The Yankees offseason was highlighted by a blockbuster trade, but some major injury concerns have threatened to undermine New Yorks work in upgrading the roster. Major League Signings , SP: (Stroman receives $18MM player option for 2026 with at least 140 IP in 2026) , SP/RP: ($2.5MM club option for 2025) , RP: ($5MM club option for 2025) , SP/RP: (split contract, Poteet earns $200K in minors) 2023 spending: $23.25MM Total spending: Bruce Brown Jr. Jersey $41.25MM Trades & Claims OF and OF from Padres for SP , C , SP , SP , minor league SP OF from Red Sox for RP and minor league RHPs and RP from Dodgers for RP and minor league RHP IF/OF from Marlins for C (to Tampa) and minor league OF (to Miami) as part of a three-team trade with Marlins and Rays. The Marlins also acquire minor league OF in the deal. RP and minor league IF from Dodgers for minor league IF SP/RP from Guardians for OF minor league OFs and from Brewers for 1B/OF RP from Brewers for minor league RHP , international bonus pool money from Pirates for OF cash considerations from Orioles for RP OF off waivers from Guardians IF/OF off waivers from Brewers IF off waivers from Nationals IF off waivers from Marlins RP off waivers from Phillies Notable Minor League Signings (contract selected), , , , , , , , , , , Notable Lo ses King, Higoshioka, Brito, Vasquez, Thorpe, Wei sert, Rortvedt, Florial, Bauers, McKinney, , , , , , , , , , Juan Soto and hitting back-to-back is a pitchers worst nightmare, and having and a healthy bookend those two elite sluggers in the lineup should also cause a few sleeple s evenings. Between this impre sive top of the lineup, and fresh input from newly-hired hitting coach James Rowson and a sistant hitting coach Pat Roe sler, there is plenty of hope that the Yankees can improve upon their strangely punchle s offense from the 2023 season. Soto is slated to hit free agency next winter as he heads into his age-26 season, and the outfielder and agent Scott Boras surely have an eye towards the biggest non- contract in baseball history. Since the Yankees are one of the few teams who can afford such an expenditure, its certainly po sible this wont be Sotos only season in the Bronx, but New York paid quite a premium for just one guaranteed year of Sotos services. Kyle Higashioka may have been expendable within the Yankees catching depth chart, but the real score for the Padres in the Soto trade was four talented and controllable young pitchers. emerged as an intriguing starter with New York last year and looks to step right into San Diegos rotation at worst, King can be a lockdown reliever for the Padres if he doesnt stick as a starting pitcher. is a top-100 prospect who the Padres flipped to the White Sox as part of the . Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez are also big league-ready arms and one of them likely wouldve won a rotation job had Cease not been acquired. Trent Grisham was the other player acquired from San Diego, and though he is only earning $5.5MM via an arbitration-avoiding deal, his inclusion in the trade may have been a bit of a salary dump from a Padres deal that was eager to payroll this winter. (Obviously Soto was the pricier figure in this equation, as is the highest ever given to a an arbitration player.) Grisham is an outstanding defender whose hitting has dropped off over the last two seasons, and he seems to be ticketed for at least backup duty within an intriguing Yankees outfield mix. The first-choice outfield alignment Soto in right field, Judge in center field, and new acquisition Alex Verdugo as the left field starter at least against right-handed pitching. When a southpaw is on the mound, the Yankees will probably use Judge in left field and Grisham will step into center field. will get most of the DH at-bats and might get some occasional looks in the outfield, though as GM Brian Cashman last November, it may simply be unlikely that Stanton can stay healthy for the entire season. Judge figures to get a good dose of DH usage regardle s of Stantons availability, since one of the Yankees chief priorities this year is keeping Judge healthy amidst the added physical strain of regular center field work. A rare trade between the Yankees and Red Sox brought Verdugo into the fold, and between Verdugo and Soto, New York now has two legitimate left-handed bats to help balance out a lineup that was overloaded with right-handed hitters. Verdugo has been exactly a league-average (100 wRC+, 100 OPS+) hitter over the last two seasons, and given the whispers of behind-the-scenes discord with Boston manager Alex Cora, a