Why Rival Executive Thinks Juan Soto Departure Could be 'Blessing' For Yankees

This rival exec thinks Juan Soto signing with the Mets is a "blessing" for the Yankees.

Dec 12, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto poses for photos during his introductory press conference at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The baseball world was shocked when superstar outfielder Juan Soto signed a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets after just one season playing for the New York Yankees.

Soto had a career year in his first and only season donning pinstripes, hitting .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBI across 157 regular season games. The 26-year-old also helped the Yankees reach their first World Series since 2009, where they ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

Now, the Yankees are preparing for life after Soto for the 2025 season and hope to make another deep playoff run. Despite the All-Star outfielder taking his talents to Flushing, Queens after one year in the Bronx, a rival baseball exec believes that Soto signed that record-setting deal with the Mets may turn out to be a "blessing" for the Yankees.

Jorge Castillo of ESPN spoke with an anonymous baseball executive this week who highlighted the busy offseason moves the Yankees made once Soto departed. In free agency, the Bronx Bombers inked lefty starting pitcher Max Fried to an eight-year deal and signed veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year deal. New York also went out and traded for outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger and closer Devin Williams. Because of these moves, this executive believes that Soto's departure may end up being a blessing after all for the Yankees.

"The Soto deal is insane," the anonymous executive said. "It could be a blessing in the end. Fried is an ace. Bellinger might hit 30 HRs there and shores up their defense. Goldschmidt is a Hall of Famer. Added a bullpen arm. All in all, pretty good."

The defending American League champs had to pivot -- hard -- after losing a generational star to the crosstown Mets. Here's how they did it -- and what's next.https://t.co/XIO0bVC0ZH

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 30, 2025

While it's very hard to replace a hitter like Soto in any lineup, the exec brings up some good points. By not paying Soto a contract exceeding $760 million, it opened the door for the Yankees to add other All-Stars to their team like Fried, Bellinger and Goldschmidt.

Throughout Fried's eight-year stint with the Atlanta Braves, the lefty has gone 73-36 in 168 regular season games (151 starts) with a 3.07 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 884.1 innings.

Bellinger also may turn out to be a great addition to the Yankees lineup, while also giving the team more versatility on defense thanks to his experience in both the outfield and first base. Although he may not have the same amount of power that Soto possesses, the 29-year-old has still slugged 196 career home runs over his eight-year career (including a 39-homer season in 2017 and a 47-homer campaign in 2019) and is under contract for two seasons, which is another plus for the Yankees.

As for Goldschmidt, even though he is coming off a disappointing season on offense, his veteran presence might be something the Yankees need; the 37-year-old could serve as an excellent mentor for Ben Rice, who could be the Yankees' first baseman of the future. Goldschmidt also had a much better second half of the season, posting a .799 OPS and 20 extra-base hits after the All-Star break.

Even though Soto leaving for the Mets after a phenomenal lone season as a Yankee stung, this rival executive believes the moves the Yankees made shortly after losing the superstar can help them build off their World Series appearance from a season ago. However, time will tell whether the Bronx Bombers prove this exec right or not.

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