Orioles rival's offense could take major hit with potential free agent departures

The Juan Soto sweepstakes are heating up and it appears that he'll likely make his decision prior to the MLB Winter Meetings in early December. There are 5 teams currently in the running for Soto's services. Unfortunately, the Orioles aren't part of the group but three of their division rivals are.

Apparently all three of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays are in the running to land Soto, in addition to the Mets and Dodgers. It's too early to tell who might have the upper hand but it's easy to assume that the Dodgers are the least likely of the five, just based on the fact that they just won a championship without him and their roster is loaded with star talent already.

You'd think that the Yankees have the upper hand, having just spent the last year allowing him to get used to the facilities and amenities surrounding the organization. However, the Yankees aren't quite what they used to be under George Steinbrenner and his son Hal seems to be a bit more budget conscious than his father was.

If the Mets and Steve Cohen decide to up the ante and go over the top for Soto, it seems likely that the Yankees could pivot elsewhere and try to recoup some of Soto's value through other means. That'll be especially important as they're also slated to lose infielder Gleyber Torres to free agency this winter as well.

Yankees could lose two big pieces of their offensive core this winter

Soto's contributions to the Yankees offense in 2024 were immense. He hit a massive .288/.419/.569 and finished third in the AL MVP voting. If the Yankees aren't able to bring him back for 2025, they'll be in the hole by a significant margin trying to replace that kind of production.

But Torres wasn't exactly a slouch either. The 27 year old hit .257/.330/.378 with 15 homers and 4 steals. It was a bit of a fall off from where he was in 2022-2023 but Torres still has good plate discipline and plenty of power potential.

The Yankees as a whole had a strong offense but they were carried by Soto and eventual MVP winner Aaron Judge, who hit a combined 99 home runs and together batted in 253 runs. Take those guys out and you're left with a number of below average bats, including guys like Anthony Volpe, Trent Grisham, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Anthony Rizzo.

If the Yankees aren't able to bring Soto back, and if they opt to let Torres walk, they're going to be worse off in 2025 barring a barrage of additional free agent signings. If that's the case, the Orioles will be in a strong position to capture a division title in 2025.