5 Yankees who won't survive the MLB Winter Meetings and why

The New York Yankees made it back to the World Series for the first time since 2009 but fell short, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Now, a crucial offseason for the Bronx Bombers has begun — and few teams figure to be busier at next month's Winter Meetings.

All eyes are on Juan Soto and where he's going to sign. The Yankees are presumably going to do whatever they can to bring him back, but what if Steve Cohen outbids Hal Steinbrenner? What if the Dodgers roster is too appealing for Soto to pass on? The Yankees are probably the favorites to win the Soto sweepstakes, but who really knows at this point?

Soto's future is up in the air, but these five Yankees will be looking for new homes this offseason. Those new homes figure to be found by the time teams leave Dallas in a few weeks.

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5) Clay Holmes will earn more than the Yankees should give him in free agency

Statistically speaking, Clay Holmes was one of the best relievers in the American League in his three-plus seasons with the Yankees. He had a 2.69 ERA in 220 appearances, operating primarily in high-leverage roles for New York. His inconsistency cannot be ignored, though. Yankees fans were infuriated by it all season long.

Holmes began his season by not allowing a single earned run in his first 20 appearances. His next 20 appearances saw him put up a 5.68 ERA and blow five of his 13 save opportunities. He had a 4.34 ERA in his next 20 appearances, blowing six of his 14 save tries. He had a great run to begin the year, and he allowed just one earned run in his final seven appearances, but he had plenty of rough stretches too. Even in October, Holmes looked good in the ALDS and in the World Series but had a couple of shaky outings in the ALCS.

The right-hander is a solid reliever who will make a good amount of money, especially with the dearth of proven back-end options on the market, but the Yankees have no reason to bring him back. He can't be trusted in high-leverage spots on a team trying to win the World Series, and he's likely going to earn that chance somewhere. It just should not be in the Bronx.

4) Anthony Rizzo is as good as gone

Anthony Rizzo's first full season in the Bronx couldn't have been much better, as he launched 32 home runs and had a 130 OPS+. He looked like a perfect fit at Yankee Stadium and cashed in on a multi-year commitment from New York as a result.

Unfortunately, Rizzo struggled mightily in 2023 and had another down year in 2024, slashing .228/.301/.335 with eight home runs and 35 RBI over 92 regular season games. He had an 81 OPS+, essentially meaning he was 19 percent below league-average as a hitter. He looked a bit better in October despite playing through fractured fingers, but he managed just one extra-base hit all postseason long.

Rizzo is a great clubhouse guy and has won before, but the reality is he just isn't good enough to give regular at-bats to anymore. With that in mind, the Yankees chose to decline his club option, choosing to pay him a 6 million buyout instead of giving him $17 million to come back to New York.

With guys like Christian Walker and Pete Alonso available in free agency and other appealing options on the trade market, there's no excuse to bring Rizzo back. The Yankees need more offensive firepower than they've gotten from Rizzo the last couple of years, and have plenty of options to choose from.

3) The Yankees will finally move on from Gleyber Torres

It feels as if Gleyber Torres has had his name in trade rumors for years now. The Yankees never moved him in a deal, but it feels as if now is the time that Torres will find his new home, especially since the Yankees refused to offer him the qualifying offer ahead of free agency.

Torres is what he is at this point. He isn't a strong defender, and he isn't the 38-home run player that he was in 2019, but he is a solid player. He had a down year in 2024, slashing .257/.330/.378 with 15 home runs and 63 RBI, but he hit a combined 49 home runs in the two seasons prior. He can provide a good amount of power at a position where that is pretty rare.

The Yankees have too many holes to address before thinking about bringing Torres back. By then, Torres will likely have found his new home. Having Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the roster who can simply make the move back to his natural position makes moving on a whole lot easier.

2) Alex Verdugo's spot will be filled by Jasson Dominguez once and for all

For much of the season, Yankees fans were wondering why Alex Verdugo was starting in the outfield when New York's No. 1 prospect, Jasson Dominguez, looked MLB-ready. We can argue whether Verdugo should've been starting in the postseason all day, but it cannot be argued that Verdugo's time in the Bronx should be up. There just isn't a spot for him anymore.

Whether it's in left field or center field, Dominguez has to factor in as an everyday player somewhere in the outfield. New York hopes Aaron Judge and Soto take up the other two spots, but of course, that remains to be seen. Whether Soto comes back or not, though, that third spot cannot be Verdugo's.

The 28-year-old had a strong first month in the Bronx after being acquired in an offseason trade with the Boston Red Sox but struggled for the remainder of the regular season, slashing .225/.275/.336 with nine home runs and 48 RBI from May 1 on. His 72 WRC+ in that span was the fourth-worst mark in the Majors among qualifiers, and he was one of six qualified position players with a negative fWAR over that span. He was 28 percent below league average as a hitter and below replacement level as overall. I had a higher fWAR than Verdugo did for the last five months of the season.

Verdugo did have a couple of big postseason moments, but had a .622 OPS overall in October, proving yet again that his time in the Bronx should be up.

1) The Yankees should strongly consider trading Marcus Stroman

The first four players on this list are free agents, but Marcus Stroman is under contract and is set to make $18.3 million in the 2025 campaign. He was signed ahead of the 2024 season with the expectation that he'd be a reliable mid-rotation arm, but it just didn't work out.

The right-hander had a 4.31 ERA in 30 regular season appearances (29 starts) and 154.2 innings of work. The fact that he was able to eat a good amount of innings was a plus, but Stroman wasn't even as good as his ERA would indicate. He had a 4.62 FIP, a 4.82 xERA, and had the lowest strikeout rate (16.7 percent) of his career. Stroman's 8.9 percent walk rate was a lot higher than his career mark of 7.2 percent.

Stroman's down year led to Aaron Boone refraining from using him all October long, despite carrying him on the postseason roster. That alone shows what the Yankees think of him now.

With Gerrit Cole officially locked back in, the Yankees have him leading their 2025 rotation followed by Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes. Stroman likely wouldn't even begin the year in the rotation if the season started today. A trade could change things, but the Yankees should look to part with Stroman before letting any other starter go.

They wouldn't get much in return, but would be able to clear most, if not all of his money considering his track record and the need from so many teams to add starting pitching. Even in his down year, Stroman pitched like a No. 5 starter at least, and his track record is a lot better than that. Perhaps a change of scenery would help both Stroman and New York.