The New York Yankees would have an impossible time finding a replacement for Juan Soto this winter. In terms of a pure hitter, there isn’t a better one in Major League Baseball. Factor in that Soto is only 26 years old, and the plan for the Yankees has to be to keep him around.
However, if the Yankees lose him, which seems to be a possibility, even if they’re the favorites to re-sign him, they’d have to do something to replace him. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that they view Pete Alonso as a “backup plan,” but Soto remains the main target.
“The Yankees, meantime, checked in on Mets star free agent Pete Alonso, and while they have legitimate interest in Alonso, that’s a backup plan to Soto, both teams’ Plan A. Alonso is a big star, but in this case, he’s only a very intriguing secondary story,” Heyman wrote on November 5. “The New York-New York competition for Soto looks like it may become the battle royal of the winter. And while the Yankees have some obvious advantages, the Mets do, too.”
Alonso Will Also Be Expensive
Soto could be looking at a $600-plus million deal, as Tim Britton of The Athletic had him coming in at $611 million over 13 years. While that’s a fair price to pay for the slugger, it’s, nonetheless, a lot of money.
Alonso would be much cheaper in comparison, but he’s still looking at a hefty contract for the New York Yankees to pay. Britton predicted his deal would come in at five-years, $130 million.
“A free agent is judged by a years-long track record and thousands of plate appearances — in Alonso’s case, more than 3,600 of them. And yet, a single one of them can be the most defining,” Britton wrote on November 7. “When Alonso stepped to the plate in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the Wild Card Series, he hadn’t delivered an extra-base hit in two weeks. He had just five hits in his previous 40 at-bats. He looked like a chief culprit in a first-round postseason exit.
“And then he smashed one of the best pitches in baseball for a go-ahead three-run homer, reminding the league what his power can do and propelling the Mets on a ride all the way to the NLCS. Alonso finished the postseason with close to a 1.000 OPS, a big course correction from a pedestrian regular season. He’s a right-right first baseman on the wrong side of 30 who doesn’t do a whole lot beyond hit home runs — and even that he did less of in 2024.”
Given the Yankees would be looking at $26 million AAV, the better plan would be to sign Soto, as Britton highlighted the lack of Alonso’s game outside of hitting home runs.
Could the Yankees Sign Soto and Alonso?
Nearly every report suggests that the New York Yankees will do whatever it takes to re-sign Soto this winter. That’s their plan, and until it doesn’t happen, it’d be surprising to see them make many moves.
They need as much money for the young star as possible, which could impact Alonso’s and others’ free agency.
In a perfect world, the Yankees would re-sign Soto and sign Alonso. However, it’s uncertain how realistic that is. They have money, but they might look for a cheaper option and only view Alonso as a replacement for Soto offensively if they lose him.
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Yankees ‘Backup’ Soto Replacement Lands $130 Million in Prediction