Last season, the Yankees finished six games out of the Wild Card slot and 19 games behind the Orioles in the AL East. They made it to the World Series this year. The one-year transformation of the Yankees as a team has been remarkable.

It goes without saying that Juan Soto is the main reason behind this season’s resurgent Yankee team. During his year in pinstripes, Soto hit .288/.419/.569/.988 with 41 home runs. But Soto’s one year in the Bronx may have been his only year in the Bronx. Soto is now preparing to hit the open market. What also goes without saying is that Soto needs a big pay raise.

With everything Soto brings to the Yankees, one would think management would do anything to bring him back. But unfortunately the days of The Boss are gone. Hal Steinbrenner, currently the second-biggest spender in MLB, may take a more frugal approach to offering contracts.

The Yankees currently hold the massive contracts of Judge, Cole and Stanton. To add to their misery, Cole may give up. The Yankees could add another $36 million year to keep him from entering free agency if they wanted. But assuming so, the Yankees could abandon Cole and the $144 million remaining on his contract and pursue Soto instead. But let’s say they keep Cole whether he wants it or not. While there’s no way to tell how much Soto will make, there’s a good chance the Yankees will be out of contention.

There are rumors that Both the Blue Jays and Mets will be major rivals for Soto. and we can’t count out the Dodgers. The Yankees have offered an extension, but as Scott Boras’ client, Soto is not extending it. If the Yankees are priced in Soto, they will have a nice amount of money on hand for other investments. This could also mean the Yankees could develop more than one position. Who could they turn to?

While the Yankees will have plenty of openings thanks to free agency, let’s take a look at some of the big ticket items.

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His batting average and on-base percentage are well below Juan Soto, but Anthony Santander is a strong slugger. In 2024, the diverting outfielder hit .235/.308/.506/.814 with a career-high 44 home runs, resulting in his first All-Star selection this season.

Unlike Soto, Santander will likely only attract attention as a strong, middle-of-the-order home run hitter. Earlier this year, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel Santander is estimated to earn from $40 million to $80,000 million. While the ceiling is twice as high as the floor, Santander’s value in the market can be difficult to gauge as this free agent class has little star power. This could increase Santander’s price significantly.

With Judge and Stanton, the Yankees have two incredible powerhouses (when both are healthy). We also have yet to see how Jasson Dominguez performs during the MLB season. As former Yankee Luis Severino jokingly chided, the addition of Santander will provide much-needed protection so that no pitcher can pitch to the rest of the lineup before pitching around one or two players.

Santander alone won’t carry the Yankees to another World Series. But if Soto leaves the Yankees, adding him would certainly help.

Considering the difficulties the Yankees have had in their starting rotation, it may be wise to select another starter. This summer, teams will have the opportunity to sign one of Japan’s best pitchers. Tomoyuki Sugano will hit the free agent market after 2024 and has posted a 1.67 ERA with 111 strikeouts while allowing just 16 walks in 156.2 innings pitched. These statistics come with a stellar 15-3 record for the year.

Sugano is a two-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner and a two-time NPB Central League MVP. At 35, he probably won’t cost a generous sum as a long-term deal won’t be a factor in any contract negotiations. The Yomiuri Giants’ ace has had a stellar career in Japan, currently posting a 2.43 career ERA over 12 years in the NPB.

Sugano doesn’t throw an explosive fastball. The average speed of four sailors is approximately 92 MPH. However, it also brings with it a fairly broad mix of pitches. His lineup features a mix of four-seam, sinker, cutter, slider, curveball and splitter. It also mixes speeds very well, ranging from the high 70s to the low 90s.

The Yankees have shown interest in international aces before. Their contracts with Masahiro Tanaka in the past have worked out very well for them. We recently saw the Yankees choke out one of their international free agent targets, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. If this bad experience fuels the management’s fire, we may see another Japanese star in the Bronx.

Speaking of Japanese aces, there may be another arm of interest in the market besides Sugano. However, let us point out that in this case, this player will only be available if he is sent. The player in question will be Roki Sasaki.

Anyone watching Sasaki pitch in the 2023 WBC should be excited to see his 100+ MPH fastball in America. In 2024, Sasaki pitched to a 2.35 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings pitched. The Chiba Lotte Marines ace turned 23 on November 3 and has only spent four years in the NPB. During those four years, Sasaki maintained a 2.10 ERA in NPB. In 2022, Sasaki pitched a perfect game, tying the NPB record of 19 strikeouts in a single game.

What would make free agency interesting would be the terms of his contract if he were to commit. Sasaki is under 25 years old and has been performing in Japan for less than six years. Under MLB’s international amateur signing bonus pool rules, the MLB salary is capped. This makes him a budget pitcher with a potentially elite arm.

