3 free agents Yankees must sign to win the 2025 World Series: Juan Soto and more

The New York Yankees came up short in the World Series, losing to Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now that they got their first taste of the World Series in over a decade, the Yankees have the opportunity to win the offseason and make their way back to the Fall Classic in 2025. They have a core of players like Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole signed for the next few seasons. Now, if they can go out, re-sign some key players and make some smart additions, they could be favorites to come out of the AL again.

But it all starts with the way they attack the upcoming free agency class, which includes re-signing the top free agent on the market: Juan Soto.

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3. RHP Jeff Hoffman would be a huge addition to the Yankees bullpen

One of the more disappointing aspects of this 2024 Yankees team has been the bullpen. Clay Holmes endured one of the worst second-half collapses in the entire American League, going from Holmes All-Star closer and one of the best relievers in baseball to an almost unusable arm by the time the postseason arrived. Luke Weaver stepped up huge in his place, providing a ton of clutch performances down the stretch for the Yankees, but the bullpen is still an area of need heading into free agency

Luckily, there are a ton of incredible relief arms available this winter, but the Yankees will likely be spending their big money trying to re-sign Soto. The bullpen task will be to find high-leverage options on a budget — guys like Jeff Hoffman of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Hoffman has put up two consecutive sub-3.00 ERA seasons out of the Philly bullpen, with 2024 being the better of the two. He's not the team's closer, so his price tag wouldn't be as high as somebody like Tanner Scott, but he provides the stability that New York would need in the seventh, eighth or even ninth inning.

2. 3B Alex Bregman would be the perfect infielder to fill in for the loss of Gleyber Torres

The first thing to look at with the Yankees, beyond Juan Soto, is figuring out their infield. Gleyber Torres is set to enter free agency and the Yankees will either need to re-sign Torres or add a new infielder to replace him. The move that makes the most sense to me, believe it or not, is adding the Houston Astros legendary third baseman, Alex Bregman.

This would allow Aaron Boone to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. over to second base to replace Torres. They would then slot Bregman in as the everyday third baseman. Chisholm is a natural second baseman and that's where he looks the most like himself, though he has played a solid third base this year. Torres, on the other hand, has been one of the worst statistical infield defenders in the entire league.

Slotting Bregman in at third base gives the Yankees a better defensive infield as well as a better offensive infield. It would be hard to pitch this idea to the diehard Yankees fans who have grown to hate Bregman, but he would make their team so much better than the past shouldn't still haunt them. Especially if Bregman can help bring a World Series back to the Bronx.

1. Re-signing OF Juan Soto is obviously the top priority of New York's offseason

Is there a more obvious answer to this question for the Yankees?

Obviously, the top priority for anybody associated with New York will be getting Soto to sign on the dotted line to a massive contract extension that keeps him in the Bronx for the rest of his prime. The deal could be anywhere in the range of 10 to 15 years, with many insiders anticipating that Soto will get more than $500 million in total value.

Honestly, there shouldn't be a monetary limit for the Yankees to get Soto; whatever he is set to receive from another organization, New York should give him $10 million more. Over the course of the next 10 years, there's a very good chance that Soto will be the best player in baseball. He's just that good, and he's still only 26 years old.

If he can stay healthy and continue on the path he's on, Soto could end up in the 500 or 600 home run club. Keeping him in New York after an incredible debut with the team is going to be the decision that makes or breaks Brian Cashman's offseason.