Yankees dream Opening Day lineup after free agency: Massive improvements coming in the Bronx
The New York Yankees were a few games short of the World Series title in 2024, but their team could look much different in 2025 compared to the team that went to the World Series.
New York has key free agents like Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo, all of whom started most of 2024 for Aaron Boone's squad. There's potential that Boone loses all three of these players alongside Alex Verdugo. This will force the Yankees to find replacements across the board if they want to be a competitive team again.
But, they're the Yankees. They'll find a way to acquire the talent whether it's in free agency or through trades. They won't go into 2025 with a bad lineup. But, if they make a few key moves, they could go into next year with a dream lineup for Opening Day.
What would a dream Opening Day lineup look like for the Yankees after free agency?
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Yankees Opening Day 2025 dream lineup after free agency
Batting Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 2B |
2 | Juan Soto | RF |
3 | Aaron Judge | CF |
4 | Christian Walker | 1B |
5 | Nolan Arenado | 3B |
6 | Giancarlo Stanton | DH |
7 | Austin Wells | C |
8 | Jasson Dominguez | LF |
9 | Anthony Volpe | SS |
Yankees re-sign Juan Soto for 15 years, $660 million to be a cornerstone to the franchise
The Yankees "To-Do List" has "Re-sign Juan Soto" written on the very top of it. Soto is, and rightfully should be, the Yankees top priority this winter. Nothing else can really compare to how important it is that New York brings Soto back. There will be rumored backup plans for what the Yankees will do with the money if they miss on Soto, but none of these backup plans compare to the production that Soto brings while only taking up one roster spot.
Soto is Brian Cashman's priority, and the Yankees dream lineup has him slotting right back into his spot as the two-hitter in Aaron Boone's lineup. His contract is going to be well north of $600 million with some projections saying Soto could land $700 million in free agency. Either way, Soto's massive contract will play a factor in how New York builds out the rest of this dream lineup.
Yankees sign Christian Walker to replace Anthony Rizzo at first base
The Yankees are looking to upgrade from Anthony Rizzo at first base. The team declined Rizzo's club option heading into the free agency period, but that doesn't rule out a reunion on a smaller deal. But a reunion with Rizzo wouldn't be a part of New York's dream lineup.
New York's dream first baseman comes down to either New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso or Arizona Diamondbacks veteran Christian Walker. Signing Soto would take them out of the running to sign Alonso to a contract worth north of $150 million. But it wouldn't take them out of the running to sign Walker to a three or four-year contract worth less than $100 million.
Walker is a three-time reigning Gold Glove winner who's posted an OPS+ of 100 or higher in five of the last six seasons. He's been a huge piece of Arizona's team over the last half-decade. But with him entering free agency, the Diamondbacks likely won't be able to re-sign him. New York lands him in this dream scenario.
Yankees trade for Nolan Arenado to replace Gleyber Torres in the infield
The last place that the Yankees need to upgrade this offseason is in the infield, but due to Jazz Chisholm's defensive flexibility, the Yankees have more room to play with. The current hole in New York's roster is at second base with Torres heading into free agency. But with Chisholm, he can move to second base to fill that hole if the Yankees pursue a third baseman. In this dream scenario, that's what they do.
Instead of trying to fork up the cash to acquire free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, which would be almost impossible after the first two signings, New York could swing a trade to acquire St. Louis Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Arenado is expected to be on the trade block this offseason as the Cardinals look to rebuild their roster. He comes with a no-trade clause so any deal would have to be cleared by Arenado as well.
New York would be in a great place if they could pull this off, but it's unlikely that they can swing this trade after the first two signings. This is a dream scenario though, right?
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