Willy Adames signing turns heat even higher on Brian Cashman's pursuit of Juan Soto

Re-signing Juan Soto represents priorities No. 1-1,000 this offseason for the New York Yankees. Beyond the value that Soto brings on the field, and how sketchy New York's outfield depth chart would become if he were to leave, it's hard to put a price on the vibe shift should the richest franchise in the league whiff on its biggest free agent — especially if that free agent were to head across town to help the New York Mets paint the city blue and orange.

But for as large as Soto looms right now, the Yankees could still tell themselves that, should the star outfielder sign elsewhere, the team could still chart out a plan B that left them in as good if not better shape to compete for another AL pennant in 2025. Sure, losing Soto would sting, but that $700 million or so could go a long way elsewhere on the market, allowing Brian Cashman to upgrade his roster at several crucial spots.

That plan B looks a whole lot less enticing now, though, after the San Francisco Giants agreed to a seven-year, $182 million deal with former Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames.

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Willy Adames signing leaves Yankees without ideal Juan Soto backup plan

Soto or not, New York had a hole to fill in its infield, either at second base or third base depending on where the team wanted to put Jazz Chisholm Jr. And Adames represented the perfect way to do just that, a legitimate 30-homer bat and two-way stud in a free-agent market short on those.

Pairing Adames with, say, a Corbin Burnes or a Max Fried, plus a trade for Cody Bellinger, would take some of the sting out of Soto's departure. But that plan hinged on finding another slugger to replace Soto in the middle of the team's order; even the next-best option, an Alex Bregman or a Nolan Arenado, doesn't pack the punch that Adames could behind Aaron Judge. If Cashman was willing to play a little bit of chicken with Soto and agent Scott Boras, secure in the knowledge that he could replace, 70 percent of that offensive production and spend the money elsewhere, that leverage is now gone.

The only path to the Yankees not taking a step back on offense in 2025 is the most expensive one, and if Cashman can't close the deal here, he'll be hard-pressed to come up with a lineup that offers Judge anything like the protection he enjoyed last season.