Sasaki mixes his 100 MPH fastball with a splitter and slider. Whether he will be deployed depends on the Chiba Lotte Marine Corps, which previously refused to deploy him even though he was deployed.

Unlike the two previously mentioned pitchers, Corbin Burnes has excelled as MLB’s ace. Both Sugano and Sasaki may be great pitchers in Japan, but they have yet to prove themselves in MLB all season long. If the Yankees were looking for a proven talent in MLB, they could easily dip into their savings and go for Corbin Burnes.

The 2021 Cy Young Award winner pitched to a 2.92 ERA over 194.1 innings in 2024. His 181 strikeouts offered the lowest strikeout-to-strikeout ratio of his career as a generally strikeout-heavy starter. But this did not seem to hinder its effectiveness. His career 3.19 ERA is a reminder to any club interested in the consistent quality he can provide at the front end of every rotation.

As a proven star, the best pitcher on the free agent market, and one of the best weapons in the game, Burnes will command an exorbitant price tag. Jim Bowden of the Athletic Burnes is projected to earn a salary of $247 million. If this number seems low, it may be too low. By comparison, Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a $325 million contract. To be fair, Yamamoto is younger than Burnes, who just turned 30. But as an established star and the top starter on the market, Burnes will likely sign a contract well north of his estimated $247 million. For the Yankees, having the one-two punch of Gerrit Cole and Corbin Burnes could be worth the expense.

If the Yankees sign Corbin Burnes, it may not leave them with enough money to bolster the offense or leave the bullpen, which will see many weapons hit free agency this offseason. But there is a way to sign a potential ace for a very low price.

2020 Cy Young and triple crown winner Shane Bieber was injured for most of the 2023 season and missed all but two games in 2024. Bieber is still recovering from Tommy John and will likely miss a significant portion of the 2025 season. In 2023, Bieber pitched 128 innings to the tune of a 3.80 ERA. He pitched 12 scoreless innings in 2024. Bieber’s senior year in 2022 saw him pitch to a 2.88 ERA in 200 innings pitched.

Given the injuries and his performance in 2023, teams are likely to be a bit skeptical about his future. His market value this offseason will almost certainly be at a steep discount to what he was worth two years ago, and the Yankees are all for the discount.

If “Not Justin” can recreate his stellar 2020 performance and even his 2022 performance, it will be money well spent for any club. Bieber will turn 30 next year.

Cody Bellinger is a solid all-around player. However, his free agency is conditional on him opting out of his current contract.

Bellinger was named Rookie of the Year in 2017 and MVP of 2019 but has largely struggled to replicate his success. His career has been full of injuries, but he can carry a team when he is healthy and his mechanics are working well. That wasn’t the case in 2024 when he suffered a broken finger and played a little poorly. Bellinger posted a slash line of .266/.325/.426/.751 with 18 home runs in 516 at-bats. While Bellinger may never reach the heights of the 2019 Dodgers season again, teams will be offering him deals in the hopes he can recapture his performance in 2023. That year, although Bellinger was injured at some point in the season, he still compiled 26 home runs and earned his second Silver Slugger with a .307 batting average.

For the Yankees, Bellinger is interesting because he can play like a Gold Glove in center field (he won a Gold Glove as an outfielder in 2019) and swing out to the short right field. If he opts out, Bellinger will want to make more than the $27.5 million he will receive in 2025.

Besides Soto, Pete Alonso is also the best bat on the market. His continued excellence as a power hitter will be a major selling point for teams that need it. Alonso currently holds the all-time rookie scoring record with 53 points.

In 2024, Alonso had one of his worst seasons, batting .240/.329/.459/.788 with 34 home runs. Does this affect its value? It’s not very likely, but there is a small chance. Alonso’s .217 batting average in 2023 could factor into this considering we’re seeing a decline in that statistic, but that’s if it becomes an issue. However, the market will reward a player who can hit 40 home runs a year with at least some degree of consistency.

A power hitter like Alonso on a hitter-friendly field like Yankee Stadium seems like a perfect fit. However, adding Alonso would mean the Yankees are moving on from Anthony Rizzo, who has a club option on his 2025 contract. Rizzo’s production has been plagued by numerous injuries over the past two years. At this rate, Rizzo isn’t likely to return to the Bronx next season, especially if Soto leaves and the Yankees need to improve their standing in the standings. But while this may seem like a foregone conclusion, one never knows what senior management is thinking.

If the Yankees decide to move on from Rizzo, bringing in Pete Alonso would make sense. His power would easily complement that of Judge and Stanton and add another layer of depth that the Yankees wouldn’t have without Soto.