Yankees banking on improved defense helping fill Juan Soto absence

In the immediate aftermath of Juan Soto choosing the Mets, Brian Cashman addressed media and scanned through his roster for areas of need.

The Yankees could look to upgrade at plenty of offensive spots to compensate for the run creation they had just lost. They also could pivot toward run prevention. 

“Add to the pitching, improve the defense,” said the general manager, who has aimed for a more complete team after his top-heavy club won the AL pennant last season. 

The Yankees have brought in bats with résumés and pitching arms with questions but who have been dominant. How about the new-look defense? 

On paper at least, the Yankees project as a more sound defensive team largely because they have subtracted their two greatest deficiencies in center fielder Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres (even if they have not yet replaced the latter). 

The Yankees’ greatest defensive difference from 2024 to 2025 should be seen in center, where Cody Bellinger is not the defender he was with the Dodgers but should be a significant step up from Judge.

Among 40 qualified center fielders last season, Judge was rated 39th.

He has lost half a step that became evident with too many balls falling in front of him, and Cashman signaled the Yankees preferred Judge as a right fielder — with less ground to cover, and where his strong arm matters — even before the Bellinger trade. 

“He’s an above-average athlete, he’s an above-average defender at first, he’s an above-average defender in the outfield,” Cashman said of Bellinger, who might not be above-average in center anymore but is still playable. 

Last year with the Cubs, Bellinger split time on the grass between center and right.

In a season in which he turned 29, his sprint speed remained on par with his first seven years in the majors, and most defensive metrics saw him as a slightly below-average center fielder — which would be just fine for the Yankees, who saw much worse defensive production at the spot last season. 

They will hope for such a boost at second base, where they have moved on from Torres.

The now-Tiger led major league second basemen in errors last season and was among the worst defenders at the spot (ranking 31st among 37 qualifiers at second base).

Brain cramps continually cost Torres, including a poorly timed misplay in Game 1 of the World Series in which he attempted to catch a throw from the outfield on a short hop rather than simply knocking it down.

The ball caromed away from him, and Shohei Ohtani advanced from second to third base. 

At this point, the loss of Torres’ glove qualifies as addition by subtraction.

The most likely replacement will be Jazz Chisholm Jr., whose best defensive seasons have come at his more natural second base.

Moving Chisholm over would open the door to a free agent or incumbent — perhaps the sure-handed, if aging, DJ LeMahieu — at third. 

Whoever is throwing the ball across the diamond will be firing to a more reliable first baseman. 

The Yankees can no longer rely on Gold Glove defense from Paul Goldschmidt, now 37, but aging is less noticeable at first base.

Among 40 qualifiers at the position last year, Goldschmidt ranked 16th in Outs Above Average. Yankees first basemen in 2024 — largely a declining Anthony Rizzo, a learning Ben Rice and LeMahieu — rated much worse. 

In the corner outfield spots, the Yankees have gotten better and probably gotten worse.

Judge is a far better right fielder than Soto, but Alex Verdugo was a proven, strong left fielder.

The most likely Opening Day left fielder right now is Jasson Dominguez, who is faster than Verdugo but looked lost in September at the spot.

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Spring training will be important for Dominguez, who also could flip-flop with Bellinger if manager Aaron Boone prefers Dominguez to remain at the position at which he rose through the Yankees system. 

Also of note defensively: Whoever replaces Jose Trevino at backup catcher will be a worse pitch-framer, the now-Red among the game’s best, but the replacement likely will have a stronger throwing arm.

Among 83 catchers who threw to second base at least five times last season, Trevino’s average velocity was the fourth worst. 

In general, the Yankees’ 2025 defense looks better than the 2024 version — a team whose defense, contrary to some public belief, was not terrible.

The Yankees might have committed the seventh-most errors in MLB last season and were burned in October, but the overall glovework was statistically viewed as a bit better than average. 

The Yankees will be shooting for higher than that bar next season. 

“I’m excited,” Boone said last month of the 2025 Yankees. “I think the pivot that’s gone on, obviously missing out on Juan stung, but … there’s different ways to [build a team].”