The New York Yankees saw superstar outfielder Juan Soto depart for the New York Mets in free agency, but owner Hal Steinbrenner doesn't think the team is worse off without him.
In fact, speaking on the YES Network with Meredith Marakovits, Steinbrenner boldly indicated that he thinks the team's roster heading into the 2025 season trumps the 2024 squad.
"We're excited about them. A lot of hard work, a lot of hard work in December and January. Some people may disagree with me, but I think we have a better team right now than we did a year ago today," Steinbrenner said on Tuesday.
At the start of his exclusive interview with @M_Marakovits on Tuesday, Hal Steinbrenner broke down the Yankees' offseason activity & talked about their biggest additions. #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/DE7OTMSQXP
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) January 29, 2025
"I think our starting rotation is better. I think our defense is better. And I think that [Cody] Bellinger and [Paul] Goldschmidt are gonna make up for a good deal of Juan's offense, his bat," he said.
It's certainly an audacious claim from Steinbrenner. The team lost Soto and his outstanding production that included 41 home runs and a .989 OPS. But they did make some quality additions, splurging on a long-term deal for left-hander Max Fried in free agency and also signing Goldschmidt. Additionally, the team made multiple trades to add players such as Bellinger, Devin Williams and Fernando Cruz.
Only time will tell if the team is truly in a better situation than they were with Soto hitting behind Judge in the lineup. The 2024 team made a run to the World Series, but were unable to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers certainly improved upon an already elite roster this offseason, as owner Todd Boehly has proven to be willing to spend whatever it takes in order to sign quality players. Steinbrenner is less willing in that regard, thus far unwilling to match the spending heights of Boehly and Mets owner Steve Cohen. Still, he's satisfied with the work that's been done this offseason, and suggested that the 2025 Yankees could be just as good, if not better than last year's group.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Yankees Owner Makes Bold Claim About Roster After Losing Juan Soto Sweepstakes.
