The New York Yankees’ payroll is liable to reach $300 million territory this offseason. The Yankees first undesirably saved money after losing superstar slugger Juan Soto to the New York Mets on a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal on Sunday night. They then went after free agent ace Max Fried and landed him on an eight-year, $218 million deal just two days later. But the bus does not stop there.
Yankees may expend $50 million more in offseason
Now, New York is sitting on roughly $254 million in salary including arbitration estimates. They’re expected to land around $300M on total salary after making their final free agent signings this fall and upcoming winter.
The Yankees now boast perhaps the most formidable pitching unit in the entire MLB with two surefire aces in Fried and Gerrit Cole and two other fringe-lead men in Luis Gil and Carlos Rodon. They beefed up their bullpen after trading for two-time National League Reliever of the Year Devin Williams and retaining Jonathan Loaisiga.
Where Yankees could allocate their remaining salary
New York could use an upgrade at first base, reinforcements in their outfield, and an efficient power hitter to make up for the void that Soto left following his departure. Killing two birds with one stone for the latter two needs would be ideal. Names that are floating around the team include Teoscar Hernandez, Anthony Santander, and Jurickson Profar, as well as Chicago White Sox star Luis Robert Jr. via trade, to name a few.
The Yankees are also interested in former Houston Astros rival third baseman Alex Bregman, who is now a free agent. Save Santander, all of those players could run the Yankees up for over $20-$30 million annually. Management signing just one of them would leave them in the ballpark of $30 million to finish rounding out their roster.
Whichever of those two positions gets addressed first will likely lead New York to address the other in like fashion. They could also opt to bring back second baseman Gleyber Torres and other free agents who’ve hit the open market this fall. The Bronx Bombers are vying for a World Series and have been all in on their pursuits to make that a reality. Any other holes in their makeup will get addressed with the remaining dollars they’ll have on the table.
