I'm trying to think of a spot for Soto. Maybe I'm thinking of Lane Thomas and his arm, or of Dylan Crews and his all-around fielding excellence. Soto missed a drive last night, one that he could not reach by about six inches, and another that was just over his head and against the wall. He's not getting faster and his arm has never been that great. I think he'd make a decent 1B.
Rizzo is 34 and only played 92 games this season. His hitting has gone down each season since 2019. Did hit 32 homers in 2022, but his average is stuck around .225, and OPS was .706 in '23 and about .650 this year. He makes $17 million a year through next season, but has a $6 million team buyout clause.
Soto plays wherever he wants.
Rizzo's career is over. The Yankees have holes at two OF positions, 2B, and 1B. Dominguez can man CF with Grisham as the 4th OFer and backup. Still need an OFer, and the right side of the infield.
I think the big question is how much does Soto want to win in the next five years? Because the Yankees aren't going to get better. Their farm system is meh, and they have a ton of money locked up.
Cole is 34 and still owed 36 million AAV for four years
Judge will be 33 next year - 40 million for 7 tears
Stanton still has three years left
Rodon sucks and still has 4 years left
The decline is coming for these guys. Are the Yankees going to continually climb into the 2nd and 3rd tiers of the luxury tax? You add Soto to that and its almost 180 million wrapped up in 5 players. One of those guys is a ~100 game a year DH. Rodon is already becoming Corbin. How much longer do Judge and Cole have before they decline?
If Soto has equal offers from the Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Mets, and Yankees .... why would he take the Yankees over the other teams?