Losing Juan Soto was a devastating blow for the New York Yankees. However, the front office responded in the perfect way, making moves for Cody Bellinger, Devin Williams, Max Fried, and others.
Still, losing one of the greatest hitters in Major League Baseball is never a good thing, and for a Yankees team that’s been rich on signing top-end free agents, they’ll certainly be looking to replace him in the near future.
The one name that comes to mind for the Yankees to replace him with is Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who hits free agency next winter.
If the Yankees could get a deal done for him now, however, that could be even better. Christopher Kline of FanSided wants them to do just that, pitching an idea for the Yankees to land him prior to his free agency.
“Should Guerrero receive free agent offers from the New York teams or Boston as a free agent, there’s a good chance he leaves Toronto high and dry. So, the Blue Jays may need to consider jumping ship before the trade deadline, especially if Toronto comes out of the gate slow. New York and Boston feel like bonafide contenders…
“So, the Yankees might as well sniff around now. An extra half-season at Guerrero could mean the difference between a World Series title or no World Series title. It’s hard to imagine the Blue Jays trading Guerrero in the division, especially to the Yankees, but if New York comes with a package that’s impossible to refuse… Toronto might need to bite the bullet,” Kline wrote.
Guerrero Won’t Be Cheap
Regardless of whether the New York Yankees trade for him or sign him next winter, there will be a massive price tag that comes along with it.
Guerrero is expected to be one of the more expensive free agents in MLB history, and rightfully so, with the market the way it is.
The Yankees might not want to go too high, but according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the expectation is for the number to be around $500 million.
“Guerrero, who turns 26 on Sunday, dropped his resistance to deferrals as his deadline neared, as long as his present value landed at $500 million, the sources said.
“A contract of that size would be the second largest in major-league history, ahead of Shohei Ohtani’s massively deferred $700 million deal, which carries a present value of $460.8 million,” Rosenthal wrote.
Soto’s Latest Comments Could Be Important for Guerrero
Losing Soto had to hurt for the New York Yankees. The ownership group did everything they realistically could to keep him around. Still, he decided to join forces with the New York Mets, making the decision an even more difficult one for Yankees fans to comprehend.
Similar to what Guerrero will likely go through, family was involved in Soto’s decision.
“I mean, they tried the hardest they can but things happen, you know?” Soto told “TODAY.” “You gotta go through a lotta things. It’s a whole group, family decision that we made. And I think that was the best one, you know? They really tried but we couldn’t get it done.”
If Guerrero’s father still feels the same way he did about the Yankees many years ago, working a trade could be difficult.
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Cabrera is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Royals. Cabrera has operated as the Yankees' primary third baseman early in the season but will take a seat Tuesday after starting the previous three games. He's batting .278 though 39 plate appearances but doesn't have any extra-base hits. Oswald Peraza is taking his plate at the hot corner.
Cabrera is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Royals. Cabrera has operated as the Yankees' primary third baseman early in the season but will take a seat Tuesday after starting the previous three games. He's batting .278 though 39 plate appearances but doesn't have any extra-base hits. Oswald Peraza is taking his plate at the hot corner.
Wells went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's win against Kansas City. Wells was the fourth and final Yankee to knock a solo shot off Seth Lugo in Monday's victory. After homering in his first two appearances of 2025, Wells was stuck in a 7-for-38 (.184) skid heading into Monday. He's now slashing .208/.278/.479 with six extra-base hits and seven RBI through 54 plate appearances.
Carrasco (2-1) allowed a run on one hit and two walks over five innings Monday, striking out four and earning a win over the Royals. The lone blemish in Carrasco's outing was Bobby Witt's solo home run in the third inning. It was Carrasco's first start of the year with fewer than three runs allowed and he dropped his ERA to 5.94 through 16.2 frames. He threw 49 of 79 pitches fo strikes and generated 10 whiffs, including five with his changeup. Carrasco is projected for a road matchup against the Rays this weekend.
Williams allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning while earning a save against the Royals on Monday. Williams entered the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead and had to work out of a jam to close things out. He put two runners on base with one out but escaped unscathed with his first save since March 27. Through six appearances as a Yankee, Williams has yet to deliver a perfect inning out of the bullpen. He owns an uncharacteristic 7.20 ERA with a 7:6 K:BB through five innings.
Gil (lat) is expected to begin a throwing program Wednesday or Thursday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. It will mark the end of a six-week shutdown period as the right-hander works his way back from a high-grade lat strain. Gil is already on the 60-day injured list and will be ramped up slowly. A timetable for his return to the Yankees' rotation likely won't become clearer until he begins mound work.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Bellinger is continuing to receive treatment for his sore back, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Bellinger's back first tightened up on him in early April, forcing him to miss a couple games at the time. Boone said the outfielder is "doing well," but the manager wants to "pick some spots" to rest Bellinger, who is not in Monday's lineup versus the Royals. The hot-hitting Trent Grisham is handling center field Monday.
Bellinger is not in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Royals. Bellinger had started each of the previous four games after recovering from food poisoning, but he'll take a seat Monday even as the Royals send righty Seth Lugo to the hill. Trent Grisham will play center field and bat eighth in the series opener.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Stanton (elbow) continues to hit against a high-velocity Trajekt machine and is "getting close" to facing live pitching, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. Stanton didn't take part in baseball activities during spring training and opened the season on the injured list after requiring three rounds of platelet-rich plasma injections to address torn tendons in both of his elbows. He resumed swinging a bat shortly before Opening Day, and while he's still experiencing some lingering pain in his elbows, it's apparently more manageable than it had been previously, according to MLB.com. Stanton will take an important step forward in the recovery process when he's officially cleared to face live pitching, but a definitive timeline for his return from the IL likely won't be established until he reaches the point that he's able to take at-bats as a designated hitter in minor-league rehab games.
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Yankees Trade Proposal Replace Juan Soto and Much More