It has been a whirlwind offseason for the New York Yankees.
Juan Soto's departure naturally captured the headlines, but Brian Cashman has diligently rebuilt the roster in his absence. The Yankees added multiple high-level bats, such as Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, while completely revamping the pitching staff. Max Fried and Devin Williams figure to render an immediate impact.
Oftentimes in this league, the answer to decreased offensive firepower is improved manpower in the bullpen. The Yankees will miss Soto quite a bit — their offense boiled down to the Aaron Judge-Juan Soto gun show a little too often last season — but there's no reason to think New York can't repeat as AL East champs. There are certain benefits to occupying baseball's premier marker and wielding a hefty checkbook.
As spring training gets fired up, the new-look Yanks have quite a bit to figure out. It hasn't been all positive news so far, but things appear to be coming along well enough. Here are the latest updates from the Bronx Bombers.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB offseason.
Jasson Dominguez is progressing toward full-time left field duties
New York's outfield will take on a new shape with Juan Soto gone. The expectation is that Aaron Judge will shift over to right, clearing the way for Cody Bellinger to occupy centerfield. Trent Grisham will also get his share of reps in center, with Bellinger flexible enough to shift over to right field or even first base.
That leaves left field a bit unsettled. All the signs right now point to Jasson Dominguez, the uber-talented 22-year-old who earned a late call-up in 2024. Dominguez didn't exactly knock the cover off the ball through 18 regular season games (.747 OPS with two home runs in 56 ABs), but there were flashes of the live-wire talent that makes him one of baseball's top offensive prospects.
He has a lot to figure out defensively, but it sounds like Dominguez is taking the necessary steps to address his weaknesses.
"Wall drills,” outfield coordinator Luis Rojas told The Athletic. “Throwing to bases. High fly balls. Slices. Shoestring catches with topspin. Sliding catches. Diving catches."
Dominguez has been hard at work this offseason, and as Rojas tells it, the switch hitter is ready for a full-time MLB gig. "He wants all that. We had that conversation. He wants it."
If Dominguez can carry water defensively, there is precious little competition for his reps in left field. Grishman in center with Bellinger sliding over to left field isn't out of the question, but the Yankees don't have much standing in Dominguez's way. If he earns it, he'll get it. Right now, it seems like he's on the right track.
Max Fried and Gerrit Cole were fast friends in the Yankees bullpen
Max Fried was the centerpiece of New York's offseason retool, inking a historic $218 million contract to line up behind Gerrit Cole for years to come.
It's a new environment for Fried, who spent his entire career in Atlanta up until the landmark decision to sign with New York. The talented lefty should have no trouble adapating to his new environment, even in hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium. That said, it helps to have familiar faces around the locker room. Fried is still in the feeling-it-out process when it comes to his new teammates.
Thankfully, it seems he has struck up a quick friendship with Cole, who has functioned as a "sounding board" for the Yankees' new ace, as MLB.com's Bryan Hoch puts it.
"[Gerrit] knows exactly what he needs to do to be successful, and he’s extremely knowledgeable and talented,” Fried told reporters. “Just to be able to sit and watch him work and his routine, the way he goes about his preparation, I’m going to do as much as I can to soak up as much as I can."
Cole was equally complimentary of his new teammate.
"I have nothing but positive things to say about what kind of person he is, and the attributes he brings from a talent perspective and a performance perspective."
Between Cole and Fried, the Yankees' rotation features arguably the best 1-2 punch in baseball. How it shapes up around Cole and Fried remains to be seen, but New York should win plenty of games on the strength of their two All-Stars on the mound.
Yankees' Giancarlo Staton has not swung a bat in 3-4 weeks
Giancarlo Staton's Opening Day status is murky due to tendinitis in both elbows. He told reporters there is "always a pain level," and emphasized the need to rest and tread carefully in the weeks to come.
"Tennis elbow or however they call it is tears in tendon, so it's not when did it feel good, when did it feel bad. There's always the pain level there, and you got to deal with that. So, yeah, it's just the wisest point to give time right now."
What is perhaps most worrisome is that Staton has not swung a bat in roughly a month.
Giancarlo Stanton said it’s been 3-4 weeks since he swung a bat.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) February 17, 2025
Called the pain he’s been dealing with “very high.”
Stanton has been through his ups and downs since joining the Yankees back in 2018, but the right-handed slugger is utterly essential to New York's offense — especially with Soto out of the equation. He turned back the clock during the Yankees' World Series run, posting a 1.048 OPS in October and mashing seven home runs on the postseason stage.
New York can afford a bit of patience with Stanton, who certainly can't rush back from injuries at 35 years old. That said, if Stanton is forced to miss a significant amount of time, it will hurt. That leaves a void in New York's DH slot and leaves Aaron Judge far less protected in the lineup. Of note, Stanton has not exceeded 500 plate appearances in a season since 2021.