New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone opened up about missing out on four-time All-Star Juan Soto in free agecy. During an appearance on MLB Network on Dec. 10, Boone talked about how much the club wanted Soto back.
"Obviously we were all in on bringing Juan [Soto] back and knew what he brought to our team.”
However, the Yanks struck out on Soto, losing the superstar slugger on a record-setting deal with the New York Mets. Boone and the Yankees are now looking toward the future, figuring out how to remain a championship-caliber team despite Soto’s absence.
“Now, there’s a different way we’ve got to go about it. And, that different way is this: We’ve got to get it right. Make some good decisions, some good evaluations.”
Those decisions involve finding a suitable replacement for Soto while evaluating the players currently on the roster. While there is no doubt the Yankees will miss Soto’s production, Boone is confident there are plenty of options.
“There's a lot of avenues, a lot of roads to go down that can lead to having a great team.”
Boone’s words point to the Bronx Bombers potentially shifting things around this upcoming season. The Yankees still have one of the most talented teams in the league. Filling Soto’s hole in the lineup will boil down to making smart roster decisions.
Boone will miss Soto’s bat Yankees’ lineup
The two-headed monster that was the Aaron Judge-Juan Soto combo in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup will be one Boone will miss.
“Obviously, not having Juan and Aaron back-to-back in the lineup, which was an overwhelming, like, thing for us last year, obviously.”
Nevertheless, Boone believes the Yankees have internal options that can help make up for Soto’s loss.
“We have a lot of great players in house already, and, you know, we’re the Yankees. It’s about getting back on that horse and trying to build a great team, and I’m confident we’ll do it.”
Building a great team begins with a successful offseason. There are a number of options for the Yankees to consider. Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, and Christian Walker could all be on the Yankees’ radar as fallback options after missing on Soto.