The New York Mets got Juan Soto, and the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays all missed out on the superstar despite valiant efforts to secure his signature. Now, especially with the Winter Meetings in full swing, expect the losers of the Soto sweepstakes to step up their efforts and bring in some impactful players of their own.
The Yankees are pivoting in a new direction after losing Juan Soto sweepstakes
That doesn’t mean the Mets’ offseason is done, but they got their star and can approach the rest of the offseason with a different mindset. The Yankees, on the other hand, have the urgency to add game-changing talent.
They can still pivot and react to losing Soto. They can make their rotation incredibly good and deep, they could shore up their bullpen and turn it into a super unit, and they could trade for talented young assets… In short, they have options.
The Yankees should focus on building a super bullpen
As of now, it appears that relievers are their first choice when it comes to reinforcing the team, at least according to a report from MLB insider Jon Morosi.
“The Blue Jays, Red Sox, Phillies, and Yankees are active on free-agent relievers. Tanner Scott, Carlos Estévez, Jeff Hoffman, Kenley Jansen, Kirby Yates, and Kyle Finnegan are among the top names still available,” he posted on his X account.
Scott posted a 1.75 ERA with 84 punchouts this season, while Hoffman was perhaps the Phillies’ best reliever. Estevez is another competitive arm with closing experience, and the same can be said about Finnegan.
There are also cheaper names and potential rebound candidates the Yankees can pursue. The idea is to put together a more reliable bullpen than the one they fielded in the World Series. The Yankees’ relief corps could look a lot different than they did in 2024.
