By all accounts, the New York Yankees remain in the race for Juan Soto.
If they are unable to retain the superstar slugger, however, contingencies are starting to get put into place.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman hosted his routine live chat on Bleacher Report on Friday, devoting one segment to teams’ respective plan Bs to Soto. When it came to the Yankees, Heyman made it clear that they will still try to spend big regardless of Soto’s eventual decision.
“They’ve talked to everybody,” Heyman said. “Every single guy, whether – all the relievers, (Anthony) Santander for the outfield, (Christian) Walker, (Pete) Alonso for the infield. I’m sure they’ve talked to Carlos Santana – though I haven’t heard that specifically – (Alex) Bregman and (Willy) Adames…”
Heyman also addressed the Yankees’ reported interest in starting pitchers Max Fried and Corbin Burnes, who they could seriously pursue independent of the Soto sweepstakes.
Those are all names that the Yankees have been tied to in one way or another ever since the offseason began, though, while Santander is a new addition to the list. And unlike the other potential targets, Santander would be a 1-for-1 replacement for Soto in right field.
Yankees plan B? 🤔
(w/ @JonHeyman) pic.twitter.com/LZbDWYWybk
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 6, 2024
Santander is coming off a career year with the Orioles, winning a Silver Slugger Award and finishing 14th in AL MVP voting. He hit .235 with 44 home runs, 102 RBI, an .814 OPS and a 2.9 WAR across 155 games in 2024.
The switch-hitter has been a staple in Baltimore’s lineup since June 2019, and he has missed just 26 total games since the start of 2022. Over the last six seasons, Santander has averaged 36 home runs, 34 doubles, 99 RBI and 2.7 WAR per 162 games.
MLB Trade Rumors predicted Santander to land a four-year, $80 million contract, while The Athletic projected him to earn $105 million over five years. Spotrac’s calculated market value for Santander is five years, $88.7 million.
At that price tag, the Yankees could afford to sign Santander on top of a high-end starter like Fried or Burnes, plus another veteran bat like Adames or Walker. That would seriously shake up a lineup that just won the American League pennant, but that would be a given if Soto signs elsewhere.
The New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are the other teams known to have met with Soto, whose asking price appears to be growing each day.
