The New York Yankees have made re-signing Juan Soto their priority this offseason amid MLB rumors about the perennial MVP candidate drawing significant interest around the league. While New York remains hopeful it can retain Soto there are already Yankees rumors swirling about fallback plans.

Soto isn’t just seeking to become one of the highest-paid MLB players, he’s eyeing a contract value that would only be rivaled by Shohei Ohtani. With the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays also in the mix for Soto, the possibility remains that he could leave the Yankees.

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• New York Yankees payroll 2025 (FanGraphs): $238 million

Fortunately for New York, there are plenty of other compelling talents available in MLB free agency at a variety of price ranges. So, while Soto is the preferred option, missing out on him could allow the front office to pivot to its backup plan and still make a significant impact.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently wrote that the Yankees like both Alex Bregman and Willy Adames and the organization could view one of the two as “part of their Plan B” if Soto signs with another club.

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It could mean that instead of Soto being brought back to boost the Yankees lineup, New York instead signs Bregman to play third base and Christian Walker to replace Anthony Rizzo at first base. While the two players might not necessarily replicate Soto’s production, their net value could be even greater for New York.

That would still give the Yankees the financial flexibility to sign Japanese starting pitcher Roki Sasaki or to fortify the bullpen by adding several of the best relievers available. So, while there are persistent MLB rumors that Soto could wind up with the Phillies or Mets, the Yankees do seem to have a strong backup plan ready.