Yankees Predicted to Be ‘Most Active’ in MLB Free Agency

The Yankees are clinging to a slim lead over the Orioles in the AL East race, but they have the comfort of knowing they’re heading to the postseason no matter how the battle with the Birds plays out. While it is not a guarantee, the issue is all but settled: FanGraphs lists the Yankees as 100% in their playoff odds tracker.

While the postseason is partially determined by talent but mostly determined by hot streaks and good fortune, certainly what happens after the playoffs depends on shrewd insights and management. And money. Lots of money.

Whatever happens in October, the Yankees figure to be center stage when November and December come around, because for one thing, they’re the Yankees and because, for another thing, they’re the current employer of two of the potentially biggest names on the free agent market: outfielder Juan Soto and pitcher Gerrit Cole.

Count the Yankees among the teams projected to be most active this winter, according to Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer.

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Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole Will Dominate Headlines

It starts with Soto and Cole, he wrote.

“Without a close runner-up, the biggest question of the offseason is: Who wins the Juan Soto sweepstakes?” he wrote in a September 10 story “predicting the eight most active teams in free agency.”

The Yankees are known to have competition for Soto from the Mets, with the Giants probably angling for a shot at him, too. Dark horses like the Nationals and Dodgers (as much as LA can be a dark horse when it comes to free agent spending) could also figure into the mix.

And there is Cole, whose opt-out can be blocked by the Yankees if they guarantee another year at $36 million, making the remainder of Cole’s deal five years and $180 million — paying him through his age 38 season.

Keeping just those two will be expensive.

“It’s certainly plausible that the Yankees will both retain Cole and sign Soto — even though that would put them at around $210M next season just between Soto, Judge, Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, D.J. LeMahieu, Marcus Stroman and Carlos Rodón,” Rymer noted.

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Yankees Loaded With Free Agents in Critical Winter

The problem for the Yankees is that once you get past that seven-man crew, the rest of the roster is pocked with free agents. Unless they hope for a LeMahieu resurrection, the Yankees need another infielder to replace Gleyber Torres, a first baseman to replace Anthony Rizzo (who has a $15 million club option) and a closer to replace Clay Holmes.

Those players are all free agents this offseason. And that assumes they re-sign Cole and Soto, and are comfortable with top prospect Jasson Dominguez taking over for free agent Alex Verdugo in left field.

Wrote Rymer: “Should they fail to sign Soto or should they let Cole walk in free agency, they would presumably take a good chunk of those “savings” and put it toward a good closer and/or a first baseman or corner outfielder who can replace at least a fraction of what Soto has given them this season.

“Either way, they’ll be busy.”

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