The Yankees’ pressing offseason questions go far beyond Juan Soto

If this were just the million dollar question, Hal Steinbrenner would be delighted.

The $500 million question? 600 million dollars? 700 million dollars? What is Steve Cohen’s net worth?

The Yankees have a lot of questions to answer this offseason, but the biggest one will be the biggest in sports. After a heartbreak in Wednesday’s deciding Game 5 of the World Series, Juan Soto – arguably the best hitter in the game and 26 years old – declared itself open to all bidders.

The Yankees, who have mortgaged a significant portion of their future to retain his rights for one season, will do everything they can to keep Soto in the Bronx for the rest of his career.

But Soto, who has a clear Hall of Fame trajectory, who will hit the open market at an unusually young age and who has proven himself on that market and in October, is a Scott Boras client who sounds like he’ll go to the highest level. bidder.

Can Steinbrenner beat all other offers? Metz and Cohen’s wallet looms wide open on the horizon. The Blue Jays are the wild card, the Dodgers are working with every megastar, and really every team in baseball should try to land a slugger and entertainer.

“I don’t know… what teams are going to be after me,” Soto said. after being the last Yankee in the dugout, watching the Dodgers celebrate. “I’ll definitely be open to (the Mets) and every team. My doors are not closed. I will be available to all 30 teams.”

There’s a predictable path in which the Yankees keep Soto and surround the huge spending with small moves, and there’s a predictable path in which the Yankees blink, lose Soto, and scatter that money across a slew of other signings.

Which path the Yankees take will determine how they answer other offseason questions, such as:

What about Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo?

There’s a good chance the Yankees will have to replace half of their infield, with only Anthony Volpe (at shortstop) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (second or third base) expected to return.

Torres, who turns 28 in December, will present a fascinating case for free agency.

The second baseman is a two-time All-Star who hasn’t returned to his 2019 heights but has established himself as a prototypical above-average hitter with a baffling defense, a glove that can surprise and frustrate in the same game.

After a rocky start to 2024, Torres finished strong and posted a .348 on-base percentage in 14 postseason games as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter.

It’s hard to imagine Torres and Soto staying.

Rizzo, 35, could essentially be brought back for $11 million with a $17 million club option and a $6 million buyout. The deteriorating first baseman, who still believes he has some left in the tank, is unlikely but possible to return to a club where he is close with Aaron Judge.

Rizzo addressed the media more than an hour after Wednesday’s loss in his full uniform.

“I don’t want to take it off,” he said.

The Yankees don’t have reliable internal replacements for Torres or Rizzo. DJ LeMahieu is owed $30 million over the next two seasons, while John Berti, Oswald Peraza and Ben Rice are eligible.

With losses on the horizon, it’s hard to imagine 2025 coming in any better than the 2024 version, and Soto’s return would likely limit other possible upgrades. Unless the Yankees’ youth makes the leap, the question becomes:

Will Jasson Dominguez be viewed as a regular outfielder next season?

If Domino Soto returns, the Yankees will likely turn to cost-effective prospects like Dominguez to fill the remaining holes.

If Soto goes, the Yankees’ backup plan could include Teoscar Hernandez or Anthony Santander.

Dominguez endured an injury-filled 2024 in which Tommy John surgery kept him out until mid-May and he ramped up his play in the minors until an oblique strain sidelined him for about six weeks.

“The Martian” played just 58 minor league games, finally getting his chance in the big leagues in the second week of September, but didn’t take it as Alex Verdugo outplayed Dominguez to earn a postseason start. Verdugo is a free agent who said he enjoys his time in the Bronx.

There are a lot of questions surrounding the Yankees roster. There is one significant point in rotation.

Will Gerrit Cole refuse?

Perhaps, but it still most likely will not hit the open market.

The ace could opt out of the remaining four years and $144 million on his current contract, but then the Yankees could prevent him from becoming a free agent with a fifth-year option in 2029 worth $36 million.

The most likely outcome here is Cole withdrawing from participation and the club starting an additional season.

Cole might not have taken the chance to withdraw had he suffered a more serious injury, but he has recovered from elbow problems that delayed his season debut until June.

While he hasn’t been a traditional postseason workhorse, he was excellent and survived 6²/₃ innings and 108 pitches Wednesday when his only error was Failure to cover first base on a ground ball – resulted in five unearned runs.