4 Yankees who definitely won’t be back if New York cuts payroll for 2025

New York Yankees fans had reason to be concerned about their team winning the AL East in 2024, let alone making the postseason, once Gerrit Cole went down with his injury. Competing in an incredibly tough AL East without the reigning AL Cy Young winner felt like a really tough challenge, but New York has done just that and then some thus far.

The Yankees enter Saturday's action with a record of 36-17 which is not only the best in the AL East, but the best in the AL as a whole. It's the second-best record in all of baseball. Their pitching staff leads the majors in ERA, their offense is clicking with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto leading the way, and their bullpen, as always, has been dominant.

Despite all that has gone right for New York to start this season, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is focusing on the team's future payroll. He went on the record saying that their payroll for this season is unsustainable long-term. While Steinbrenner crying poor makes no sense as the owner of the New York Yankees, it certainly sounds as if cuts are going to be made. That is the last thing that Yankees fans want to hear when Juan Soto is set to hit free agency this offseason.

Soto is a player Steinbrenner has said he wants to extend and is a player New York simply has to keep in Pinstripes in 2025 and beyond. It's possible that the Yankees work something out with him but still find a way to cut payroll in the future. If that's the case, these four players almost certainly won't be back in 2025.

4. Jonathan Loaisiga might be gone whether the Yankees cut payroll or not

Jonathan Loaisiga broke out in a big way in 2021 when he posted a 2.17 ERA in 57 appearances and looked like he'd be a huge part of their bullpen for years to come. Well, it hasn't exactly worked out like that.

Loaisiga had a down year in 2022 and was limited to just 17 games last season with elbow troubles. It appeared as if he was healthy to start the 2024 campaign and he even wound up putting together three straight scoreless appearances, but his elbow fully gave out. Losaisiga tore his UCL, sidelining him for the remainder of the season.

The 29-year-old has incredible stuff but hasn't been healthy or consistent enough for the Yankees to keep him around past this season. He's set to hit free agency at the end of the year, so there's a good chance that he'll be signing with a different team anyway whether the Yankees actually cut payroll or not.

3. Alex Verdugo felt like a one-year rental from the moment the Yankees acquired him

The big trade New York made this offseason saw them land Juan Soto but they also pulled off a surprising trade with the Boston Red Sox, acquiring Alex Verdugo. The deal has worked out very nicely so far, as not only has this Yankees team needed his tenacity and grit, but he's fit in well in the cleanup spot in the order.

His numbers are far from eye-popping as he's slashing .256/.322/.417 with six home runs and 27 RBI, but they've been winning with him entrenched in the cleanup spot, going 16-4 in those games.

While he's been a strong fit with this team, the simple reality is that the Yankees won't need him. Assuming they re-sign or extend Juan Soto, two of their three outfield spots will be filled. Once Jasson Dominguez gets healthy, he can take the third. Oh yeah, you can't forget about Spencer Jones either.

The Yankees have far too much outfield depth to pay Verdugo what he's worth and give him ample playing time, especially if they're cutting payroll. He's been a good addition for this season, but it appears as if it'll be a one-year rental which always felt like the intention anyway.

2. Gleyber Torres is proving he's not worth keeping around

The topic of a Gleyber Torres extension has surfaced for a couple of years now. While he hasn't quite replicated the production from his first full season back in 2019 when he swatted 38 home runs, he's been a solid contributor offensively for the bulk of his seven-year career. Well, except for this season.

Torres has struggled mightily in 2024, slashing .221/.298/.318 with four home runs and 15 RBI. He's played a bit better of late, and his .616 OPS is as high as it's been since April 7, but the fact of the matter is it's been mostly bad.

Oswald Peraza might be hurt now, but he's a player that the Yankees refused to trade likely with the vision of him taking over for Torres at the keystone. If they're cutting payroll, handing Peraza the reins while letting Torres sign for a lot of money elsewhere will likely take place.

1. A lower payroll could mean the end of Clay Holmes' Yankees tenure

Clay Holmes has been one of the most dominant relievers in the American League since taking over as New York's primary closer in 2022, and he's been at his best this season. The right-hander has a 1.64 ERA in 22 appearances and 22 innings of work, converting 14 saves in 16 tries in the process.

Holmes made 20 appearances and threw 20 innings before allowing an earned run. In fact, all four earned runs he has allowed this season came in a recent outing against the Mariners. Other than that one rough outing, he's been untouchable.

Holmes' dominance is exactly why he's on this list. He's pricing himself out. This might be the case even without the Yankees clearing payroll. The 31-year-old being one of the best late-game arms in baseball since he arrived in New York will earn him a lot of money. With how good the Yankees are at developing relievers, it feels as if there's a very good shot that they'll let Holmes sign elsewhere and find a cheap internal or external replacement for him.

It's not what Yankees fans will want to hear, but if it accomplishes Hal's goal of shedding some payroll while also keeping Soto, it's worth it to let Holmes go.