The pressure is on for the New York Yankees as the Juan Soto sweepstakes heat up. There is no viable alternative for the Yankees. If Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t pay up to retain the four-time All-Star, fans will respond with endless vitriol. Soto was pretty much half of the Yankees’ offense last season. He is a singular force at the plate and New York won’t replace him adequately if it can’t pony up the money necessary to re-sign him outright.
That said, the Yankees’ pitch to Soto isn’t rooted entirely in money. We know the New York Mets will offer Soto more dollars, but what if the Yankees are the better situation — the better team? One has to imagine Soto will strongly consider a reunion, especially given his pre-established connections with Aaron Judge, Aaron Boone, and the entire organization.
One way for the Yankees to bolster their case to the former World Series champ is a blockbuster trade. There are several intriguing trade candidates floating around the rumor mill these days, but ESPN’s David Schoenfield has an especially noteworthy target in mind for the Bronx Bombers.
He believes the Yankees should engineer a trade for Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams, who enters the final year of his contract on a team allergic to paying its stars.
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“The Yankees have both Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle as free agents and need some late-game depth,” Schoenfield writes. “And they should probably hedge their bets against Luke Weaver repeating his dominant 2024. If he does, great — Weaver and Williams would make for a dynamic 1-2 duo. The Brewers would probably be wise to trade Williams to the American League, and the Yankees have some starting pitching depth in the minors that could fill a need for Milwaukee.”
This all checks out. The Yankees’ bullpen was extremely hit-or-miss last season, which is why this trade ought to appeal so strongly to Soto. How often did we see the Yankees’ star apparatus build a lead last season, only for Clay Holmes and the late-relief crew to botch it down the stretch. Building an elite bullpen would only boost the Yankees’ explosive offense. The more support Soto has from New York’s pitchers, the higher the Yankees can rise each season.
It’s also appealing from the standpoint of base-level aggression. Soto doesn’t want to sign with the Yankees if the Yankees aren’t committed to building a winner around him. If Soto’s $600 million-plus contract prevents New York from making other swings personnel-wise, then he’s better off aligning with the Mets or another more ambitious front office. This trade could serve as a signal that yes, we want to pay Juan Soto and add more pieces.
Williams was electric last season in Milwaukee, posting a 1.25 ERA and 14 saves across 22 appearances. The 30-year-old is the established, dominant closer New York desperately lacked in 2024. The Yankees would need to worry about next winter — Williams will get expensive sooner than later if New York wants to keep him around — but the short-term benefits could outweigh any long-term doubts, especially if it convinces Soto to come back. That is the primary goal of the offseason.
