The No. 1 objective of the New York Yankees entering the offseason was to retain Juan Soto.

At that time, everything else felt secondary.

Well, they tried their best but couldn’t outbid the New York Mets despite offering Soto $760 million reasons to stay.

The Yankees were forced to pivot, and that’s exactly what they did.

They quickly left behind the Soto saga and made swift moves to improve their team.

Their offseason haul includes Luke Weaver (team option exercised), Jonathan Loaisiga (re-signed), Max Fried, Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Devin Williams, and Fernando Cruz.

They executed timely trades, used their considerable money where they saw fit, and re-signed most of their key guys.

That’s why analyst Jim Bowden believes the Yankees are one of the winners of the 2024-25 offseason so far.

“The Yankees lost Soto to the Mets and yet have still had a better offseason than their cross-town rivals, thanks to an outstanding pivot by GM Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner. They added to the top of their rotation by signing Max Fried, giving them the best starting pitching staff in the AL East. They traded for closer Devin Williams, who has the best changeup in the game and seriously strengthens the back of their bullpen. And, to replace the offense of Soto, they traded for outfielder Cody Bellinger and signed first baseman Paul Goldschmidt,” Bowden wrote.

The former general manager believes the Yanks also improved their team defense with the arrivals of Bellinger and Goldschmidt, plus Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s pending move to second base.

The Yanks are still a solid infielder short of completing a marvelous winter, but they are patiently waiting out the market on that front.

New York may or may not win the World Series, but there is no doubt that general manager Brian Cashman found an unfavorable situation and made it a promising one with solid moves.