What does an ideal offseason look like for the Yankees?

The New York Yankees’ No. 1 offseason priority is re-signing Juan Soto. That much is clear. What comes next is still a mystery.

The Yankees have several holes to fill. On the offensive side, they need two outfielders, a first baseman, a second baseman and two bench bats. On the pitching side, they need three more pitchers for the bullpen.

Cot’s Contracts estimates the Yankees’ current 2025 payroll at $238.8 million. That includes bringing back every arbitration-eligible player. For this exercise, let’s have the Yankees create more financial flexibility by non-tendering contracts to outfielder Trent Grisham and relief pitcher Tim Mayza. Grisham is projected to earn $5.7 million in arbitration and Mayza $4 million, according to MLB Trade Rumors. By non-tendering those players, the Yankees save an additional $9.7 million, bringing their total projected payroll to $229.1 million. That total includes bringing back Jon Berti as a bench option and J.T. Brubaker, who missed this season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, as a reliever.

Here’s what an ideal offseason could look like for the Yankees:

Re-sign Juan Soto

This is a no-brainer.

No offseason plan for the Yankees is truly complete without landing the best free agent on the market. Monday, they are set to meet with Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, in Newport Beach, Calif. Soto and Boras have already heard presentations from the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets. Though it remains unclear whether other teams will also meet with Boras and Soto, it’s widely expected that Soto’s free agency won’t stretch deep into the offseason.

JUAN SOTO. THREE-RUN HOMER. @YANKEES LEAD IN THE 10TH! pic.twitter.com/w5goa4pSwz

— MLB (@MLB) October 20, 2024

Boras is aiming to set a record for average annual value (AAV) with the 26-year-old superstar — and he’s in a strong position to do so. A 14-year, $658 million deal would pay Soto $47 million annually, slightly surpassing Shohei Ohtani’s AAV of $46.08 million. Ohtani’s contract is heavily deferred, but Soto’s deal almost certainly won’t be, as Boras has already strongly suggested he’s not interested in that path.

Securing Soto for likely the remainder of his career would give the Yankees the most formidable one-two punch on offense in baseball. It would also likely mean that no player in Yankees history will ever wear No. 22 again because at the rate Soto is playing, he would be on a fast track to Monument Park.

Sign Christian Walker

For this exercise, let’s say the Yankees bring Soto back at $47 million a year. If the Yankees do not want to surpass the fourth luxury tax level set at $301 million, that gives them $24.9 million to work with.

The Yankees need a big bat at first base after getting near league-worst production out of the position this season. Adding Christian Walker, one of the most dependable players offensively and defensively over the past few years, the Yankees would have another above-average bat in the middle of their order. Walker just posted three straight seasons of at least a 119 wRC+ for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The contract projection model from The Athletic’s Tim Britton predicts Walker, who will turn 34 next season, will sign a two-year, $44 million deal in free agency. That would give the Yankees $2.9 million to fill their remaining spots.

Trade Jose Trevino

Jose Trevino lost his starting catcher role to Austin Wells this season. Trevino is projected to make $3.4 million in arbitration, and we’re having to work hard to get under the $301 million payroll. Trevino is a well-respected clubhouse presence, one of the best defensive catchers in the sport and an obvious trade candidate for the Yankees.

The Yankees have a couple of in-house catchers they like in Carlos Narvaez and J.C. Escarra. Either of those guys could take over as the backup catcher. The good news for the Yankees if they explore trading Trevino is catcher is an in-demand position.

At the general managers’ meetings earlier this month, the Tampa Bay Rays identified catcher as one of their biggest needs. How about a trade that sends Trevino to the Tampa Bay Rays for left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger? Cleavinger is projected to make $1.4 million through the arbitration process. Factoring in the league minimum for whichever catcher becomes the team’s backup, that would create roughly $1.2 million in space for the Yankees while filling in one of their bullpen spots.

