Fair. It is a bit of clickbait. The Yankees are in fact not better without Juan Soto than they would be with him, however, as much as it pains me as a life-long Yankee despiser I think they could be a better team than they were last year. Despite losing Soto.

So, we all know by now that Juan Soto left the Yankees in free agency to join the Mets, securing a historic contract in the process. Since then the Yankees (unlike my Blue Jays) have been very busy remaking their team in the hopes of remaining the top dog in the American League and getting back to the World Series.

The Yankees were not only faced with losing Soto but also Gleyber Torres, Anthony Rizzo and Clay Holmes. They also traded away Nestor Cortes. So, they definitely had some holes to fill but I really like how they have addressed them.

Cortes became expendable when they signed SP Max Fried, who was the second most prized SP free agent this offseason and gives them a legitimate number 1 caliber starter to slot behind Gerrit Cole in the 2 role. I have never been big on Carlos Rodon but having him now as a number 3 is quite a luxury compared to relying on him to be a 1 or 2. Luis Gil had a good albeit inconsistent rookie season but shows a lot of promise and Clarke Schmidt on the flipside is about as consistent as you can get. He would be a solid 3 on most teams but is number 5 on the Yankees. Their rotation got better.

Cortes who we determined was expendable was traded to acquire closer Devin Williams. Williams is going to slot in perfectly along with Luke Weaver to anchor the back end of the Yankees bullpen. While they did lose Clay Holmes, who used to be a top end closer, I think Williams is better at this point in both their careers. The question will be if they lose Tommy Kahnle in free agency how will they replace him. They brought back Jonathon Loaisiga who used to be a stud for them but has struggled with injuries the last couple years. He could be a very important piece if Kahnle leaves and they don't add anymore pieces to the bullpen. Currently I would say the bullpen is about the same.

Anthony Rizzo is getting old and is always hurt. He still seems to have a knack to get a big hit to crush the Blue Jays but other than that his numbers have dropped off dramatically. Replacing him by adding former MVP Paul Goldschmidt is an upgrade. Although Goldie's numbers have been on the decline the last couple seasons as well. Hitting in Yankee stadium and in a lineup with Aaron Judge, I am betting on a bit of a resurgence from Goldie. First base has upgraded but the rest of the infield is the Yankees biggest concern. They still need to make another move. Losing Gleyber Torres leaves a hole at 2B. They will either need to bring in a 3B like Bregman and slide Chisholm back to second or bring in another second baseman. I think the infield is weaker than last year.

Losing Soto is definitely huge. But the Yankees have addressed it by adding another former MVP Cody Bellinger. Now the jury is still out on whether Cody Bellinger is good or not. Sure he is a former MVP and he had good years the past couple years but he has also had a couple utterly terrible years in recent history. While he most certainly won't come close to replacing Soto's offensive production. He will definitely be a better defender and his uppercut swing might actually play well in NY. I expect he will produce good numbers for the Yankees especially if he gets to hit in front of Judge like Soto did. Judge will remain a staple in CF but RF will be most interesting as Alex Verdugo has moved on and will likely be replaced by prized rookie prospect Jasson Dominguez. Do we know Dominguez will be an upgrade to Verdugo? Nope. But if he reaches even half of his potential he should be. It's hard to argue the outfield got better losing Soto but I don't think it got much worse. I think they will play better defense and if they have outstanding years Bellinger and Dominguez could at least produce enough offense to make the Outfield a wash over last year.

So are the Yankees better than last year. Remains to be seen. I really like what they have done addressing major holes and retooling the team after losing the World Series and the top free agent of the offseason. A lot will ride on if that rotation can stay healthy, if they add another infield piece and how well Bellinger and Dominguez perform. I am not sure if they are better but I think they are still the best team in the American League.

The only problem for them is you don't win a World Series being the best team in the American League and there are at least 3 teams in the National League (maybe 4) that are likely better than the Yankees.

Maybe next time I check in with some MLB offseason click bait, I will tell you why the 2025 Dodgers could be the greatest team of all time. (You don't really believe that do you? Probably not but I will try to make a case)

Sats for all, GR