As the World Series begins, we take a look at how both teams’ rosters were constructed. In a battle of major market giants, much of the heavy lifting has been done via free agency. Both the Yankees and Dodgers made big gains in trades, moving some key homegrown contributors to complement their moves on the open market.
A player who was drafted or acquired in a trade, who subsequently left in free agency and re-signed, is classified as a free agent acquisition. The player’s history with the organization is of course a big reason for his return, but the most recent transaction was still to sign him to a free agent contract. There are three such players for the Yankees, led by the expected AL MVP.
Let’s start with a breakdown of how the Yankees built their first pennant win since 2009.
Trade (11)
Nearly half of the Yankees’ World Series roster was built via trade. There was nothing bigger than last winter’s blockbuster that brought Soto and Grisham to the Bronx. Soto is on track for another top-five MVP finish after hitting .288/.419/.569 with a career-best 41 homers in his first season with the Yanks. Grisham hasn’t done much in his fourth outfield role. The Padres aren’t worried either. San Diego received first class production from Michael Kingwhile Kyle Higashioka later took over the catching duties. Outlook Drew Thorpethe secondary part of the Soto return, was subsequently taken over as the White Sox’s headliner Dylan Stop it Package.
The Stanton transaction isn’t far behind the Soto deal as a headline transaction. New York acquired the bat after a 59-home run season in which he won the NL MVP Award for the Marlins. It was largely a salary cut for Miami, which released Stanton just three seasons into a 13-year, $325 million extension. New York sent back Starlin Castro and perspectives Jorge Guzman And Jose Deversboth of whom barely played at the MLB level. Stanton’s tenure in the Bronx has been much maligned, but he has three 30-homer seasons as a Yankee and is on a roll for the ages this fall.
New York landed Verdugo in a rare, significant trade with the Red Sox. While Verdugo was the Yankees’ everyday left fielder, Boston will likely have more long-term value. The Sox landed a center hitter Greg Weissert and view Richard Fitts in a three-player second leg.
Chisholm and Leiter were deadline acquisitions this summer. New York sent three minor league players, led by a well-respected prospect Agustin Ramirez, to Miami to Chisholm. They sent two interested parties (Ben Cowles And Jack Neely) to the Cubs for Leiter, a deal they would likely be happy to have back after the right winger struggled down the stretch.
Holmes, Trevino and Cousins were all wins for the professional scouting team. The Yankees stole Holmes from the Pirates in a 2021 deadline deal that didn’t generate much fanfare. New York sent infielders Hey Park And Diego CastilloNone of whom were stuck in Pittsburgh attacking Holmes as a groundball specialist. Despite the shaky second half this year, he emerged as one of the game’s best substitutes.
New York acquired Trevino shortly after Opening Day in 2022 in a deal that freed up the centerfielder Albert Abreu to the Rangers. Trevino has become the Gold Glove catcher in the Bronx. Abreu played in seven games for Texas before they lost him to waivers. He’s pitching in Japan now. (Left-handed Robby Ahlstrom remains in the Rangers’ system but is not a notable candidate.) The Yankees gave up nothing for Cousins, who had a minor league contract with the White Sox when New York acquired him for cash in March. He then pitched 37 innings with a 2.38 ERA.
The Yankees acquired Torres and Gil before either player made his MLB debut. Torres headlined the 2016 Deadline Deal broadcast Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs. Chicago won’t regret winning the World Series, but Torres was a top prospect who developed into an All-Star second baseman. These are the type of prospect teams that essentially never trade for rentals again. Gil was a teenager playing with the Twins in the Dominican Summer League in 2018. New York traded him up to major league outfielder out of spring training Jake Cavewho has a journeyman career behind him. This is a clear win for the Yanks’ scouting and player development staff.
MLB Free Agency (8)
Judge went from extra first-round pick to self-winning MVP in 2013. He hit the market immediately after his 62-homer season in 2022. Judge fielded offers from the Giants and Padres before returning to New York on a nine-year, $360 million contract. The then-largest free agent contract in MLB history fell to second place on this list Shohei Ohtani signed with Los Angeles. Judge is on his way to his second MVP and looks set to spend his entire Hall of Fame career in the Bronx.
The Cole contract was also a record that the Dodgers surpassed last offseason. New York signed Cole to a nine-year, $324 million contract during the 2019-20 offseason. That was the largest pitching contract of all time Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed in December for $325 million – albeit with a much longer term. The Cole deal was one of the most successful massive free agent signings in history. He won a Cy Young Award and will get the ball in Game 1 tonight.
Rodón was another big investment from GM Brian Cashman and his staff. The hard-throwing southpaw landed six years and $162 million in the 2022-23 offseason. The first season was a disaster, but Rodón righted things with a solid 3.96 ERA in 32 starts that year. That same winter, New York brought Rizzo back as a free agent on a two-year, $40 million contract. The Americans initially acquired Rizzo as part of a deadline trade with the Cubs in 2021. He had a strong first season and a half in the Bronx, but the last contract didn’t expire. They had similarly mediocre results with last winter’s two-year, $37 million investment in Stroman. He had a 4.31 ERA in 30 regular-season appearances and is in deep relief heading into the postseason.
A few low-cost bullpen investments have worked out great. New York first claimed Weaver from Seattle waivers in September. They brought him back in free agency on a $2 million deal with a cheap club option for 2025. The move was met with general derision from fans, but Weaver was a godsend in the late innings and will finish games in the World Series.
New York invested a little more in Kahnle, signing him to a two-year, $11.5 million contract after an injury-plagued 2022 season. Kahnle continued to battle injuries but was effective during his final outing in the Bronx. Hill signed for the league minimum in June after being released by the White Sox. He posted a 2.05 ERA in 44 innings after posting a nearly 6.00 ERA with Chicago.
First-year player draft (3)
All three of these players were selected in the first round. The Yanks secured Schmidt 16th overall from South Carolina in 2017. Volpe was the 30th overall pick out of a New Jersey high school in 2019. New York took Wells a year later and secured the University of Arizona product in 2020 at No. 28.
International amateur commitments (2)
Domínguez was one of the most high-profile amateur signings of recent times. New York signed him from the Dominican Republic for a $5.1 million bonus. Injuries have prevented him from getting a longer MLB opportunity so far, but at 21 years old he is still an incredibly celebrated young talent. Cabrera signed from Venezuela in 2015 with minimal attention. He has played an important role over the past two-plus seasons.
Minor league contract (2)
Cortes began his career as a Yankee draftee. The Yanks traded him to the Mariners in the 2019-20 offseason. Seattle waived him a year later and every team decided against adding him to the 40-man roster. Cortes elected minor league free agency and returned to his original organization on a minor league deal. He made the team again in 2021 and posted a 2.90 ERA in 93 innings. He secured his spot on the MLB roster, even before making the All-Star team and finishing in the top 10 for Cy Young in 2022 with a 2.44 ERA.
Mayza was a long-time member of the Blue Jays. Toronto released him in July. A few days later, he signed a minor league contract with New York and has been in Aaron Boone’s bullpen since mid-August.
Disclaimers (0)