After this trade, the Yankees would have $4.1 million before hitting the $301 million threshold.

Trade Marcus Stroman

One way the Yankees can create additional flexibility is by trading Marcus Stroman. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he sees Stroman as part of the team’s future in 2025, but what else would he say? That Stroman threw no pitches in October indicates the Yankees would ideally not want to pay him $18.5 million next season.

It’s not going to be easy to get out of his contract, though. They’ll need to eat some of the money and likely attach a prospect to make taking on Stroman’s 2025 salary and 2026 $18.5 million vesting option if he pitches 140 innings next season more palatable.

Juan Yepez:

Has hit safely in each of his 15 games with the @Nationals
Is batting .389 (21-for-54)
Has 10 extra-base hits among his 21 hits pic.twitter.com/sVh20hY2PG

— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2024

The Washington Nationals are looking to add some starting pitching depth. Could a deal sending Stroman, $6 million and infielder Jorbit Vivas to the Nationals for Juan Yepez work? Yepez, who has played each corner infield and outfield spot, would be a decent bench option for the Yankees. Washington is looking to improve first base this offseason, and Yepez might be the odd man out. If this trade works, the Yankees would save $8.5 million while getting a pre-arbitration player in Yepez. It would give the Yankees $16.6 million to fill out the rest of the roster.

Trade Nestor Cortes

The Yankees need a second baseman with Gleyber Torres a free agent. The Chicago Cubs are looking for starting pitching. Could the teams orchestrate a one-for-one swap with the Yankees receiving infielder Nico Hoerner? Hoerner is owed $11.67 million next season, and Cortes is projected to earn $7.7 million in arbitration. Next year is Cortes’ final season before free agency; Hoerner has an additional season under contract before becoming a free agent after the 2026 season.

Hoerner would give the Yankees much better defense and base running at second base than Torres provided. The Yankees want to improve fundamentals. Hoerner, offensively, doesn’t have the pop that Torres has, but he would be a more trusted option than Caleb Durbin, whom the club is considering. In this scenario, Durbin could become a utility bench option for the Yankees. By adding Hoerner’s salary, the Yankees are back down to roughly $12.6 million before reaching $301 million.

Sign Roki Sasaki

Landing the 23-year-old Roki Sasaki out of Japan would be monumental for the Yankees because he would sign as an international amateur free agent; thus he would not require millions to land. The Yankees have scouted Sasaki intensely over the past several years. The Los Angeles Dodgers are seen as the favorites to land him, but it’s still unclear what’s important to Sasaki.

The Yankees have had success with Japanese players in the past, including Masahiro Tanaka, a pitcher Sasaki grew up idolizing. The Yankees could sell him on being an organization that has arguably the best pitching coach in Matt Blake and an organization that has changed the careers of Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes, and they have a Rookie of the Year finalist in Luis Gil.

Sasaki would make the minimum salary next season, so the Yankees would still have roughly $12 million to spend.

Sign Michael Conforto

By non-tendering Grisham, the Yankees will need a fourth outfielder. Conforto is going a bit under the radar, even though he has a career 119 wRC+ across nine seasons. Britton projected a one-year, $10 million salary for Conforto, but the Yankees don’t have that kind of space in this hypothetical. A one-year, $8 million contract with a player option for a second year could sweeten taking a lesser salary. But landing Conforto would immediately give the Yankees a much better bench bat, which they did not have this season.

Re-sign Tim Hill

The Yankees should bring back Tim Hill, who emerged as a trusted reliever after the club signed him off of waivers from the Chicago White Sox during the season. A two-year, $5 million contract for Hill would make sense for both sides.

That would leave the Yankees with around $1.5 million in room before hitting the fourth luxury tax threshold. It’s just below $301 million, but the Yankees could create a bit more flexibility by non-tendering Scott Effross.

The Yankees might want to leave more room to make additional moves during the season. But if this is how it shapes up, here’s what their roster would look like:

(Photo of Christian Walker: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)