The New York Yankees are still reeling from losing the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Juan Soto, which has them committed to overcoming the pair of painful episodes with a reinforced roster to go for revenge in the 2025 Major League Baseball season.
To strengthen the team, the Yankees signed first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, closer Devin Williams, outfielder Cody Bellinger and starter Max Fried. However, general manager Brian Cashman was questioned by MLB expert Chris Kirschner about whether they will be able to compete with the Dodgers, and he acknowledged that the ‘blue’ team has made it more difficult.
“Regardless of the financial situation, the job is to find a way to compete. To put a team together, there’s many different avenues to do it, whether it’s financial might, whether it’s amateur draft, international and professional scouting, development, waiver claims, minor league trades or free agent signings. Ultimately, the Dodgers have raised the bar,” Cashman said.
For many years, the Yankees had the most expensive payroll in Major League Baseball, but now they have a roster worth around $304 million, compared to the Dodgers’ $402 million. But beyond the money, in the last two years they not only beat them to the World Series, but also to the signings of their Japanese trio: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki
Yankees bet on experience in their rotation
The Yankees rotation, under the direction of general manager Brian Cashman, will feature three pitchers over the age of 30, led by ace Gerrit Cole (34) and followed by Carlos Rodon (32). According to Cashman, this addition of key pieces will allow for talented arms in the long run, which will increase the team’s chances of success.
“The older the player, the greater the risk for him. We recognize that with long-term contracts comes a greater risk of diminishing returns at the end. But it’s the cost of doing business to compete for a championship. So I don’t discount (the risk), but I’m not dodging it either,” Cashman said.
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