ANOTHER RECURRING SAD NEWS: BAD injury concern for Yankees.
After a heartbreaking World Series run, the New York Yankees are looking to add some firepower and win it all next season.
Priority number one has been Juan Soto.
Soto is coming off a season where he had a prolific impact on a team that had missed the postseason in 2023.
As the crowning jewel of this free agent class, Soto will undoubtedly cost Hal Steinbrenner a fortune. So as expected, the Yankees are scouring both the trade and free agent markets for cheap deals.
Since Soto is their top target and makes perfect sense for the team, anything I say on why the Yankees should pursue him would be redundant.
So today, we’ll be more focused on pieces the Yankees can add while still pursuing Soto.
There is no guarantee that Soto will land in the Bronx.
But regardless if they nab Soto or not, here are some relatively inexpensive options the Yankees can sign that might be ideal no matter what happens along with some inexpensive options they should be wary of.
But just in case, I made a short ‘honorable mentions’ list the Yankees should devote some cash to if Soto does not come back.
Hyeseong Kim (not to be confused with Ha Seong Kim of the Padres, now a free agent as well) is regarded as one of, if not, the top defender in Korea.
Kim has won the past three KBO Golden Gloves with the winners in 2024 yet to be announced.
This would be a welcome move for the Yankees since their defense this past season left a lot to be desired.
Adding to Kim’s KBO success is his masterful offense.
Kim has posted batting averages over .300 and OBPs over .370 for the past four seasons.
He posted his best of each in 2023 with a .335 average and a .396 OBP.
However, Kim isn’t known for his power.
In 2024, he slashed .326/.383/.458/.841 with a career-high 11 home runs, but if there’s one thing in his favor, it’s the blend of his left-hand bat and the short right porch.
