but they are more well-rounded. It may take years or decades to ever recreate the 1-2 thump they had for one season with Soto and Judge; they may never do it. But banking on Cody Bellinger feels like a wise gamble, and the bullpen and rotation have been reinforced and toned nicely.
Of course, the main reason losing Soto was a semi-permanent killer was his complete uniqueness as a free agent. Bats like his nearly never hit the market — and, if they do, they're 28 years old at minimum. Encountering a player on the open market of Soto's caliber who responds to financial flexing may never happen again.
That's why it's more important than ever for the Yankees to redouble their efforts to develop one — or, at least, one who can contribute to recreating Soto in the aggregate.
At this moment in time, though they can dream on Spencer Jones' prodigious power, there's only one man in the Yankees' system who you can realistically envision challenging Soto's gravitational pull: Jasson Dominguez, who captured hearts and minds in 2023, then lost them somewhat during the injury-plagued madness of 2024. It's Yankees insider Chris Kirschner's opinion that clearing a path for Dominguez represents the team's smartest move of the offseason, and we're inclined to agree.
If not now, when? And even if he can't reach those heights, he at least deserves the chance to try.
Teamed up with @BrendanKutyNJ to discuss the Yankees' offseason so far. What we think of what's transpired, what they need to do next, their best move and if they actually are better without Juan Soto.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) January 28, 2025
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Yankees' best move of offseason was letting Jasson Dominguez cook (ideally)
In eight brightly flashing games at the tail end of a lost 2023 season, Dominguez gave the Yankees more than enough to dream on. He started his big-league journey by slicing a home run to the short porch in Houston's house of horrors, and keyed a three-game sweep in a stadium where New York typically flails. It paired nicely, in fact, with the four-game, Soto-led sweep that began the triumphant 2024 season.
The follow-up, unfortunately, was dulled and dim for Dominguez. That's not atypical, though. His elbow gave out in 2023, followed by an oblique issue that pestered him just as he was about to break through to the big leagues again last summer. By the time September rolled around, the Yankees had to get "creative" to find Dominguez a lane and failed at doing so.
This time around, though, their entire plan hinges on moving Aaron Judge back to right field, where he's more comfortable, installing Gold Glover Cody Bellinger in center field, and using Dominguez, still just 22 years old come February, at the position he flailed in last fall. If you have Prospect Fatigue surrounding Dominguez's name, you're not alone, but the promise of his '23 cameo was just as legitimate as the concerns that held him back in the return journey.
The Yankees' best chance to mask the loss of Soto won't come through reckless spending. It'll come through finding the next Soto first, rather than after everyone has already trained their eyes on him. It's almost as impossible a task as rebuilding after losing the first Soto, but developing Dominguez, alongside shrewd acquisitions, is the only way it just might work.