Despite losing Juan Soto to cross-town rival New York Mets, the New York Yankees still orchestrated a remarkably productive offseason.
They signed two-time All-Star ace Max Fried to the largest contract ever for a left-handed pitcher (eight years, $218 million), inked former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal to man first base, traded for another former NL MVP Cody Bellinger, and acquired All-Star closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers.
However, the Bronx Bombers have been stung by the injury bug this spring training. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is sidelined with tennis elbow in both elbows with no timetable for his return; reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil has a right lat strain in his pitching shoulder and won’t return until June at the earliest; starter Clarke Schmidt has been limited with a stiff back; and DJ LeMahieu, a candidate to start at third base, is dealing with a left calf muscle injury and will be undergoing an MRI.
The Yankees still harbor World Series aspirations after falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games last October. However, one MLB analyst has dropped a prediction that will surely rile up the passionate Yankees fan base.
MLB analyst predicts New York Yankees won’t make playoffs
MLB.com’s Will Leitch surprisingly predicts the Yankees will miss out on the playoffs in 2025. Leitch pointed to how all teams within the American League East could level up this season, plus the concerning injury news surrounding New York’s lineup.
“As active, and successful, as the Yankees were in adding players in the wake of losing Juan Soto, this team still has plenty of questions, particularly in that lineup (which was the case even before concerning injury news surfaced about Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu). The upshot: It sure does look like Aaron Judge is going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting,” Leitch writes.
Leitch adds that if Judge gets injured at any point, that could spell doom for the Yankees’ postseason hopes.
“The question always looms over this franchise: What if something happens to Judge? He’s a player who has dealt with injury issues in the past, he’s getting older (turning 33 on April 26) and, lest you forget, he’s huge. And if the Yankees lose Judge for any period of time… they kind of look like they’d be toast? Don’t forget, when Judge was limited to 106 games in 2023, this team went only 82-80, including 25-31 without him.
“That’s a lot riding on one player. It’s going to be hard enough to repeat with him. The fall would be dramatic without him.”
The Yankees have played October baseball in seven out of the last eight seasons. It would be an absolute nightmare scenario if they missed the playoffs in 2025, especially after losing Soto in free agency.
Despite the bold prediction, it’s difficult to imagine the Yankees watching October baseball from home in 2025. But if they do, expect the Bronx to burn with outrage as fans once again call for the jobs of Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone.