change of scenery might be just what Verdugo needs to get on track. An in-form Verdugo, a healthy Stanton, and steps forward from highly-touted youngsters and would suddenly make the lineup look a lot more Bronx Bomber-esque, rather than simply improved. A rebound year from would also help, but the infielders 2024 season has gotten off to a rough start with a bone bruise that will begin his season on the injured list. The Yankees had been looking for infield and utility depth even before LeMahieu got hurt, as is facing an extended absence while recovering from a shoulder strain. The need was finally filled just yesterday when Jon Berti was acquired as part of a three-team trade with the Marlins and Rays. Berti brings a ton of speed and defensive versatility to the roster, and his ability to draw walks and make contact has led to some occasional above-average offensive production over his six MLB seasons. Landing Berti came at the cost of catcher Ben Rortvedt and minor league outfielder John Cruz, though New York is confident that Wells is ready to take on a larger share of the catching duties with . Wells defense could be the x-factor in whether or not he can move into a full platoon or even a playing-time edge over Trevino, and gauging by Wells minor league numbers, his bat is at least ready for the Show. In other bench news, waiver claim Jahmai Jones won a spot on the Opening Day roster, and he brings more multi-positional utility to the mix. The aforementioned search for a utilityman type led the Yankees to explore such free agents as , , , and old friends and . In terms of position players, the Yankees made some more high-profile explorations, as the team had interest in the likes of , , , , and probably several other free agents whose talks with the Bombers werent publicized. Since the Soto trade was completed in early December, it seems as though the Yankees decided relatively early to go with the one-year strike for Soto rather than a longer-term deal with Bellinger or even Lee as their major offensive addition of the winter. Cashmans front office couldnt have known at the time that Bellingers market would be limited enough that he would settle for an opt-out laden with the Cubs, and naturally it makes sense that the Yankees would want to pounce on Soto and solidify the lineup as early as po sible. Its easy to say this with hindsight being 20-20, but if New York had been comfortable enough to try and wait Bellinger out, the team couldve landed a big bat at a lower average annual value than Soto, and King and company might still be on the roster. Or, the Yankees might have flipped King, Thorpe, Brito, or Vasquez in another trade, perhaps for a frontline starter with more big league experience. There is some irony in Thorpe being a centerpiece of the Padres Cease deal given how the Yankees themselves with the White Sox about Cease, but it seemed like Chicagos insistence on landing in any Cease trade package was a deal-breaker for New York. Even though offense was the teams larger need heading into the offseason, the Yankees were reportedly involved in the bidding for several starters and relievers, on both the free agent and trade fronts. Beyond Cease, the long list of pitchers the Yankees at least checked in on included , , , , , , , Yariel Rodriguez, , , , , , , and two of New Yorks own free agents in (who signed with the Padres) and (with the Cardinals). Yamamoto was one of the chief targets, and was a ten-year, $300MM deal (with two opt-out clauses) to begin his Major League tenure in the Bronx. Yamamoto pa sed on that contract for a 12-year, $325MM deal with the Dodgers, as his decision mightve been influenced by such factors as a big $50MM signing bonus, the flexibility offered by the six-man Los Angeles rotation, and of course the chance to play with a Japanese baseball icon like Ohtani. was another former Yankee who drew attention from his old club, as the Bombers were said to be in on the left-hander up until the moment Montgomery with the Diamondbacks for a one-year deal with a vesting player option for 2025. was on the Yankees radar for much of the offseason, and the teams to Snell in January stands as the largest offer known to have been on the table throughout Snells own extended stay in free agency. