No Soto, No Problem — Yankees October Lineup is Deeper

A year ago, the New York Yankees had their best one-two punch since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig — Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. But visions of a long partnership ended on December 8, 2024, when Soto turned down the Yankees 16-year, $760m offer to sign a 15-year, $765m deal with the New York Mets.

GM Brian Cashman congratulated the Mets and then said, “Our efforts on a year-in, year-out basis don’t change. We’re always trying to be the best team we possibly can be so we can get into the playoffs and take a shot at the World Series, so we’ll just obviously get back at it.”

PLAN B
Everyone had advice for Cashman:

• CBS Sports said, “What’s next for Yankees after losing Juan Soto? Here’s a five-step Plan B for the Bronx Bombers.”
• Fox Sports said, “Three moves the Yankees must make after losing Juan Soto.”

Meanwhile, yours truly said, “Don’t forget the lesson of Jacoby Ellsbury.”

Not sure how many people trusted Cashman and the Yankees to rebound from the loss of Soto, and build a deeper, stronger lineup — but that’s exactly what they have done. In free agency they added Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. At the trade deadline they brought in Ryan McMahon to solidify 3B and depth with Jose Caballero, Amed Rosario, and Austin Slater.

However, the biggest development was the emergence of Trent Grisham and Ben Rice. In 2024 Grisham was not able to sniff a playoff at bat while Ben Rice headed into training camp with no clear role.

Grisham began the year as the fourth outfielder but made himself indispensable by having a career year at the plate, while remaining a Gold Glove caliber centerfielder. Rice, a natural catcher, opened the season third on the depth chart behind Austin Wells and JC Escarra. He was also behind Paul Goldschmidt at 1B and Giancarlo Stanton at DH.

However, when Stanton arrived in camp with tendinitis in both elbows, it opened the door for Rice to show he’s capable of being an everyday player. Since Stanton returned in mid-June, Rice has muscled his way into a rotation at both C and 1B.

Earlier today (Sunday, September 21) Rice went 4-for-5 with 5 RBIs including 10^th inning grand slam that powered the Yankees to a 7-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Expect Rice to split time between C/1B while being a mainstay in the Yankees’ playoff lineup.

AMERICAN LEAGUE OPS LEADERS
In 2024, the Yankees ranked third in the majors with a .761 OPS, with only their two superstars finishing the regular season with an OPS above .800:

1. Aaron Judge 1.159 (MLB Rank – 1)
2. Juan Soto .989 (MLB Rank – 3)

In 2025, the Yankees currently lead the majors with a .784 OPS, including six players with an OPS above .800, with six games left in the season:

1. Aaron Judge 1.129 (MLB Rank – 1)
2. Giancarlo Stanton .916 (MLB Rank – NR)**
3. Ben Rice .823 (MLB Rank – 29)
4. Jazz Chisholm .819 (MLB Rank – 30)
5. Cody Bellinger .815 (MLB Rank – 32)
6. Trent Grisham .813 (MLB Rank – 34)

**Giancarlo Stanton’s .916 would rank seventh if he had enough at-bats to qualify.

PROJECTED PLAYOFF LINEUP & RESERVES

OCTOBER LINEUP IS DEEPER
In addition to the OPS numbers, Anthony Rizzo had to retire this summer after failing to find a new job, and Alex Verdugo has been unemployed since his July release by the Atlanta Braves. Both were regulars last October.

Now, as our friends in finance would likely say, “regular season numbers do not guarantee playoff results.” And crazy things tend to happen in the fall as evidenced by the fact that Anthony Volpe’s .815 OPS was higher last year than Aaron Judge’s .752.

But there’s no doubt that the Yankees successfully pivoted from a great duo in 2024 to a deeper, stronger team in 2025.

ICYMI “4 Things Yankees: Judging Judge, Projecting Playoff Roster”