Jasson Dominguez, free agency Aroldis Chapman, trade for Cody Bellinger

As the Juan Soto speculation continues and the expected unsavory updates surrounding the New York Yankees continue to emerge, there is still a lot more to do in free agency (and the trade market) as we approach the winter meetings.

Soto reportedly remains the Yankees’ top priority, meaning other plans will need to be put in place to make this work. For example, the outfield lineup needs to be figured out, especially after they hit their Jasson Dominguez problem in the home stretch of 2024.

Although the Yankees put their top prospect in a bad spot by granting him just a few weeks of MLB action before the end of the regular season, Dominguez did little to make his case. His defense in left field was poor and his offense was underwhelming.

Fans are confident the offense won’t be a problem, but it’s safe to say many are wary of the defense. Don’t forget that Dominguez also underwent Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm, which is another problem in addition to the poor routes/reads and dropped fly balls.

Luckily, fans learned this past weekend that Dominguez plans to focus primarily on his defense this offseason, getting plenty of reps in left field to prepare for the potential position switch with Soto. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s at least reassuring to see that everyone is preparing for a Soto return. This doesn’t change the fact that Soto is an average right fielder (at best) and that Judge/Dominguez will be playing out of position, but we’ll worry about that later. At the moment everyone agrees.

Yankees News: Aroldis Chapman free agency, Cody Bellinger trade buzz

As for others in free agency, former Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who has impressed (of course) since leaving the Bronx, is once again drawing significant interest on the open market.

According to Francys Romero, Chapman is expected to have more than six teams competing for his services. Since leaving the Yanks, Chapman signed with the Royals in 2023, was traded to the Rangers in the summer, won a World Series and spent all of 2024 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Last year, he struck out 98 batters in 61 2/3 innings and gave up just five home runs. Although he had an elevated WHIP of 1.35 primarily due to walks, his 3.79 ERA was backed up by a 3.03 FIP. The soon-to-be 37-year-old is expected to get another job pitching in high-leverage situations in 2025. Pretty crazy to think about.

To give a little update on the trade market: The excitement for Cody Bellinger is alive and well, and insiders and various publications are still teasing out potential deals to send the Chicago Cubs outfielder to a contender. The Yankees continued to be mentioned.

This has largely been discussed as part of the “Plan B” options if Soto is not re-signed. Trading for Bellinger would give the Yankees a true starting centerfielder, allowing them to move Judge back to his natural right field (which they would do anyway if Soto leaves and whether Bellinger is there or not).

But Bellinger’s best bet in pinstripes might be first base (if they’re even considering making such a move). He has experience at the position and it might be better for the Yankees if he was less active on defense, as Bellinger has suffered many injuries playing in the outfield in recent years.

There’s also Dominguez, who should be given more emphasis if Soto leaves. He shouldn’t be playing left field in 2025 if he doesn’t have to. And Bellinger appears to be just a one- or two-year solution, further underscoring the more logical plan of solving first base in the short term while keeping the outfield intact and limiting the moving parts.