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The New York Yankees' number one priority this offseason is to keep Juan Soto in the Bronx in what should be a heated competition between high-spending teams for his signature.
But this doesn't mean that the Yankees have to cease all operations until Soto re-signs for the long haul. On Monday, they made a sneaky move that could help shore up their depth regardless of how free agency turns out.
According to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News, the Yankees have signed veteran utilityman Pablo Reyes to a minor-league deal. Reyes can play anywhere across the infield except for catcher as he suited up in four different positions last season while splitting time with the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets.
Teams with contending aspirations are certainly valuing the positional flexibility that Reyes possesses perhaps due to how prevalent injuries can be. Reyes can be an easy plug-and-play infielder for the Yankees in 2025, provided, of course, that he manages to stick with the team past Spring Training.
The 2024 season, however, wasn't exactly kind to Reyes. His contributions for the Red Sox were worth a putrid -0.7 WAR, and he played in a grand total of one game for the Mets with the team calling upon him to pinch run.
But given the Yankees' situation on the infield, bringing in someone who can fill multiple positions could prove to be worthwhile, even if Reyes' bat is nothing to write home about. (He had an OPS of .451 last season. For his career, his OPS is .658.)
Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo, starters for the Yankees during their run to the World Series this past postseason, are currently free agents. If those two depart from the team, spots on the everyday lineup could open up for Ben Rice and Oswaldo Cabrera. To that end, perhaps Reyes could emerge as a bench piece if he impresses in camp.
Regardless, if DJ Lemahieu could provide some semblance of production next season should he manage to return from the injury woes that have plagued him over the past few years, then it might be unlikely for Reyes to crack the big-league roster on Opening Day.
Yankees have to put best foot forward in Juan Soto pursuit
The Yankees know that their 2024 roster was good enough to win a World Series, and their 4-1 series defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers boiled down to a few poor decisions from manager Aaron Boone as well as some untimely lapses in concentration on the defensive side of the ball.
Thus, there is no reason for them not to go all-out in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. Soto helped elevate what was already a solid Yankees lineup and turned it into an elite one — opening up the game for both himself and Aaron Judge as they combined for arguably the most frightening middle-of-the-order duo in the MLB.
They will also be met with some major opposition in free agency with big-market teams preparing major offers for the in-his-prime star right fielder, so it might take a blank check for the Yankees to secure his services.
