5 reasons why the New York Yankees made a huge mistake not retaining Juan Soto

An all-time bidding war ensued during the MLB offseason, as free agent Juan Soto reportedly had five teams seriously vying for his services. Ultimately, the New York Yankees and New York Mets were the final two teams standing, and the Mets were able to acquire the generational superstar. We’ll delve into the five reasons why this was a massive disappointment for the Yankees. All statistics are sourced from Baseball Reference.

There’s no denying that Juan Soto can hit in any ballpark on the planet. He would probably drive in 100 runs on the moon. With that said, Soto was just about the perfect hitter for the Yankee Stadium. He brought a lefty power bat that could, and often did, take advantage of the short porch in right field.

In August 2024, Mike Petriello wrote a column for MLB’s website, concluding that Soto wasn’t really helped by Yankee Stadium’s dimensions all the much. Granted, a player like Soto has the power to hit it out of any ballpark, but he also set a career-high in homers in his only season with the Yankees. Unofficially, he hit 12 home runs out to right field at Yankee Stadium during the 2024 regular season.

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While a case can be made that Soto would have thrived hitting at Yankee Stadium for the next 15 or more years, his left-handed bat slotted in perfectly to make the Yankees a nightmare to face for opposing pitchers. Manager Aaron Boone could pencil him into the lineup to break up his right-handed hitters, which made opposing teams think twice about how to use their bullpen.

Juan Soto didn’t get to the Yankees for free in 2024. New York traded pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez, along with catcher Kyle Higashioka to the San Diego Padres to get him. Granted, teams have to pay up in order to get a superstar like Soto, but the Yankees paid a steep price to end up having him for only one year.

In his age 29 season, Michael King continued his strong career with San Diego. He pitched to a 2.95 ERA, making 31 starts for the Padres in 2024. Brito also showed great potential for the Padres in his first year with the team. The Yankees thought they would have Soto for the next couple of decades, and that this would be a small price to pay.

ESPN Radio host Paul Hembekides didn’t like the idea of the trade back in December 2023 because he didn’t think it moved the needle for them. He was probably not correct in that assessment, as New York did make it all the way to the World Series with him. However, the team trading away their pitching depth might have caused them to break the bank for Max Fried this offseason.

Besides the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees have no greater rivalry in MLB than with the crosstown New York Mets. According to MLB’s website, the Yankees has a 16-year, $760 million offer in place for the 26-year-old superstar, which was beaten out by the Mets’ winning bid of 15 years and $765 million. The Yankees and their fans will now have to see Soto thrive in the same city.

The Yankees and Mets’ respective final bids weren’t that far apart from one another, which begs the question; why did the Yankees stop short? Granted, the Mets seemed laser focused on doing whatever it took to get Soto, but at that point, the money and years were so exorbitant, it would not have hurt the Yankees to open up their wallets a bit more.

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CBS News’ Jeff Capellini wrote in October 2024 that Soto was worth every dollar to the Yankees in 2024, and he’s probably right. Going toe to toe with the Yankees for a player that they needed, but ultimately lost out on, is a huge blow to their reputation. Granted, the Mets paid up in historic fashion to get it done, but other front offices might view this as a sign that the Yankees can be one-upped in free agency.

There was no more potent due in MLB during the 2024 season than the one Soto formed with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. The two were perfect complements for one another, in addition to the fact that Soto is a left-handed hitter and Judge is a right-handed masher. Sports Illustrated’s Eva Geitheim wrote the two are still friends despite Soto’s departure, but Judge may be notably affected by this on the field.

Judge led all of MLB in walks in 2024 with 133, and also paced the sport in intentional walks with 20. Those numbers are great for on base percentage, but without Soto to protect him in the lineup, it stands to reason that opponents will take the bat out of Judge’s hands even more in 2025. That may not be a bad thing, but other players will really have to step up in Soto’s absence.

Judge told the MLB’s website in November 2024, “Having a chance to have Juan hitting in front of me, I get to see a lot of pitches… He’s going to wear down the pitcher right there in the first inning, within the first 15 pitches or so. I think that was a big impact, having a guy like that in front of you. If I could have eight Juan Sotos in the lineup with me, I’d love that.” Judge will have to adjust in 2025.

There have been many players in the final year of their contracts who have showed out in a big way, but Soto really did earn himself a lot of money down the stretch of the 2024 campaign. In addition to the 41 home runs he hit during the regular season, Soto also hit .327 during the postseason, clubbing another four home runs.

Soto’s brilliance was often compared to the struggles that Judge had during the 2024 postseason, where he hit just .184, and struck out 20 times. Judge hasn’t gotten the job done during his postseason career, which only magnified the need for the Yankees to retain a clutch performer like Soto has proven to be.

Soto has embraced the bright lights of October even as a youngster with the Washington Nationals. As a 20-year-old, Soto was incredible during the Nationals’ 2019 run to the championship, hitting five homers and driving in 14 runs. While Soto’s production can possibly be replaced during the regular season, replacing his playoff attitude will be difficult to compensate for.

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