The Juan Soto sweepstakes isn't expected to last much into the offseason, with offers from teams expected to start trickling in soon, with the Yankees and Mets still considered the frontrunners to land the star player. They are connected.
Still, regardless of where Soto ends up and whether he returns to the Yankees or not, there will continue to be a hole to fill in the Yankees' outfield.
The future of Jason Dominguez comes into play here.
The Yankees don't have a true major league proven center fielder on their roster, as Aaron Judge, like Soto, is best suited as a right fielder.
Alex Verdugo, who started every postseason game for the Yankees in left field, is a free agent like Soto, and Trent Grisham, who is scheduled to avoid arbitration and return to the Bronx, doesn't hit well enough to play. Regularly.
So unless the Yankees make multiple moves in the outfield this offseason, we'll see if Dominguez is up to the task of playing every day in the majors.
His early return was inconsistent, with Dominguez hitting four home runs in his first eight games after being called up in September 2023, but was interrupted by a UCL injury that led to Tommy John surgery, after which Dominguez missed a game. struggled in every aspect.
Last season, after performing well with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he appeared in 67 at-bats with the Yankees, posting an OPS of .617 and 19 strikeouts, but was sidelined for two months due to an oblique injury. was forced to leave.
“A lot of the same questions we had about him before last season,” said one American League scout. “He’s showing flashes, but I’m concerned about his consistency and health.”
Dominguez also didn't seem comfortable playing left field, although it appeared he and Verdugo were competing for postseason minutes when he was given the opportunity to play left field late in the game. .
In the end, manager Aaron Boone made it seem like it was an easy choice to use the veteran Verdugo, despite his slump at the plate in the second half.
Dominguez didn't turn 22 until February, and his postseason experience was limited to three pinch-running appearances. However, he said he benefited greatly from being on the roster as the Yankees advanced to the World Series.
Whether it will be profitable in 2025 remains to be seen.
Judge is a year older and playing center field regularly last season clearly hasn't hurt him at the plate, but there's a lot to be asked of a player who will turn 33 in April.
Perhaps the Yankees could move to trade the center fielder, but it remains to be seen what is best for Judge if Soto is in the Bronx.
Soto's presence and high price tag on the Yankees could force them to choose younger, cheaper options at other positions, which could include Dominguez.
The Yankees may have little choice but to try Dominguez, who joined the franchise with much fanfare in 2019 after signing out of the Dominican Republic for $5.1 million.
