The Yankees dream starting lineup with and without Juan Soto
The entire New York Yankees offseason hinges on the Juan Soto sweepstakes. Soto is down to five teams, those being the Yankees, the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees have long been seen as the favorites for Soto as they're the incumbent team, but things have slowly shifted over the last few weeks. With Soto expected to make a decision in the next week or two, it's important for the Yankees to have a backup plan. They can still build a dream starting lineup if they don't land Soto this winter, though a dream lineup with him would be much better with him in it.
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Yankees dream starting lineup with Juan Soto in the Bronx
Batting Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 2B |
2 | Juan Soto | RF |
3 | Aaron Judge | CF |
4 | Christian Walker | 1B |
5 | Giancarlo Stanton | DH |
6 | Nolan Arenado | 3B |
7 | Jasson Dominguez | LF |
8 | Austin Wells | C |
9 | Anthony Volpe | SS |
Signing Soto to a deal worth well over $600 million would obviously handicap the Yankees. It would stop them from pursuing a star like Willy Adames or Pete Alonso in free agency, but it would be worth it because Soto would slot back into the two spot. Jazz Chisholm Jr. slides into the leadoff spot, where he would be best at when he's hot and in stride.
Aaron Judge hits three, as Soto is still there to hit two. The Yankees would be able to afford Christian Walker on a three-year deal worth less than $80 million, even after signing Soto. Walker slashed .251/.335/.468 with 26 home runs in 2024.
Giancarlo Stanton slots into the five spot and he's followed by another new addition, third baseman Nolan Arenado. The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to dump Arenado's contract, and the Yankees could make a trade for him relatively cheap.
Top prospect Jasson Dominguez finds himself in left field for the foreseeable future hitting seventh. Catcher Austin Wells and shortstop Anthony Volpe, two locks in the lineup, round it out in the eighth and ninth spots.
New York, in this scenario, gets Soto back and improves the lineup around him a lot. This team would give Aaron Boone the infield defense that he's looking to put together next year.
Yankees emergency dream starting lineup if Juan Soto signs elsewhere
Batting Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 2B |
2 | Aaron Judge | CF |
3 | Christian Walker | 1B |
4 | Anthony Santander | LF |
5 | Willy Adames | 3B |
6 | Austin Wells | C |
7 | Giancarlo Stanton | DH |
8 | Jasson Dominguez | RF |
9 | Anthony Volpe | SS |
Missing on Soto is where things would get quite weird for the Bronx Bombers.
Like the first lineup, Chisholm leads off and shifts over to second base, but it's Judge that hits in the two spot. Walker is the dream first baseman for the Yankees whether they land Soto or not. His combination of defense, offense and affordability is valuable to the team.
In the cleanup spot, free agent signing Anthony Santander would slot in. The switch-hitting slugger hit 44 home runs last year and would be even better in Yankee Stadium. With Soto gone, the Yankees could send $200 million to Willy Adames to bring the star to the Bronx to play third base and hit fifth.
The lineup would round out with a familiar set of four hitters, Wells, Stanton, Dominguez and Volpe.
If the Yankees miss on Soto, they will likely spend more on their rotation than anything. They would have the money to sign players like Pete Alonso and Teoscar Hernandez, but the lineup put together is the dream lineup with rotation additions in mind.