Unless Brian Cashman disagrees with the recommendations of the independent auditor, he will definitely be back. Aaron Boone, too, is expected to return, but this ultimately rests in Hal Steinbrenner’s (liked) hands.

Boone’s superiors will probably tell him to enforce stricter rules.

The external audit will mostly evaluate their analytics and how the team uses them (rather than their Boone-Cashman status), so don’t worry that it will cover all you thought it would. (Andy Martino of SNY is the first to disclose this; he is writing a book about the Cashman era.)

Cody Bellinger seems like a good fit despite the Yankees passing on several notable position player free agents in recent years.

The current Cubs team will be competing for the title. Similarly, the Giants could be able to.It was in Los Angeles when San Francisco boss Farhan Zaidi gave him the MVP award.

This hypothetical Yankees trade for Juan Soto would be a slam dunk

The Yankees finished their dismal 82-80 season. New York needs to improve the offense this offseason. The San Diego Padres’ payroll will be reduced, as was recently reported. Outfielder Juan Soto may be available as a result.

It seems like a perfect match. New York could use another lefty batter to take advantage of Yankee Stadium’s relatively short right field porch. The soon-to-be 25-year-old has the potential to continue playing for a long time in the Bronx if he is given a contract extension.

But what would it take for Brian Cashman, the general manager, to make a deal? At this point, nobody can say for sure. Some plausible MLB offseason trades were recently discussed by Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report. Which of the eight possibilities he listed is his favorite? Soto was sent to the Yankees in a trade.

Here is Rymer’s proposed trade:

Those Yankees get a A. Juan de SotoTo the Padres, an OF RP Chase Hampton and SS Spencer JonesI’ve discussed this plan with a few Yankees supporters, including our very own Josh Benjamin. All agree that they would jump at the chance. However, they would also like negotiations for a contract extension to start right away.

According to MLB.com, Jones is the best young player for the Yankees. He ended the season in Double-A and might reach the Bronx by the year 2025. This previous season, the outfielder hit.780 with 16 home runs between two different tiers. His apparent potential is over the roof, but as we know from experience, even the best prospects are risky bets.

MLB.com ranks Hampton as the Mets’ #4 prospect. He split his year between the Hudson Valley and Somerset, just like Jones. He threw 106.2 innings while striking out 145 batters with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.

Soto is a definite thing, and we all know it. After only 24 years of life, he has already become one of MLB’s most prolific hitters and led his team to a World Series victory. In my opinion, the Yankees would need more than this to acquire him. But if this is the price San Diego set to acquire Soto, why did they do it? The decision is obvious.