Breaking: Yankees Set To Acquire Two 40-Man Roster Players From Prominent Team

The Yankees are poised to acquire two players on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster in exchange for a prospect not on the 40-man, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The names of the players in the deal are not yet known. Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirms Rosenthal’s report while adding that the deal, which is pending a medical review, would send one “end of roster” pitcher to the Yankees alongside a prospect on the 40-man roster. The deal would clear 40-man roster spots for LA’s reported deals with right-hander Joe Kelly and superstar Shohei Ohtani.

While it’s unclear which players are changing hands in the deal, it’s hardly a surprise that the sides would get together on such a trade. After all, the Dodgers’ 40-man roster is currently full, meaning they already needed to clear space on the 40-man to formally add Kelly and Ohtani. On the other hand, the Yankees just cleared two spots from their own 40-man roster in a seven-player trade with the Padres that brought back star slugger Juan Soto. While the additions of both Soto and center fielder Trent Grisham take up 40-man roster spots, that’s more than made up for by the departures of right-handers Jhony Brito, Michael King, and Randy Vasquez as well as catcher Kyle Higashioka. A deal between the sides allows the Dodgers to recoup some value for players they likely would have had to part with anyway, while the Yankees figure to take advantage of LA’s roster crunch to begin rebuilding its pitching depth in the aftermath of the Soto deal.

Risk in New York Yankees trade for Juan Soto got bigger after Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million deal

While the New York Yankees trade for All-Star outfielder Juan Soto has received a great deal of praise, making it a benefit beyond this season got a whole lot harder after the announcement of Shohei Ohtani’s new contract.

Late last week, the Yankees made the first big splash of the offseason when they were able to finalize a long-rumored blockbuster trade for San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto. The team has been pursuing the young star since the season ended and was able to beat out four other organizations that made offers for him.

Soto fills several needs the team had heading into 2024 and gives them one of the better lineups in the American League. However, the 25-year-old could be one and done in New York since he intends to test his value on the free agent market this time next year.

While the organization plans to do all it can to bring him back on a new long-term contract, that got exceedingly tougher this weekend. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Dodgers gave two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani a record-shattering 10-year, $700 million contract. The deal is the largest in North American sports history and will set a new standard for contracts going forward.

• Juan Soto stats (2023): .275 AVG, .410 OBP, .519 SLG, 35 HR, 109 RBI, 97 R

Shohei Ohtani contract means big trouble for New York Yankees in 2024

That is bad news for the Yankees and their goal to re-sign Juan Soto. The three-time All-Star is represented by Scott Boras, he has been pushing hard for his client to test his value on the open market and advised him to turn down a massive $440 million offer from the Washington Nationals last year.

Soto was already projected to land a deal for as much as $500 million but that may have increased due to Ohtani’s new pact. Predicting what the Yankees will have to fork over to keep him is difficult, but the players that are the most comparable are probably Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.

Both were young stars just entering their prime when they signed their first big MLB contracts. The Phillies gave Harper a 13-year, $330 million contract in 2019, while the San Diego Padres handed Machado a 10-year, $300 million deal the same year. Then gave the former Orioles star a new 11-year, $350 million deal earlier this year.

While Soto doesn’t have an MVP on his resume he does have a World Series title and has been, arguably, more consistent a hitter than Harper and Machado over his first six seasons as he grows into one of the best young hitters in the sport. It isn’t impossible that he lands a deal that is close to $600 million next year.

The New York Yankees entered this offseason with the goal of not expanding their payroll to a point where they surpass another tax threshold. And it took them some time to finally agree to the massive $360 million deal they gave 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge last season. Will they be willing to add a nearly $600 million investment next year?

If the Yankees win the World Series, that could change their thinking on a deal, however, if they don’t and they hesitate to give Soto what he is looking for, they very well may have given up two top pitching prospects for a one-year rental.