Yankees News: Jasson Dominguez, Aroldis Chapman free agency, Cody Bellinger trade

While the Juan Soto speculation rages on and the expected unsavory New York Yankees-related updates continue to emerge, there's a lot more going on in free agency (and on the trade market) as we approach the Winter Meetings.

Soto reportedly remains the Yankees' top priority, which means other plans must fall into place for that to work. For example, the outfield alignment must be figured out, especially after they ran into their Jasson Dominguez problem down the stretch in 2024.

Though the Yankees put their top prospect in a bad spot by only giving him a couple weeks of MLB action before the regular season ended, Dominguez did little to plead his case. His defense in left field was bad and his offense was underwhelming.

Fans are confident the offense won't be an issue, but it's safe to say many are wary of the defense. Don't forget, Dominguez also underwent Tommy John surgery in his throwing arm, so that's another concern alongside the bad routes/reads and dropped fly balls.

Thankfully, fans learned this past weekend that Dominguez plans to focus mostly on his defense this offseason and plans to take plentiful reps in left field to prepare for the potential position switch with Soto in the fold. It's not anything groundbreaking, but it's at least comforting to see everybody is preparing as if Soto will be back. This doesn't change the fact that Soto is an average (at best) right fielder and that Judge/Dominguez will be playing out of position, but we'll worry about that later. For now, everyone's on the same page.

Yankees News: Aroldis Chapman free agency, Cody Bellinger trade buzz

As for others in free agency, former Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who has impressed ever since leaving the Bronx (of course), is once again garnering a ton of interest on the open market.

According to Francys Romero, Chapman has more than six teams expected to be in the running for his services. Since departing the Yanks, Chapman signed with the Royals in 2023, was traded that summer to the Rangers and won a World Series, and spent all of 2024 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This past year, he whiffed 98 batters in 61 2/3 innings and only gave up five home runs. Though he had an elevated 1.35 WHIP mostly due to walks, his 3.79 ERA was backed by a 3.03 FIP. The soon-to-be 37-year-old should get another job pitching in high-leverage situations for 2025. Pretty crazy to think about.

For a little trade market update, the Cody Bellinger buzz is alive and well, with insiders and various publications still mocking up potential deals to send the Chicago Cubs outfielder to a contender. The Yankees continued to be mentioned.

This has mostly been discussed as part of the "Plan B" options if Soto isn't re-signed. Trading for Bellinger would give the Yankees a bonafide starting center fielder, allowing them to shift Judge back to his natural right field (which they would do anyway if Soto leaves and whether or not Bellinger is in the fold).

But the best fit for Bellinger in pinstripes might be at first base (if they're even thinking about making such a move). He has experience playing the position, and the Yankees might be better off having him less active on the defensive end, since so many of Bellinger's injuries over the last few years were suffered making plays in the outfield.

Plus, there's also Dominguez, who should be further emphasized if Soto leaves. He shouldn't be playing left field in 2025 if he doesn't have to. And Bellinger only figures to be a one- or two-year solution, which further emphasizes the more logical plan of solving first base in the short-term while keeping the outfield intact and limiting the moving parts.