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The New York Yankees returned to the World Series in 2024 after a 15-year absence, but it all ended in disappointment after losing in five games against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The $235 million payroll was dwarfed by the $375 million of the Los Angeles Dodgers, however, last year the Bronx Bombers went further than in recent years.
However, the forecasts for 2025 in MLB are not the best for the Yankees, who are not even among the top five favorites to return to the Fall Classic, according to essentiallysports.com.
Yankees below five National League teams
One of those analysts, Chris Rose, said the Bronx Bombers are below teams like the Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and even the Arizona Diamondbacks, all teams in the National League.
Rose explained that the Yankees and the American League have significantly lowered their level, especially when compared to the National League.
"The teams that were battling the Yankees are better than any team in the American League, and if we discount them in the National League, I can't say they're better than the Dodgers, or even better than the Braves, the Mets, the Phillies, or better than the Diamondbacks, which is a very interesting team," Rose explained.
The Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Braves and Diamondbacks have all improved greatly with their gs this offseason. While the Dodgers managed to sign pitchers Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, the Mets managed to sign Juan Soto, who had an impressive 2024 by hitting 41 home runs, with a .288 average, 166 hits, 109 RBIs and 128 runs in 157 games.
Meanwhile, the Yankees added Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Max Fried; however, despite that, they fail to replicate the magic of Juan Soto.
While their offensive output remains modest, their defense lacks the desired quality. In addition, with a relatively weak infield, they rely heavily on DJ LeMahieu (36), who is already past his prime.
Another defeat for the Yankees in the offseason
Major League Baseball's preseason is about to begin, and now that the Yankees are considered the sixth-best team, they had been linked with a major free agent infielder: Ha-Seong Kim of the San Diego Padres.
After letting go of Gleyber Torres, whose performance declined over the past two years, leaving a significant gap at second base, they might have been interested in bringing Kim on board, but unfortunately the Dodgers snapped up the Korean star.
Amid rumors and speculation, the Yankees are failing to make a proper decision regarding their pitcher, Marcus Stroman. While they face some financial burden, Stroman's $37 million contract has caused a hurdle for the team, pushing the Yankees to find ways to ease the financial burden and improve the dynamics of their roster.
Now the Yankees will look to acquire left-handed slugger Josh Naylor, who had 563 plate appearances, with a .243 average and 108 runs batted in. This looks quite promising and his addition could bolster their lineup, allowing them to return to the World Series.