Juan Soto's loss not properly covered up by Yankees yet, claims MLB analyst

After helping the New York Yankees reach the World Series for the first time in 15 years, Juan Soto didn't return to the Bronx. Instead, he signed with their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets, on a record 15-year, $765 million deal.

The Yankees have tried to address Soto's loss by adding Cody Bellinger (via trade from the Cubs) and signing first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (to a one-year, $12.5 million deal). While both are former MVPs, they have seen a noteworthy decline in their production over the years.

Add to that rumors of Giancarlo Stanton having a tennis elbow, Justin Verlander's brother doesn't think the Yankees have done enough to compensate for Soto's loss.

"The loss of Juan Soto, in my opinion, is not adequately supplemented by Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt — I just don't see it," Ben Verlander said Monday on his podcast (7:22 onwards). "Now, we're talking about Giancarlo Stanton, who now has tennis elbow in both elbows. Nobody knows exactly what's going on. ... Without him, there are so many questions.

"I mentioned Jason Domínguez—are we leading off with Jason Domínguez? And what about Jazz Chisholm—where are we hitting him? If we’re leading off with Jason Domínguez, is Jazz Chisholm hitting before or after Paul Goldschmidt?"

With all the questions surrounding the batting lineup of the Yankees, Ben Verlander isn't convinced that the club is winning the AL East, which will see strong competition from the Boston Red Sox in 2025.

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Ben Verlander questions Yankees offensive identity after losing Juan Soto in free agency

Last season, the Yankees had two men hitting over 40 home runs at the top of the lineup. Juan Soto and Aaron Judge hitting back-to-back made the Yankees a fearsome lineup.

However, now that they have lost Soto, they might not have the same edge, according to Ben Verlander, who questioned the club's offensive approach in 2025.

"What is the offensive identity? Is it a get-on-base-and-drive-them-in-with-Aaron-Judge approach? Or is it a power-heavy lineup?," Verlander asked.

"Because if it's the latter, then where does Jazz Chisholm fit into all of this? And then you have the bottom of the lineup, which includes guys like Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, DJ LeMahieu, or Oswaldo Cabrera—what direction are you going in? ... And now, with Giancarlo Stanton out, I do worry about this Yankees lineup."

The Yankees can only hope that the likes of Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt can mirror the peak production of their careers to quash all uncertainties surrounding the club.