Re-Grading the Yankees' Major 2024 Offseason Moves After Halfway Point

The New York Yankees had an important offseason for the franchise’s future already showing noteworthy results. General Manager Brian Cashman was under criticism by fans unhappy with last season’s lackluster results and going on fifteen years without a World Series trophy. Major trades and free agent signings showed change was coming to the Bronx.

Each relevant move is worth looking at in depth to figure out what is teetering towards massive success or disappointing failure. 81 games represent the middle of the season with half the games already played. The Yankees look like one of the best teams in the league. A grade will be given to each Yankees offseason move after the halfway point of the 2024 season.

Trading for Juan Soto: A+

The Yankees' trade for Juan Soto has a chance to go down as an all-time great move in the franchise’s history. Soto made game-winning plays in the first series of the year and showcased consistency as a premiere hitter in the MLB. Brian Cashman went all-in on acquiring another All-Star hitter to pair with Aaron Judge after last season’s woeful offense.

Soto was the betting favorite for American League MVP for quite some time until teammate Judge and Baltimore Orioles star Gunner Henderson passed him. However, the Yankees having two of the top three favorites for AL MVP shows why Cashman made the trade. An argument can be made that the Yankees have the two overall best hitters in the entire league.

Incredible numbers of a .305 batting average, .431 on-base percentage, and .563 slugging percentage all make it clear why Soto is delivering. Even games without power numbers will see him getting on base to help the offense on cold nights. Soto is still on pace for over 35 home runs and well over 100 RBIs.

Cashman could not have made a better trade than he did for Soto. Michael King was the biggest piece that could contribute right now, and he was expendable enough to warrant trading for Soto every single time. Reserve Trent Grisham came over in the trade and has helped as a solid reserve in spot starts. The Yankees must sign Soto to a long-term contract for the deal to remain an A+ for many years to come.

Signing Marcus Stroman: A

Another stellar move for the Yankees featured Brian Cashman getting creative on the free-agent market to improve the pitching staff. Yankees fans were upset about missing out on Japanese standout Yoshinobu Yamamoto and passing on overpaying the reigning National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell.

Marcus Stroman ended up being the big pitching addition on a smaller contract due to Cashman taking a risk. The bet paid off with Stroman both delivering strong results on the field and instantly becoming a fan favorite in the Bronx. Yankees fans love the strong 7-3 record and the 3.15 ERA as a consistently strong pitcher helping the staff put up impressive collective numbers.

Yamamoto has been worth the hype, but the Yankees had no chance of signing him once the temptation of teaming with Shohei Ohtani on the Los Angeles Dodgers was too strong. Snell has a terrible 9.51 ERA and is currently on the disabled list. Cashman deserves credit for not getting desperate and finding a great alternative to fill out the staff.

Stroman must finish the season strong and try his luck in the bright lights of New York postseason baseball, but the signing looks like a smash hit so far. There is a solid chance that Stroman will even make the All-Star team if he continues his strong play. Cashman found the perfect pitcher at the perfect price to fix another problem from last year.

Trading For Alex Verdugo: B+

Teams with strong rivalries rarely make deals together, but the Yankees and Boston Red Sox shocked baseball fans last summer. Alex Verdugo was the biggest name involved as Boston sent him to New York for reliever Greg Weissert and a couple of minor leaguers with potential. The deal looks like a good one for the Yankees thanks to Verdugo fitting into the lineup with timely hitting.

Verdugo’s .247 batting and .305 on-base percentage doesn’t seem that impressive on paper. However, there is no debate that his presence has improved the offense. The Yankees often trust Verdugo to hit behind Aaron Judge in the lineup against right-handed pitchers. Verdugo and Juan Soto provide the left-handed hitting that the team desperately lacked last season.

Yankees fans love the bravado of Verdugo to make him another fan favorite in their first season on the roster. The memorable moment of Verdugo hitting a home run in his first game back at Fenway Park and talking trash while rounding the bases made him a hero to many New Yorkers. The timely hitting has made up for lackluster averages for another strong Yankees trade.

Weissert is having a good season in Boston to make the Red Sox feel better about the trade, but the Yankees bullpen has not struggled in his absence. There is more risk of this trade looking weaker down the road if the other traded prospects, Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice, become players for the Red Sox, but Cashman should be ecstatic about it right now.

Signing Luke Weaver: A

The most underrated Yankees move of the offseason saw them adding reliever Luke Weaver with little fanfare. Weaver was coming off a couple of disappointing seasons with an ERA over 6.00 in three of the last four years. Cashman was impressed with Weaver’s short stint on the Yankees last year having a bigger impact than any other team before or after.

Weaver is a huge reason why the bullpen had a great start to the season and is still viewed as a strength after half the games. An impressive 2.62 ERA sees Aaron Boone trusting Weaver as much as any relief pitcher, outside of closer Clay Holmes. Weaver bailed the Yankees out of many jams and is a huge reason why fans don’t miss Weissert after the Verdugo trade.

The deal looks even better since Cashman added a team option for the Yankees to keep Weaver for another season if he finishes this one strong. Ten holds and zero blown saves is as good as it gets for a middle reliever this deep into the season. Weaver has a chance to make New York his new home for the rest of his career.

Smaller Moves

The Yankees made a few other smaller moves that didn’t have an immediate impact in the way those other deals did. Most involved role players barely matter in the bigger picture or are young prospects who won’t have their future decided for a few seasons. Each of the smaller moves will have a quick grade with minimal insight:

Trading Estevan Florial for Cody Morris looks like a C+ neutral trade due to Florial putting up awful numbers for Cleveland, and Morris not making the major league team roster yet.

Signing Cody Poteet gets a B for his impressive 2.14 ERA, but it’s hard to give a higher grade to the team’s seventh most important starting pitcher who has only pitched four times replacing injured players.

Trading for Victor Gonzalez and Caleb Ferguson gets an F as both relievers have struggled coming over from the Dodgers. The Yankees have already cut bait with Gonzalez after his disappointing appearances out of the bullpen, and Ferguson has an even worse 5.47 ERA.

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This article was originally published on empirewritesback.com as Re-Grading the Yankees' Major 2024 Offseason Moves After Halfway Point.