When a star exits, his former team might look to free agency or the trade market to find his replacement. Often, though, the answer must come from within.
The nine players below are set to take on increased importance in 2025 after each of their teams lost a pivotal player this offseason.
Their clubs are counting on them to rise to the challenge to fill the voids left behind.
Jasson Domínguez, OF, Yankees
Acquiring outfielder Cody Bellinger from the Cubs may have been the Yankees’ direct answer to losing Juan Soto’s bat from their lineup.
But even if Bellinger improves upon his 2024 production (18 homers, 109 wRC+), he alone is likely not going to be able to compensate for Soto’s departure to join the crosstown Mets on a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal.
To further bridge the gap, the Yankees are counting on Domínguez (MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 overall prospect) to finally deliver on the hype that has followed him since his teenage years.
Domínguez showed glimpses of his potential with the Bronx Bombers in September 2023, homering four times in his first seven games, but his promising debut was cut short when he had to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow.
He ended up logging just 67 plate appearances in the Majors a year ago and posted a .179/.313/.304 slash. How quickly the youngster can put those struggles behind him will be crucial for the Yankees’ offensive ceiling in 2025.
Jackson Holliday, 2B, Orioles
Selected first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Holliday made his big league debut amid significant fanfare last April but lasted just 10 games before being sent back to the Minors, having gone 2-for-34 (.059) with 18 strikeouts.
While he showed improvement in his second stint after being recalled in late July, his .218/.285/.365 slash still left much to be desired.
The Orioles are going to need more from Holliday this year to offset the left-handed power deficit created by Anthony Santander’s departure as a free agent, with the switch-hitting Santander having crushed 32 homers from the left side of the plate in 2024.
The O’s did sign Tyler O’Neill to replace Santander in their outfield, but O’Neill bats from the right side.
Trevor Megill, RP, Brewers
Megill is set to take over as the Brewers’ closer after the team traded Devin Williams to the Yankees in December.
One of the premier relievers in baseball, Williams ranks second in ERA (1.70), third in FIP (2.24) and strikeout rate (40.8%) and first in opponents’ batting average (.144) among pitchers with at least 200 innings dating back to 2020, when he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Losing a pitcher of Williams’ caliber is obviously a big blow to Milwaukee’s bullpen. That said, the Brewers were able to get by without Williams for an extended period of time in 2024, when he missed the first four months of the season due to stress fractures in his back.
Megill excelled as the team’s fill-in closer during that time, posting a 2.41 ERA with 40 K’s and 20 saves over 35 games. Now, he’ll get a chance to do the job on a full-time basis.
