The Yankees are revealing their post-Juan Soto plan. They might not score as much without one of the greatest hitters in the world. But two gigantic moves into this offseason — and with what they are looking at in the market — the Yankees are showing their strategy is to upgrade at run prevention.
First, was the eight-year, $218 million signing of Max Fried to work atop the rotation with Gerrit Cole. And on Friday, the Yankees finalized a trade of Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin to the Brewers for Devin Williams, one of the majors’ best closers.
Some thoughts:
1. The Yankees have discussed Cortes with teams since the trade deadline, but clearly the addition of Fried made dealing another lefty starter more palatable. The Yankees also would also still like to move Marcus Stroman and the $18 million he is owed in 2025 (and potentially another $18 million for 2026 if he throws 140 innings next season).
