Around the Empire: Yankees news – 1/2/25

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: While it’s understandable to feel a little bummed out about the Yankees with Juan Soto opting to sign with the Mets, the Yankees have certainly made quite a number of moves to try and offset that. Now as we enter the new year, there are still several reasons to hope the Yankees can back up their World Series appearance with another strong year in 2025.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: It’s no secret that, at least as a hitter, Anthony Volpe has not been as good as it was hoped he’d be when the Yankees named him the starting shortstop ahead of the 2023 campaign. However, he’s showed some flashes at points, and that included this past year in the postseason, when he was hitting the ball much harder than he had during the regular season. Volpe finished October with an .815 OPS and 136 wRC+ in 14 games (59 PA). Aaron Boone and the Yankees’ organization are hoping he can take lessons from that run going forward and turn into a consistently better hitter at the big league level, starting in 2025.

ESPN | Pete Thamel: In a bit of weird former Yankee news, Mike Buddie — a Bombers pitcher in 26 games from 1998-99 — has been named the athletic director at Texas Christian University. He entered college sports administration after his retirement from baseball and has been the AD at Army since 2019, which led him getting the gig at TCU. Buddie attended the 25th anniversary celebration of the ‘98 Yankees in September 2023.