Could Yankees Recent Trade Acquisition Really Be Better Bet Than Signing Juan Soto?

The New York Yankees need to find a way to replace Juan Soto's offensive impact, and their big offseason trade acquisition should play a big role in the effort to make that happen.

Mar 20, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger (35), New York Yankees third base Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) high five after scoring during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees had to partake in something of a scramble to rebuild the quality of their roster after Juan Soto spurned the franchise by signing with the New York Mets in free agency.

Soto's departure meant a massive amount of offensive production would be missing from the 2025 lineup as the Yankees looked to build upon its World Series appearance from 2024.

But New York vice president Brian Cashman acted quickly and decisively, adding to the team's starting rotation by signing one of the best arms available in Max Fried.

He also filled Soto's void in the outfield by acquiring Cody Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs, a move that will allow Aaron Judge to return to his natural right field position and mark a huge upgrade in terms of the team's outfield defense. in a recent article by David Adler at MLB.com, he made the point that what Bellinger has done this spring matters.

"If the Yankees are going to make up for the loss of Juan Soto, Bellinger's going to have to lead the way," Adler wrote. "What he's doing in Spring Training is a good start. His stats are backed up by a 93.1 mph average exit velocity coupled with a swing-and-miss rate under 20% and a strikeout rate under 13%."

Bellinger is highly, highly unlikely to provide more offensive value in 2025 than Soto will for the Mets, but could the defensive boost and the lack of long term risk help the Yankees come out ahead overall?

It's certainly a possibility, as Soto is a once-in-a-generation sort of hitter, but his defensive game will not age well, and at some point he will become an expensive, albeit incredibly good, designated hitter.

New York has Bellinger for this year at $25 million after the Cubs retained $2.5 million for 2025 and for his 2026 player option, for which the Yankees would be on the hook for $22.5 million if Bellinger picks it up.

The Yankees' window of contention for its current core is not a particularly long one given the age of captain Aaron Judge and ace Gerrit Cole, who is out for the 2025 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery.

There is a world where New York retained Soto and struggles to build a contending team around him several years down the line, but with Bellinger, the long-term risk is minimal, and he's a concrete upgrade to one aspect of the team's game over Soto.

Nobody is (or should be) counting on it, but if Bellinger could somehow recapture the form that made him the 2019 National League MVP, this offseason will look like a huge win for the Yankees.

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