Derek Jeter Delivers Opinion of Yankees 2025 Roster After Loss of Juan Soto

New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter got honest about his former team's 2025 outlook after their busy offseason.
Jun 20, 2024; Fairfield, Alabama, USA; Former MLB player Derek Jeter before the MLB at Rickwood Field tribute game to the Negro Leagues between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. Rickwood Field is the oldest baseball stadium in America. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images
Jun 20, 2024; Fairfield, Alabama, USA; Former MLB player Derek Jeter before the MLB at Rickwood Field tribute game to the Negro Leagues between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. Rickwood Field is the oldest baseball stadium in America. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

In a January 20 article from DJ Siddiqi of SportsCasting.com, Yankees icon Johnny Damon asserted that the New York Yankees are in a very solid spot next season, despite losing superstar slugger Juan Soto to the cross-town rival Mets.

“He’s an amazing player,” Damon said of Soto in the article. “When the Yankees couldn’t get Juan Soto they were able to go out and get a number of All-Stars where the team may actually be better now.  You have more quality players around."

Damon later added, " I do think the Yankees have a better chance to win the World Series this year... At the end of the day, it’s your team pulling in the same direction. It’s your team getting the job done.”

Damon isn't the only former Yankees star to express this sentiment. When Siddiqi interviewed the legendary Derek Jeter in a January 28 article, he said something similar.

 ”They did a good job,” Jeter is quoted saying of the Yankees' offseason acquisitions in the article. “You always want to try to improve your team. I’m sure you ask anyone in the organization, they have improved as a whole. The great thing about playing for the Yankees is pretty much every season you have an opportunity to get to the postseason.

“And they made it to the World Series last year,” Jeter added. “Obviously, they fell a little bit short. But now they’re retooling and getting ready for this season.”

He later said, "It’s the strongest organizations that win. It’s not necessarily the strongest roster at the major league level because there’s injuries and people come and people go. I think right now, the Yankees are in a good spot, just like a few other teams.”

Jeter would certainly know what it takes to succeed at the highest level.


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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee. You can follow him on X: @GrvntYoung