General manager Brian Cashman and his front office had contingency plans in place, exploring a range of alternatives to fill the void left by Soto. Among the key targets the Yankees considered were left-handed ace Blake Snell and shortstop Willy Adames. According to reports, the team held Zoom calls with both players and expressed serious interest. However, both Snell and Adames signed elsewhere before Soto finalized his decision, leaving the Yankees unable to move forward with those pursuits.

“You can’t replace a Juan Soto,” Cashman told ESPN. “So how do you cushion the blow and diversify that throughout the lineup? And then the defense was a real problem on our roster. We had a bad defensive team. We have an opportunity to upgrade the defense at the same time, which will improve our run prevention and our pitching.”

The Yankees and Brian Cashman had to pivot after losing Juan Soto to crosstown Mets

Instead of landing Snell, the Yankees shifted their focus to Max Fried, ultimately signing the former Atlanta Braves ace to an eight-year, $218 million contract. Fried joins a rotation already featuring Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes (before he was traded), and Clarke Schmidt.

The Yankees also worked quickly to strengthen other areas of the roster. In a span of just 12 days, they re-signed reliever Jonathan Loaisiga, traded for elite closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers, and finalized a deal for Cody Bellinger to upgrade their outfield defense. Additionally, they secured veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year, $12 million contract to solidify their infield.

“The Soto deal is insane,” one rival executive told ESPN. “It could be a blessing in the end. Fried is an ace. Bellinger might hit 30 HRs there and shores up their defense. Goldschmidt is a Hall of Famer. Added a bullpen arm. All in all, pretty good.”

Despite the disappointment of losing Soto, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner remains optimistic about the team’s outlook. “Some people may disagree with me,” Steinbrenner told YES Network, “but some people will agree with me: I think we have a better team right now than we did a year ago today.”

The Yankees aren’t done yet. They are still in search of an infielder, potentially targeting a second or third baseman, and could look to add a left-handed reliever. However, they remain cautious about exceeding the competitive balance tax threshold, with their current payroll projected at over $300 million.

“Once that [season] starts, that’s the real world,” Cashman said. “Sleep on us, don’t sleep on us. Overrate us, underrate us. None of it matters. All that matters is us winning.” With a dramatically different roster from last season, the Yankees are banking on their offseason moves to propel them back into World Series contention—despite missing out on their top target in Juan Soto.