My Final Thoughts on the 2025 Yankees
The Calm Before the Storm
Tomorrow, starting at 3 p.m. EST, Major League Baseball is back full-time! This is the best time of the year. Hot dogs are on the grill, MLB TV reminds me why it is the best investment ever, teams get fresh starts, fans are excited, fantasy drafts are popping, and I could go on and on.
That being said, it is a trying time for a Yankees fan. Coming off an embarrassing World Series loss, losing Juan Soto to a cross-town rival, the Red Sox showing so much promise, and then to top it off with Gerrit Cole going down for the season after electing to receive Tommy John surgery right before the season gets kicked off.
As we approach the start of the baseball season, I'm writing down my final thoughts on the Yankees' offseason, as well as the roster heading into Game 1 of 2025. Losing Juan Soto is devastating. After he decided to leave the Yankees, we have to be honest with ourselves. Management was never going to be able to “replace” Soto. Truth be told, I am not that upset about it. $765,000,000 is a TON of money. Yes, Juan Soto is a generational piece who will be missed dearly. Not to mention my ⅖ Topps Silver autograph of Juan Soto with the Yanks has lost a ton of value, both monetary and emotionally speaking.
The Yankees are in a weird spot given their timeline. Their farm system is one of the worst in professional baseball. Aaron Judge is not getting any younger, and now they will miss Cole for 12-18 months. The next time he plays baseball again, he will be 35 years old.
The Lineup:
Austin Wells - C
Aaron Judge - RF
Cody Bellinger - CF
Paul Goldschmidt - 1B
Jazz Chisholm Jr. - 2B
Anthony Volpe - SS
Jasson Dominguez - LF
Ben Rice - DH
Oswaldo Cabrera - 3B
I don’t hate this lineup. I know it looks like an Aaron Judge injury away from being TOUGH, but this team has a ton of optimism. Let us look at some of the positives:
We knew Giancarlo Stanton would miss time this season. We just didn’t know what for. If he can get back and return to what he did last year, that is a lovely addition of power into the lineup midseason. If he requires season-ending elbow surgery, that is a different story.
Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Jasson Dominguez are getting an entire season of run with that short Right Field wall.
Austin Wells looks fantastic.
Paul Goldschmidt needed a fresh start, St. Louis was toxic
Another year of development for Anthony Volpe.
Ben Rice has been crushing balls during Spring Training…I know, I know. It is just Spring Training, but let me cook.
The Rotation:
Carlos Rodon LHP
Max Fried LHP
Marcus Stroman RHP
Will Warren RHP
Carlos Carrasco RHP
Clarke Schmidt RHP IL
The rotation is a perplexing subject. Gerrit Cole underwent the knife and is missing the whole season. Luis Gil is on the 60-Day IL, so they cannot count on the Rookie of the Year from last year for a while either. I can be excited that there is still Carlos Rodon (2x AS & 2x Top-10 CY finishes), Max Fried (need I say more), and Marcus Stroman, who wanted to start and now has his opportunity. Will Warren and an aging Carlos Carrasco have their work cut out for them, but there have been more significant issues than this. Warren looks promising; we need him to get some time in the bigs. Carrasco is a temporary fix, and that is fine.
The Bullpen:
Closer: Devin Williams
Set Up: Luke Weaver
Set Up: Fernando Cruz
Relief: Ian Hamilton IL
Relief: Mark Leiter Jr.
Relief: Tim Hill
Relief: Ryan Yarbrough
Relief: Jonathan Loaisiga
Relief: Tyler Matzek
Relief: Scott Effross IL
Relief: Jonathan Brubaker
Relief: Jake Cousins IL
The bullpen is rock solid. Adding Williams is a game-changer, as Weaver now becomes the setup man. Weaver was electric as a closer last year, and now the Yankees will have an elite 8th & 9th-inning combination to throw at opposing lineups. The depth with Cruz, Leiter Jr., Hill, Yarbrough, Matzek, and others is good, and once they get guys like Scott Effross back in the mix, this pen becomes a Yankees strength.
When you think about it, things could be much worse in the Bronx. I hope the Yankees return to the playoffs this year, but without Cole, a World Series title seems improbable. Given the circumstances of losing Soto and Cole, management has done an excellent job of putting together a contender for 2025. As for the farm system, that is a different story, but I am excited to see how the team rebounds in 2025.
Love the article, well put together. I’m not nearly as pessimistic as a lot of people are - this is going to be a team that has the potential to absolute run with the division or fall flat on their faces and finish at or under .500. 1 point of disagreement - our farm system isn’t that bad. I trust Keith law a lot on evaluations and he has been GUSHING over some of their pickups - Ben Hess being the biggest one. They are very bottom heavy, with only a few current bigtime prospects in the upper levels. Pulling for Lombard to continue his streak, Spencer jones to take that revamped swing and RAKE in the minors and Jesus Rodriguez, who was added to the 40-man this winter, get more and more reps.
Gonna be a fun season!