Getting more from within

Replacing Soto is impossible, but a few incumbents can help

There’s no replacing Juan Soto’s bat. Let’s get that out of the way. Acquiring Kyle Tucker would be the best way mitigate the loss of Soto’s lineup presence, but trading for him isn’t a foregone conclusion. Other rumored targets, like Christian Walker and Clay Bellinger, would help too.

External acquisitions are going to be necessary in attempt to fill the gaping hole left by Soto. Again, there’s no replacing that production, either from one player or in the aggregate. Still, even with a trade (or two) and free agent signings, the Yankees are going to need players already within the organization to smooth things over.

Below are a few things that would go a long way on the internal side. Not all of them will happen, and hell, maybe none of them happen! That would be very bad, though I’m not that pessimistic. Let’s get to the rundown.

Full year of Jazz Chisholm

I’m pretty excited about having Chisholm in the lineup for an entire season. He hit .273/.325/.500 (132 wRC+) in 46 regular season games post-acquisition, including 11 homers and 18 stolen bases. This jump came after posting a .250/.317/.454 (108 wRC+) for Miami in 1,054 plate appearances since 2022. Sure, we’re talking about a 191 plate appearance sample size in the Bronx, but the Yankees are a better fit to maximize his abilities.

Chisholm’s power-speed combination is tantalizing, and I’m intrigued by the idea of hitting him in front of Aaron Judge next season. Better lineup protection and a ballpark conducive to his swing should result in more of what we saw in the regular season’s second half. I realize his October left a bit to be desired, but he wasn’t alone in that regard, for what it’s worth.

Steamer projects a 114 wRC+, 29 homers, and 35 steals, which is very good, though I would bet the over. A 30/30 season seems likely with good health. Maybe he’s not a true 132 wRC+ guy, but 120-125 seems very attainable. Frankly, the Yankees will need that sort of production to help make up for Soto’s loss.

Anthony Volpe (finally) makes the offensive jump

Honestly, I don’t feel like this is very likely. Volpe now has just under 1,300 big league trips to the plate and an 84 wRC+ to show for it. If DRC+ is your cup of tea, things look even worse: 77 with a standard deviation of 12. In other words, he’s been poor offensively, and perhaps a tad lucky to garner the results tallied thus far. Yikes.

All that said, Volpe was a top prospect for a reason: his bat. In fact, it was supposed to be his calling card, and instead, it’s been his defense that’s kept him playable at short. Now, Volpe wasn’t supposed to be an elite hitter or anything, but I think the Yankees were expecting something like 10 to 15 percent better than league average, mainly driven by power and baserunning. The latter has been there, but the power waned since his rookie year.

Steamer pegs Volpe for a .241/.309/.398 triple-slash, with 18 homers and a 101 wRC+. Sign me up. No, it’s not sexy, but it’s much, much better than before. He needs to do more of what he did in the postseason: swing harder and pull the ball more. That will get him much closer to his rookie year home run total (21) compared to his lackluster 12 in 2024. In addition to power, bring the OBP above .300 (career .288!) like Steamer projects, maintain the baserunning and defense, and then we’ll be cooking.

More of the mid-summer Austin Wells, less of the September Austin Wells

The Yankees’ backstop was incredible from June through July, (154 wRC+ in 218 PA) and then fell off a cliff in September (22 wRC+ in 83 PA) and the postseason (31 wRC+ in 55 PA). He’s certainly not as good as what he did in the summer, but he’s obviously not as bad as he was in the fall.

It’s easy to ascribe his falloff to a catcher’s wear and tear over a long season. It’s something one could reasonably expect from anyone playing a full season behind the dish, though perhaps not as dreadful as Wells was to end the campaign.

It’s likely that Wells’ performance will decline as 2025 goes on. That’s just the reality. What would really help is if he doesn’t take a nosedive like this year. His full season wRC+ was 105, which is terrific for a catcher, and Steamer foresees something similar next year (107). I’d take that again, but ideally with a bit more consistency. The Yankees will need it.

Aaron Judge replicates 2024

Man, this is a lot to ask for. Too much to ask for, really. A 218 wRC+ is bonkers. One of the greatest offensive seasons ever. Can he do it again? I mean, maybe. It was the second time in his career he posted a wRC+ that starts with a 2, the other being his 62 homer 2022 season.

Look, if he meets his 170 wRC+ Steamer projection, that’s an outstanding 2025. How could anyone complain about that? And yet, it would be somehow underwhelming, especially in the absence of Soto. Perhaps I’m being dramatic. It’s just very hard to not only try to make up for the loss of Soto, but also have a lesser (albeit still amazing) version of Judge in the lineup.

Prospect breakouts

Jasson Dominguez, Ben Rice, and Caleb Durbin figure to be on the Major League roster for some, if not all, of 2025. I’m a staunch believer in Rice, I like Dominguez although his propensity to hit grounders worries me, and I’m highly skeptical of Durbin.

As much as I like Rice’s bat, the Yankees do need to get a bona fide first baseman. Thankfully, almost anyone will be an upgrade over what the Yankees ran out there this year (no home runs from a first baseman since July 31!). Whether it’s Christian Walker or someone else, the Yankees are going to be better at the position. Rice might have the most upside of anyone there, though.

Dominguez figures to be a boost to a lineup that will remove Alex Verdugo from everyday playing time. Steamer anticipates a 112 wRC+ and 20 homers for The Martian. That’s even after accounting for his poor batted ball profile.

The Yankees clearly love Durbin, and sheesh, I hope they’re right. It sure sounds like he’s going to be a big league option in 2025, and perhaps from day one. Chances are that Gleyber Torres’ bat will be missed, though.

All that said, even just one breakout of this aforementioned trio would go a long way. Ideally, it’s Dominguez, given that (a) Yankees’ having two outfield holes at the moment and (b) I’d bet on him getting the most run in comparison to Rice and Durbin.