ESPN: Yankees changed strategy right away after losing out on Juan Soto.
How Soto was forgotten by the Yanks; Keith Law rates the agricultural systems of teams; After a disappointing season, Chase Hampton is ready; Bernie Williams talks about his desire to remain in New York.
ESPN | Jorge Castillo: Castillo talks about how the Yankees changed their strategy right away after losing to the Mets in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. He also gets some input from baseball executives on the Yankee offseason. Among the players New York has added, Max Fried, Devin Williams, and Cody Bellinger are among the most well-known. Is it going to work? Apparently, one unnamed executive feels that way.
“The Soto situation is crazy… In the end, it could out to be advantageous. Fried is a master. Bellinger strengthens their defense and may smash 30 HRs there. A member of the Hall of Fame is Goldschmidt. A bullpen arm was added. Overall, it’s rather nice.
Keith Law | The Athletic ($): I won’t lie. After years of graduations, trades, and defeats, I was expecting the Yanks’ system to be trailing when I saw this headline in The Athletic this morning. And to be honest, it’s not very good. Law ranks the Yankee farm system at number 21, taking into account the previously listed elements. It’s not all bad news, either. Law said, “Their 2024 draft class looks promising.” “They also consistently have talent from the international side.”
Brendan Kuty | The Athletic ($): Due to injuries, Chase Hampton, one of the Yankee system’s blue-chippers, took a backseat in 2024. Hampton is already throwing live batting practice despite having several groin injuries and a right flexor tendon injury. Hampton, who was considered a top-100 talent only a season ago, is concentrating on 2025. Given that nobody survives a season with just five starting pitchers, it’s not out of the question that, if he is healthy again, we may see Hampton this season.
NJ.com | Jimmy Hascup: Following the 1998 season, Bernie Williams had no intention of leaving New York. Regretfully, it appeared that the Yankees were prepared to let him go. Bernie phoned Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and directly pleaded to stay in the Bronx, as advised by his agent Scott Boras. “Let’s take out all of this intermediary nonsense and just have a direct conversation because you know for a fact that I want to be a Yankee and you know for a fact that you want me to be a Yankee. “Let’s get this done,” Williams said to The Boss.
Boras told Williams that this was as good as it got when the Yankees finally increased their offer. The rest is history.
