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New York Yankees 2024 offseason preview: What's next for Aaron Judge and the Bronx Bombers after World Series loss?

Juan Soto's free agency looms as the top item on the offseason agenda for GM Brian Cashman

fred zinkie
Yahoo Fantasy Contributor
·7 min read

Let’s take a look at the season that was for the 2024 New York Yankees, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.

Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What's next for the Guardians, Mets, Red Sox and more?

After winning the AL East and securing the American League's top record, the Yankees moved through the postseason with relative ease — until they ran into a buzzsaw against the Dodgers in the Fall Classic, losing in five games.

The Yankees topped the Royals in four games in the ALDS before beating the Guardians in five hard-fought games of the ALCS. Giancarlo Stanton's power showed up in a big way through the first two rounds, as he clobbered five homers in the Yanks' first nine playoff games, plus two in the World Series.

The Yankees arrived at the World Series for a No. 1 vs. No. 1 matchup with the Dodgers, but the heavyweight fight failed to live up to the hype. The Dodgers' pitching outshined New York's, but more critically, the Yankees' offense went dormant at the exact wrong time, as they fell down 3-0 before an outburst in their Game 4 victory. Aaron Judge's postseason struggles in particular — two hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in 15 at-bats prior to his home run in Game 5, plus the first of a series of critical errors in the finale — will linger all winter in the memories of Yankees fans.

All regular season, the dynamic duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto gave the Yankees a prolific pair of hitters that rivaled any set of teammates in recent memory. All told, the two outfielders combined for 99 homers, 253 RBI and 250 runs. They ranked first (Judge, 1.159) and third (Soto, .989) in OPS.

Judge was especially dominant. His OPS was even better than the 1.111 mark he produced in his 2022 MVP season. The slugger’s 144 RBI and .322 batting average were also career bests. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani stole the headlines with his 50-50 season, but Judge was baseball’s best hitter this year.

In July, former Yankee Luis Severino quipped that he wasn’t afraid of facing the Bronx Bombers because the team had only two good hitters. At the time, Severino was mostly correct. While Judge and Soto were doing the heavy lifting, several New York position players had disappointing seasons.

The team traded for Alex Verdugo last offseason to be the starting left fielder. His year-over-year OPS dropped by nearly 100 points to a lowly .647. Second baseman Gleyber Torres experienced a similar drop of nearly 100 points on his OPS (.709). Young shortstop Anthony Volpe didn’t regress, but he also didn’t improve from a lackluster rookie season. The 23-year-old finished the season with a meager .293 OBP despite regularly hitting out of the leadoff spot. First baseman Anthony Rizzo might’ve been the biggest disappointment of them all, as he struggled to stay healthy for a second straight year and finished with eight homers and a .228 batting average in 92 games. The Yankees declined his option for 2025 three days after the World Series ended.

Like many veteran teams, the Yankees have several players heading to free agency and, therefore, many difficult decisions looming for general manager Brian Cashman.

The biggest decision will take place in the outfield, in the form of Juan Soto. Cashman’s offseason plan must start and end with making his best pitch to retain the 26-year-old superstar, who is likely to fetch upward of $500 million this winter. Verdugo is also a free agent, but the organization has a terrific replacement in prospect Jasson Domínguez. Slugger Giancarlo Stanton will return as the DH.

The infield also has key holes to fill, as Torres is a free agent and Rizzo’s option was declined. The remaining spots are in better shape, as Volpe will return at shortstop, Jazz Chisholm Jr. can play third, and Austin Wells and Jose Trevino form a solid catching tandem. The presence of Chisholm provides plenty of flexibility, as he can also play second or center field.

New York had a very effective pitching staff this year, and most of its key arms are under contract for 2025. Gerrit Cole will return as the team’s ace, and he will be supported in the rotation by Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman, Luis Gil and Nestor Cortes Jr. Having six starters for five spots is a great problem for manager Aaron Boone.

The relief corps was also a big part of the team’s 2024 success but is in a state of flux with Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle heading to free agency. Luke Weaver returns after a terrific season (2.89 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 11.0 K/9 rate) and was so effective in the postseason that he has likely sewn up the closer’s role to open 2025. Cashman will need to either retain Holmes and Kahnle or bring in similarly skilled replacements for setup roles.

In summary, Cashman needs to re-sign Soto, solve two infield spots and add multiple pitchers to the bullpen. Following the team’s first World Series appearance in 15 years, an eventful winter looms.

New York’s prospect pool took a hit this season, as some of the organization’s top young players failed to make significant progress. This is still a respectable group with one headliner.

Domínguez was on the verge of a permanent promotion when he played eight games with the Yankees in 2023 before Tommy John surgery knocked him out until the middle of this season. He returned to the majors in September and is a strong candidate to open 2025 with a starting role in New York.

Spencer Jones didn’t make great progress this year but remains full of potential. The hulking center fielder spent the entire season in Double-A after finishing 2023 at that level. He will need to improve his contact skills after compiling 200 strikeouts this year.

A pair of pitchers could also contribute next year. Will Warren has already thrown 22 2/3 innings in the majors, and though he posted an unsightly 10.32 ERA, he logged a solid 29 strikeouts with just 10 walks. Chase Hampton could also reach the majors next season, albeit likely late in the campaign after he threw just 18 2/3 minor-league innings during an injury-impacted 2024 season.

The Yankees are typically a “World Series or bust” team, and 2025 will be no different. The organization has made postseason appearances in seven of the past eight seasons and won the AL pennant in 2024 for the first time in 15 years. Even though the outcome of the Fall Classic was a gut punch for New York, the expectation for the Yankees will still be to win it all in 2025.

With Soto signed to a long-term deal, contributions from Domínguez and good health from the pitching staff, Boone should have what he needs to stay afloat in the ultra-competitive AL East. Should Soto depart, Cashman will need to be resourceful in replacing the superstar's offensive contributions. There is no other player on the open market who can match Soto’s production, and acquiring a star on his level via trade for a second consecutive year would be extremely difficult to accomplish.

Judge will be a top-three pick in every 2025 fantasy baseball draft, and in some leagues, he will be selected first overall. Soto will also be a first-round pick, especially if he remains with the Yankees. Chisholm is the other position player who will have his name called in the early rounds, but there will be a big gap between him and the next Yankees hitter.

On the pitching side, Cole will present managers with a conundrum. The right-hander has been a top-five pitcher in recent years but will be valued more as a low-end ace heading into his age-34 season. Rodón, Cortes, Schmidt and Gil will all be selected in the range of Round 10, as will Weaver or whoever emerges as New York's closer.