The New York Yankees are about to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Fans of the pinstripes have high expectations every season, and now that 2023 went the way it went, they're going to expect a big offseason.
General manager Brian Cashman has had fan backlash for quite some time now, but if he brought in Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, then he would certainly win the fans back. It makes sense for New York to go after the 24-year-old star.
There will be plenty of teams contacting San Diego in the offseason, but Cashman should make sure they're the ones to strike a deal. The best teams around the league have more than one x-factor, and adding Soto would give the Yankees two x-factors in the lineup.
Yankees should pursue a Juan Soto trade
Aaron Judge is in the prime of his career, and he's not getting any younger. Judge is a generational talent, so the Yankees would be silly not to go all in while he's in his best years. Giancarlo Stanton was supposed to be Judge's co-star, but he hasn't found his MVP form with the Yankees.
Cashman can't bank on Stanton getting back to his old ways again, as the lineup needs more help. Since 2022, the Yankees record is 28-32 in games Judge doesn't play. This team is way too reliant on the 31-year-old outfielder.
This franchise has one of the most prestigious pedigrees in all of sports, as they have 27 World Series titles stocked up. New York hasn't won one since 2009 though, and the clock is ticking for the Judge era.
If Cashman were able to bring in Soto, it would completely change the completion of the team. They haven't been the Yankees we are used to seeing in a long time, but having Judge and Soto in the same lineup would be lethal.
Soto is having another great season, as he is hitting .275 right now to go along with 35 home runs. On top of the production, he rarely misses time. The 24-year-old has played in at least 150 games for four consecutive seasons now.
If Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes Jr. can have a bounce-back in 2024, then the starting rotation would be in good hands with Gerrit Cole at the top of it. Factor in the fact that the Yankees always seem to find ways to bring in good relief pitching, the offense is the only part of the team that needs lots of re-tooling.
Who better to get than the three-time All-Star? If the Yankees were able to pull this off, it would mean major trade chips would have to go. Some prospects that could be included in a package for Soto could be Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., or even fan favorite Jasson Domínguez.
Giving up prospects is never fun, but when you could get a player like Soto it would certainly be worth it. At just 24-years-old, he's already a proven winner. The Padres will likely be letting go of him in the offseason, as the payroll is starting to become an issue for them.
He already won a ring at just 20 years old in 2019, and he hit three home runs in the World Series. Playing under the bright lights wouldn't be a problem for the young star. If Cashman wants to win the fans back and get right back into World Series contention, then trading for Soto would be the move to make in the offseason.