The New York Yankees might have failed to retain Juan Soto, but that doesn’t make them any less favorites to win the American a League pennant in 2025.
They have had a solid off-season after pivoting off Soto, and the teams that have made the loudest splashes are in the National League.
On Friday night, it was announced that Corbin Burnes, the best arm left in the market, was signing with the NL West emerging powerhouse Arizona Diamondbacks on a six-year deal.
This is huge for the Yankees because he was being courted by multiple American League contenders, such as the Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.
Do you know what those squads have in common? They all play in the junior circuit.
Not only that, but they co-exist with the Yankees in the AL East.
“The NL gets deeper. The Yankees are in a good position in the AL,” Yankeesource posted on X.
For the Yanks, it’s a good thing that they don’t have to worry about facing Burnes in a short postseason matchup until the World Series.
He is a formidable pitcher who won a Cy Young award in 2021 with the Milwaukee Brewers and just posted a 2.92 ERA with the Orioles in 2024.
There aren’t many hurlers like him in MLB, so it’s a good thing for New York that he, as well as many other top signings, is going to the senior circuit for 2025 and beyond.
The National League is getting more and more competitive by the day.
It’s not like the AL is a cakewalk, but there isn’t a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, or a financial heavyweight like the New York Mets there.