Juan Soto was acquired by the New York Yankees from the San Diego Padres in a recent trade. With the signing of his historic $31 million contract, Soto has now set a new record for the biggest one-year contract for a player eligible for arbitration. This agreement is a significant increase above Shohei Ohtani’s $30 million contract from the previous season. Following the conclusion of the 2024 season, Soto is scheduled to become a free agent.
Soto demonstrated his abilities the previous season by leading the San Diego Padres in a number of statistical categories, including walks (132), home runs (35), and RBIs (109), all of which were top-ranked in Major League Baseball. With a slash line of.286/.399/.568 in the second half of the 2023 season, Soto looked good.
Grisham, who won two Gold Gloves with the Padres and was known for his outstanding defensive abilities as an outfielder, was also acquired by the Yankees as part of the Soto deal. But during the last two years, Grisham’s offensive output has been lackluster, with a combined batting average of.191 and 30 home runs.
Verdugo had a decent season with a.264 batting average, 13 home runs, and 54 RBIs after being acquired from the Red Sox in the deal. With Aaron Judge in center field and Soto in right, his expected position is left field.
With a.273 batting average, 25 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 90 runs scored in 2023, Torres became one of the Yankees’ best hitters. Like Soto, Torres may be eligible for free agency following the next campaign.
Due to a right wrist injury, Trevino had hurdles the previous season, but he should be ready for spring training.
Cortes, a valuable addition to the starting lineup, played in just 12 games the year before due to shoulder issues. The organization is still hopeful that Cortes can repeat his stellar 2022 year, in which he posted a 2.44 ERA and 12 wins.
With 44 saves in the last two seasons, Holmes has been the team’s closer. Unless the Yankees find a closer like free agent Josh Hader, Holmes is expected to stay in that key role this year.
Due to elbow pain, Loáisiga—who is regarded as one of the team’s best relievers when healthy—missed the last 20 games of the 2023 campaign.
Last season, Schmidt was a key member of the rotation, winning nine games while maintaining a 4.64 ERA.
The Dodgers traded for Victor González, who should provide a useful left-handed option out of the bullpen. He pitched 33 2/3 innings with a 4.01 ERA in 34 games for Los Angeles.
