The Bombers’ best season in fifteen years left fans with a bittersweet taste, as the Dodgers rushed the field in celebration after the final out of Game 5 was recorded in the Bronx.
Coming into the series, the excitement was immense, but the disappointment topped it. It’s not that th
e Yankees didn’t have the ability or talent to play a competitive series, though; it was the little things that proved the biggest.
Yes, Aaron Judge struggled mightily, and Freddie Freeman put the ball over the right field fence whenever he wanted to, but that’s not what won or lost either team the series. It was the little things.
As Matt Vasgersian’s MLB The Show character always says, it’s about the ‘Old adage – pitching and defense’. Emphasis on defense.
From Gleyber Torres (who played great all playoffs) booting a ball coming into the infield allowing a c
rucial run to score, or the now infamous 5th inning including Judge’s drop, Volpe’s errant throw, and the Anthony Rizzo/Gerrit Cole miscommunication, it just seemed sloppy. It felt like watching an early season game on a nice sunny day, 75 degrees in April rather than a 45-degree night in late October.
They beat themselves. We know it, and they know it. Would the Yankees have won the World Series if they didn’t make numerous errors? Well, it’s hard to tell, but would they have been flying back to LA? Yes. And that’s what is most frustrating. As someone who is too young to remember 2009, or even the Giants win in 2012, I haven’t seen and am not used to much winning, but this felt like the chance to finally witness one with my own two eyes, especially with ‘The Generational’ Juan Soto in a contract year.
Speaking of contracts, where do the Yankees go from here?
At this point, Gerrit Cole is secured and looks like he will retire in pinstripes barring any unexpected circumstances. As for Soto, his status is currently where he hits baseballs, up in the air.
Bleacher Report is projecting that Soto will receive a 14-year $658 Million contract, which is in the realm of Shohei Ohtani’s contract, valued at $700 Million. Is Soto worth that much? Ohtani can be two players in most years, and not just any two players. A world class pitcher (4th in 2022 Cy Young voting) and hitter (Dodgers record 54 home runs). Not to mention, he’s the first player in the 50-50 club (home runs-stolen bases), and now a World Series Champion and, oh, a 2x MVP winner.
It’s hard to justify paying Soto almost the same as Ohtani, but the Yankees and the rest of the MLB have now seen how valuable he is. Besides the insane stats, he is a leader, a spark to a team, clutch in any moment, and wears pitchers down as he shuffles on them. John Smoltz even joked during the World Series broadcast on FOX that his count should just “start at 3-2″. Another important piece to mention is that Soto is still only 26 years old compared to Ohtani being 29 when he got his payday.
For Soto, his requirements for his future suitors are clear. Money, and winning. He claims in a recent interview, “I don’t have any doors closed. I’m gonna be available for all 30 teams”. Well, not all 30 teams can pay what agent Scott Boras will want
to squeeze out of them. In terms of winning, Soto shares, “I feel like everybody wants to be on a winning team…Even if you don’t make it to the last team standing, you want to be involved in all these [games], so I think that’s one of the biggest things I’m looking for.”
Of all the contenders that could use Soto’s services, it may just come down to the highest bidder. On the topic of money, he said, “It’s a lot of money that people are talking about here and there, but definitely we are going to shake it out.”
Representatives from the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox are rumored to be traveling to California to meet with Soto’s camp so far.
The next question for the Yankees is first base. Rizzo’s option has already been declined so the search has begun. The Yankees could look to Christian Walker, Pete Alonso, or Carlos Santana in the free agent market or pivot towards trades for options such as the A’s Brent Rooker, the Guardians’ former Yankee nemesis Josh Naylor, or the Rays’ Yandy Diaz.
It would also behoove the Yankees to copy the Dodgers who just showed them the importance of a solid bottom of the lineup to set up the hitters up top who make the big money. Guys like Tommy Edman, Kike Hernandez, and Gavin Lux doing their jobs and getting on base was crucial to their success, while the Yankees rolled out lineups of Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells/Jose Treviño, and Alex Verdugo at the bottom who seemed to be automatic outs for the most part.
Other holes to fill for the Yankees include stronger pitching (you can never have too much), third base/second base depending on where you want to put Jazz Chisholm, especially with the possibility of Torres being gone, and possibly another outfielder in left.
However, it all depends on Soto. It’s either Soto and not much else, or no Soto and plugging up a bunch of leaks. Only time will tell how hot the stove is. Hal Steinbrenner can either turn this team into the ‘Evil Empire’ like it once was, or the Yankees can play some ‘Moneyball’.
