The New York Yankees knew they were going to face competition for Juan Soto when he hit free agency this winter.

They remained in the race until the bitter end, but he ended up agreeing to the largest contract in sports history with the New York Mets when he signed a 15-year, $765 million deal.

Losing a player of that caliber is always going to hurt.

A huge void was created in the lineup with his departure. What he and Aaron Judge accomplished as a duo was historic, and running that back long term was something the club would have loved to have happen.

It just wasn’t in the cards, which put a lot of pressure on general manager Brian Cashman.

Replacing Soto’s production with a single addition is an impossibility; there weren’t any players available who can do what he does.

But, all of the money that would have gone to retaining him was available to be spent elsewhere. And with thsoe funds available, Cashman got to work addressing other needs, doing so well that Ryan Phillips of Sports Illustrated named the Yankees one of the five teams that had the best offseason.

Needing to find outfield help, New York acquired Cody Bellinger in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Since it was salary dump, all it cost was relief pitcher Cody Poteet to land the former MVP, who will be taking over in center field.

That will push Judge back to the right field, where he was a Gold Glove-caliber defender.

The team’s outfield defense could be elite with two Gold Glovers and Jasson Dominguez, a natural center fielder, in left field.

At first base the Yankees were able to land another former MVP, Paul Goldschmidt, to take over for Anthony Rizzo.

On the mound, New York already had a very solid starting rotation. Now, they have a strong argument as the best in baseball with the addition of Max Fried.

The former Atlanta Braves All-Star agreed to the largest contract for a left-handed pitcher in history, signing an eight-year, $215 million deal to become the co-ace with Gerrit Cole.

Another excellent trade was completed with the Milwaukee Brewers, landing arguably the best closer in the game; Devin Williams. He was a huge addition with Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle both leaving in free agency.

There will undoubtedly be some fans disappointed the team didn’t retain Soto, and understandably so. But when taking a look at the roster now compared to what was on the field for the World Series in October, they are a more complete team.

The work isn’t done yet since they need to figure out third base, but that is the only hole on what is a deep and talented roster that Cashman filled out incredibly well sans Soto.