Juan Soto's Mets deal means Yankees now need to pivot to Plan B

DALLAS — Next up for the Yankees: Plan B.

The Yankees entered the offseason with re-signing free agent Juan Soto as their top priority, but they lost out on what turned into an intra-city battle. The 26-year-old outfielder copped the biggest professional sports contract in history on Sunday night, agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets.

The Yankees, with whom Soto starred in 2024 — he helped lead them to their first World Series appearance since 2009 — were not significantly outbid, as the package they put forth was in excess of $750 million.

What the club’s Plan B entails is not yet clear, but this can be said with certainty: The Yankees have plenty of work to do in building their 2025 roster.

Which, incidentally, would have been the case even if they had re-signed Soto.

They have significant holes to fill, and it should be pointed out that more than a few members of the organization privately hoped the Yankees would lose the Soto sweepstakes so those areas of need could be more easily plugged with at least some of the money not spent on the four-time All-Star.

Among those needs: bullpen arms, first base and either third base or second base, depending on where the Yankees choose to play Jazz Chisholm Jr.

At last month’s general managers’ meetings in San Antonio, general manager Brian Cashman — who arrived in Dallas for these winter meetings about an hour before news broke of Soto’s decision Sunday night — did not rule out pursuing a high-end starting pitcher.

Backing those words up, the Yankees in the last month have had conversations with representatives for Max Fried and Corbin Burnes, among others.

Soto’s decision to choose the Mets adds another need: outfield. The Yankees, never keen on the amount of time Aaron Judge spent in centerfield in recent seasons, almost certainly will shift the two-time AL MVP back to rightfield, opening the door for top position prospect Jasson Dominguez to win the centerfield job in spring training.

They likely will look for veteran depth at that position and, because it is highly unlikely that they will re-sign Alex Verdugo, a leftfielder is on their wish list (the club was looking at outfield depth even in the event of a Soto return).

Though Soto signing elsewhere opens a myriad of possibilities on the free-agent market, losing him nonetheless is a blow that can’t be understated, at least in the short term.

The Yankees have lost one of the game’s best overall hitters, if not the best.

And in 2024, Soto — whom his agent, Scott Boras, last month called “the Mona Lisa” of this year’s free-agent class — proved the bright lights of New York aren’t too big for him.

That also was the case in the postseason, as he hit .327 with four homers, three doubles and a 1.102 OPS in 14 games, a stretch that ended with the Yankees’ five-game loss to the Dodgers in the World Series.

A bat Cashman called “transformational” after the Yankees acquired Soto last winter was exactly that. And it’s something that is not easily replaced.