New York Yankees Have Impressively Overcome Major Change To Remain Contenders

The New York Yankees were able to get back to the World Series in 2024 for the first time since 2009.

They didn’t come away with the championship, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. But, it was encouraging to see them get over the hump and win their first pennant in 15 years.

Over the offseason, they experienced a lot of change with their roster, most notably losing star right fielder Juan Soto in free agency to the New York Mets.

That led to general manager Brian Cashman adjusting the team’s game plan for the winter, shifting the focus to pitching and defense.

Starting pitcher Max Fried was their big free agent splash, agreeing to the largest contract for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history. Devin Williams was acquired in a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers to bolster the bullpen. Cody Bellinger was acquired from the Chicago Cubs to help offset the loss of Soto.

Paul Goldschmidt was signed in free agency to take over at first base in place of Anthony Rizzo.

Along with Soto and Rizzo, the team didn’t bring back left fielder Alex Verdugo and second baseman Gleyber Torres, meaning nearly half of their starting lineup would be different in 2025 than it was in 2024. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving back to the keystone, a new starter was needed at third base as well.

Looking as strong as ever, their plans were quickly dashed in spring training when injuries began to mount.

Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton was hurt upon arrival, dealing with painful injuries to both his elbows. Projected starting third baseman DJ LeMahieu made it through two at-bats before suffering a calf injury.

On the mound, ace Gerrit Cole hurt his elbow and had to undergo Tommy John surgery. So did one of their better pitching prospects, Chase Hampton. Reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil remains sidelined with a lat issue and Marcus Stroman hit the injured list with knee discomfort.

That is a lot of production to have to replace, but the Yankees haven’t really missed a beat thus far in 2025.

“After all that change … they’re still pretty close to where they were a year ago as our top-ranked team in the American League. They’re coming off a good stretch, too,” wrote Chad Jennings of The Athletic (subscription required) in the most recent MLB power rankings.

The theme for this week was looking back at the year-over-year results.

Despite so much change to their roster, New York remains one of the best teams in baseball. They are 14-10 with the best run differential in the AL and fifth best in the MLB.