The Yankees won’t be bringing back outfielder Juan Soto, after all, not after he signed for a whopping $765 million to change boroughs and head to the Mets. But owner Hal Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman won’t have time to lick their wounds, either, as they’ll now need to remake the roster into a competitive bunch by other means.
With Soto, the mission was easy–keep two of the game’s best hitters, Aaron Judge and Soto, back-to-back in the lineup and fill in around them. Without Soto, though, the Yankees will need to be a lot more aggressive in adding another second or third baseman, plus a first baseman. Since they’re not spending money on Soto, they can afford to spend there.
They will also need an outfielder, preferably one who can play center and take pressure off Judge.
But losing out on Soto could also open the way for the Yankees to consider a serious upgrade to their pitching staff. The bullpen surely needs a revamp, but even the rotation is mostly made up of good-to-middling starters. The Yankees could use a strong No. 2 behind ace Gerrit Cole.
And reports from the MLB Winter Meetings suggest that they’re working on making a trade for one happen: White Sox All-Star Garrett Crochet.
Garrett Crochet Has Injury History
According to MassLive reporter Chris Cotillo, Crochet has a number of trade suitors, specifically pointing to the Reds as a somewhat surprising possible destination. Cotillo, who is a Red Sox beat writer, noted on Twitter/X, “Continue hearing Red Sox are just on the periphery of Garrett Crochet talks and are not aggressors at all, at least to this point.
“Cincinnati seen as a real threat to land Crochet. Yankees believed to be in, too.”
Crochet had strong numbers from last season, going 6-12 for the sad-sack White Sox, with a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings. It was his first true season as a starter after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022. Injuries are a major factor when it comes to Crochet–not only was his 2024 inning total the most of his career, his previous high for innings pitched was 65, back when he was in college in 2019, working mostly as a reliever.
He’d be a gamble. The Yankees had interest in trading for him before this summer’s deadline, but reportedly did not want to give up outfielder Spencer Jones in a deal.
Yankees Plan B Must Come Quickly
It’s possible that has not changed, and not bringing back Soto is likely to mean that the Yankees are that much more eager to keep Jones in place. But the team needs to land an upgrade in the outfield, whether it’s a free agent like Teoscar Hernandez or another trade candidate like Cody Bellinger.
There is not likely to be any room for Jones–who has struggled with strikeouts and is not big-league ready–even without Soto. Acquiring a more polished major-leaguer and trading Jones for a pitcher like Crochet makes a good bit of sense.
It could happen fast. The free-agent market was mostly on hold as the world waited for Soto’s choice. Now, the Yankees’ Plan B should take shape quickly.
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