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner ended up signing with the Giants that includes an opt-out next winter, as the Bombers didnt revisit their six-year offer after moving onto Marcus Stroman as a rotation alternative. Stroman inked a two-year deal worth $37MM in guaranteed money, and another $18MM could become available via a vesting player option for the 2026 season. With two All-Star nods and a history of succe s in the AL East on his resume, Stroman is a nice get for the Yankees, and his grounder-heavy approach should play well with New Yorks solid infield defense. Injuries marred the back half of what was looking like a great 2023 campaign for Stroman with the Cubs, however, and adding to the list of health i sues facing the Yankees rotation. and combined for only 127 2/3 innings last year, leaving both starters in pursuit of bounce-backs. pitched decently well in his first full MLB season, and pitched well enough in Spring Training that New York will use Gil as the fifth starter, though Gil himself has only 33 1/3 career innings in the majors and mi sed all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The biggest question mark of all, however, is one of the Yankees most indispensable players. will open the season on the 60-day injured list, meaning he wont be an option until at least late May as he nerve inflammation and edema in his throwing elbow. Mi sing at least two months is naturally still an infinitely preferable scenario to the initial worry that Cole might need some kind of season-ending surgery, yet the Yankees still have to navigate a big chunk of the season without arguably the sports best pitcher. It isnt a coincidence that the teams interest in Snell and Montgomery seemed to spark back up after the news broke of Coles injury, but it looks like the Yankees will rely on Gil and their internal arms to hold the fort until Cole is able to return. Even a late strike for Snell or Montgomery at a relative discount price would have had serious financial implications. RosterResources put the Yankees payroll at $299.7MM, and their luxury tax number at just over $310.5MM. The latter figure puts New York well over the highest tax threshold of $297MM, after the team just barely stayed under the $297MM number in 2023. Since 2024 will be the Yankees third consecutive year of surpa sing the luxury tax, it all adds up a whopping 110% tax added to any further payroll additions the Yankees might make. Its perhaps a reach to say that a team with such a gigantic payroll is hugely concerned with an even larger tax bill, as theres certainly more pre sure for the Yankees to get back into contention. Yet, the Bombers did keep their free agent spending relatively in check, and the $30MM average annual values offered to Yamamoto and Snell seemed to represent something of a limit to how much New York was willing to offer. Soto, Torres, Verdugo, , and (pending a club option) Rizzo are all free agents next winter, representing some significant money coming off the books for the Yankees as they decide how to reload for 2025. Though the relief corps was pretty succe sful last year, New York heads into Opening Day with some noteworthy changes in the bullpen. With Peralta, Middleton, and former relief stalwart King all gone, the Yankees will look to make up those innings with Caleb Ferguson and Victor Gonzalez (both acquired in separate trades with the Dodgers) and minor league signing Nick Burdi. Luke Weaver was re-signed to a low-cost guaranteed deal, and Cody Morris, Cody Poteet, and any number of other pitchers already in the farm system or signed to minor league contracts could emerge as the season progre ses. The Yankees and pitching coach Matt Blake have developed a knack for getting good results out of unheralded bullpen options, so it wouldnt be surprising to see some other unexpected name or a pitcher not even currently in the organization emerging for some high-leverage work later on in the season. Between the flurry of additions big and small, it was a busy winter in the Bronx, which isnt surprising for a Yankees team coming off a rare non-playoff season. Players and team executives either hinted or outright stated last fall that some changes had to be made to get the club back into contention, extending from both roster moves to more clubhouse-related i sues like to see a difference in both the type of analytical information presented to the players, and in how this info is presented. These types of alterations arent as public as the sight of Soto wearing Yankees pinstripes, of course, and despite all of the roster moves and internal fixes, ultimately a lot of the Yankees succe s in 2024 might simply hinge on Coles health. How would you grade the Yankees' offseason? B 49.01% (1,261votes) C 20.87% (537votes) A 18.77% (483votes) F 5.79% (149votes) D 5.56% (143votes) Total Votes: 2,573 James Harden Jersey