The New York Yankees have contingency plans in place should they lose superstar slugger Juan Soto in free agency.
The Yankees have been linked to Baltimore Orioles All-Stars in righty Corbin Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander this offseason. The Orioles are bracing for either or both to leave in free agency, and New York may be the destination for them both.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Wednesday that New York's front office has actively checked in on both Orioles performers as well as a short-list of other marquee players, though time will tell what takes shape from their expressed interests.
Burnes is one of the best pitchers in baseball. The four-time All-Star posted a .625 win percentage, thanks in large part to his clean 2.92 ERA, 1.096 WHIP, and 181 strikeouts in 2024. Thus, he'd be an A-class star for the Yankees to acquire to bolster their already strong rotation. The former 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner would be a quintessential No. 2 option behind 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole and next to top talent like rising star Luis Gil.
As for Santander, the talented right fielder has received more outlooks from experts and insiders forecasting in pinstripes for next season. The reigning first-time All-Star notably hit 44 home runs and drove in 102 RBIs for Baltimore behind a .235/.308/.506 slash line and .814 OPS. He is not the same caliber slugger that Soto is from an efficiency standpoint, but he could give the Yankees great power and the ability to advance runners on the bags.
As good as Burnes and Santander are, it would be remiss to gloss over the invaluable impact that Soto had on the Yankees this season. The 26-year-old sported a 7.9 wins above replacement marker. That directly coincided with the Yankees reaching the Fall Classic in 2024 as opposed to continually falling short in the ALCS and ALDS in years prior without him. Contrastingly, Burnes and Santander boast a collective 5.3 WAR from last season.
Thus, Soto is likely to garner a 10+ year deal in the open market worth more than $600 million. New York will have ample dollars that they can allocate to top talent should their Dominican vanguard seek greener pastures. Neither Burnes nor Santander would take up the same amount of projected salary cap, so Yankees general manager Brian Cashman can push the button on offering both lucrative deals in hopes that their impacts in multiple areas finally take the Yankees over the top in their quest for a World Series crown.