New York Yankees : 2025 Team Profile
A preview of the 2025 New York Yankees
2024 Record: 94 - 68
2025 Projected Record: 87 - 75
Notable Offseason Moves
Signed SP Max Fried for 8 years - $218 million
Received RP Devin Williams from MIL in exchange for SP Nestor Cortes Jr. and INF Caleb Durbin
Received 1B/OF Cody Bellinger from CHC in exchange for SP Cody Poteet
Signed 1B Paul Goldschmidt for 1 year - $12.5 million
Received RP Fernando Cruz and C Alex Jackson from CIN in exchange for C Jose Trevino
Signed SP Carlos Carrasco to a minor league deal
A Brief Overview
Man, if I’d have written this one a few weeks ago, it would have a much, much different tone. Prior to Spring Training, I was very excited about this Yankees team. They had just signed Max Fried, and brought in Cody Bellinger; I knew a 3B would be on the way. Losing out on Juan Soto may have been the best thing to happen to the Yankees since signing Alex Rodriguez away from Boston.
Then, Giancarlo Stanton came up with some weird injury that may cost him quite a while. Then, Luis Gil came up with a lat strain that shut him down for an extended period of time. Then, Gerrit Cole had elbow concerns, ultimately resulting in Tommy John. Then, Clarke Schmidt experienced some shoulder discomfort. Now, I’m looking at this season much differently. What once looked like one of the most dominant rotations in recent memory has now become a giant question mark behind Fried and Rodon.
Marcus Stroman, who was surely gonna get moved in a deal for a 3B, now looks locked into the 3-4 slot in the rotation. Will Warren should get a long look to see what he can do at the big-league level. Lastly, Carlos “Cookie” Carrasco, who frankly has been dominant this spring (take it for what it’s worth), may just play a bigger role than we anticipated.
The lineup is less concerning to me. Losing Giancarlo Stanton isn’t a major issue because they’re accustomed to playing without him during the regular season. Since becoming a Yankee in 2018, he’s played in 70% or more of the team’s games just twice, and hasn’t done so since 2021.
They can get by without him for extended periods of time. Now, come playoff time, Big G needs to be out there, as he’s proved himself to be one of the most prolific playoff hitters of all-time. During the regular season, however, they’ll survive.
The third base position has become a bigger question mark. Three weeks ago, I was sure they’d find someone to take the spot, be it Nolan Arenado, Alec Bohm, etc. Now, I think they might just roll in with Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza. I don’t completely hate this, however.
There’s rumors that Peraza may be DFA’d before the end of the spring, which is interesting because I’m not sure who’d be the backup in that situation. Perhaps Jazz? But then you need another 2B. Perhaps George Lombard Jr. breaks camp as he’s dazzled a bit this spring. Either way, I’d like see Oswaldo Cabrera get a full run at 3B to see what he can do. He’s been pretty productive when he’s been given consistent ABs.
He plays very good defense, has some solid pop from the left side of the plate, and is a high-energy guy. The Yankees are starting to load up on a few of these types, which they haven’t had in recent years. The boys play with a little more fun, and it’s showing in the standings. In limited opportunity in 2024, Cabrera hit .247 with 8 HRs and 36 RBI. Had quite a bit of strikeouts to go along with it, but give him a full season and let’s see what happens.
We have to talk a little about Jasson Dominguez. In my opinion, he’s one of the most important players on the team this season. If he breaks out, and turns into the player we’ve all been expecting him to become, this team can find its way right back to World Series. If he doesn’t, well, the lineup gets awfully thin.
He struggled in the Bronx a year ago, albeit in only 56 ABs, hitting .179 with 2 HRs and 19 strikeouts. However, in 58 AAA games in 2024, he hit .314 with 11 HRs, 35 RBI, and 16 SBs. This is the ceiling. He can be one of the better offensive players in the sport if it clicks. He can be the leadoff hitter the Yankees so desperately need and having that type of production in front of Judge, Bellinger, Chisholm, etc. would make this a devastating lineup to have to navigate.
The Yankees managed to bring in two of the best pitchers available this offseason. First one being Max Fried. Behind Corbin Burnes, Fried was the next best option on the table. The Yanks snagged him for 8 years and $218 million.
Not a huge strikeout guy, but he’s in the top-5% of Major League Baseball in ground-ball percentage. He has a 7-pitch mix that he uses to avoid hard contact, putting him in elite company in exit velocity, as well as barrel and hard-hit percentage. He’s a pitcher, not a thrower. He understands how to attack hitters and use his arsenal to his advantage. What we thought was going to be an elite 1-2 punch with Gerrit Cole has now turned into Fried being thrust into the ace role for the New York Yankees. However, I have no doubt he’ll handle it just fine.
The other pitcher I was referencing was Devin Williams. For much of 2024, the closer position was a huge question mark for this team. Clay Holmes began the season there, then led the league in blown saves with 13. Luke Weaver was then thrust into that role, and he was exceptional down the stretch, and in the playoffs. However, that took away from the setup role as that was initially where Weaver was.
Enter Devin Williams. Arguably the best closer over the last three seasons, the Yankees now have a barrage of shutdown relievers in their bullpen. Luke Weaver can go back into the setup role, while coming in for spot saves when Williams needs a day off; and Williams becomes the closer for one of the best teams in the sport.
Unlike Holmes, Williams has been one of the most reliable closers, converting 65/71 save opportunities over the last three years. In those three years, he has a 1.66 ERA with 221 strikeouts in 141 innings. Even with a walk rate around 4 per 9 innings, he has a WHIP under 1.00. He’s dominant. There’s no other way to slice it.
Player Focus
Yes, it’s now time to talk Aaron Judge. I’ve purposely skipped over him to discuss him here. There’s almost nothing you can say. Just leave this here and move on:
It is absolutely unbelievable what he does in the batter’s box. He’s Alex Rodriguez, with more power and without steroids. And yes, that is a compliment. It’s easy to forget just how good A-Rod was, because of all the hate that surrounds him.
Aaron Judge is a freak of nature. He hits over .300, gets on base at a 45%+ clip, and does that while striking out 25% of the time. Imagine if he could learn to lay off the breaking balls down and away. That was the same exact knock on A-Rod. The same exact kryptonite pitch.
Because if you try to sneak something by him, it generally goes 450-feet to dead center. In 8 seasons, he’s won 2 MVPs (3 really, because, well, 2017), Rookie of the Year, 4 Silver Sluggers, and he’s been a 6-time All-Star. The only seasons he wasn’t named to the All-Star team was 2020, when there was no All-Star game, and 2019 when he missed 60 games due to injury.
The negative is he didn’t really get going until he was 25 years old, which makes chasing records much more difficult. However, he was the fastest hitter to reach the 200 and 300 HR marks, so I wouldn’t put it past him. I mean, when you’re hitting 60 per season, you can make up ground pretty damn quick.
Let me just leave you with this: in 2024, he slashed .322/.458/.701 with an OPS of 1.159, 58 HRs, 144 RBI, 133 walks, 36 2Bs, 122 runs scored, and an OPS+ of 223. Absurdity. He led the league in WAR, HRs, RBI, BBs, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, rOBA, and TB. And now he gets to go back to his natural position in RF. Yes, he did all that while trying to play a position he’d never really played before.
2025 Outlook
I think the Yankees will start slow off the block. The pitching injuries will cause them to struggle a bit in the early portion of the season. Ultimately, I believe Boston will win the division because of this, but as the Yankees re-tool throughout the season, getting a healthy Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Giancarlo Stanton, and others during the season, they will prime themselves for another World Series run come October.