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A mixed bag of emotions coming to you tonight—anger, sadness, frustration, denial, and angst. The past few weeks of rumors were antagonizing enough, and now, fifteen years of Mets fans being insufferable is the rotten cherry on top. We were robbed of the Soto-Judge duo, and one year was not enough.
Scott Boras embarrassed the Yankees. Steve Cohen flexed his wallet. Aaron Judge failed the team. The Yankees brass was left with their pants around their ankles. And now, Juan Soto has become public enemy number one.
Yes, on the surface, it seems like a minor difference—just a year—but behind the curtain, it was a deal worth over $800 million, none of it deferred. I’m sorry, but Juan Soto is not worth that. No player is. My perspective might be different if he were still in pinstripes, but these numbers are too staggering to ignore. The Yankees dodged a bullet.
Ultimately, you can’t blame Hal Steinbrenner. If the reports are accurate, the money was there. The blame falls squarely on Boras, the agent from Hell, and Juan Soto, who clearly doesn’t care about his legacy. He never wanted to play second fiddle to Aaron Judge, despite the fact that his contract would’ve outlasted Judge's tenure. There was a real chance for Soto to become the next Yankees captain, have his number retired in Monument Park, and go down as a Hall of Fame Yankee legend. But instead, he chose to spend the next 15 years in Queens.
I could go on about how this is an overpay, how his defense is terrible, how he’s likely to follow in the footsteps of Robinson Cano once regression hits, and how he’s actually 30, not 26. But what’s the point? None of that changes anything. He chose the cross-town rivals and secured the highest contract in American sports history. Good for him, but thanks for nothing.
Now, it’s time for the Yankees to pivot. Part of me believes they have a plan; they just showed the world that there’s money to be spent, and they cannot afford to be embarrassed again. But the other part of me is a pessimist, and I fear that the money was only set aside for Juan Soto.
So what's next?
There are plenty of holes to fill and questions to answer. Does Gleyber Torres return? What about Alex Verdugo? I doubt it. Are there bigger fish in the market? Where? There are names out there, but it's going to be hard to figure out.
I do believe the Yankees have a Plan B, but for us fans, there wasn’t a reality where this actually happened. Take this with a grain of salt, as I’m just an emotional Yankees fan, not a professional general manager. But if I had the keys to the castle for one day, my first order of business would be to send one right back at Steve Cohen: Pete Alonso. That takes care of your first base issue. Some may call it sloppy, but Christian Walker is older, and what’s the alternative? Sign Teoscar Hernández or take a swing at Cody Bellinger. If they want to try and grab Nico Hoerner while shopping in Chicago, go for it. The argument is that you can’t replace Juan Soto’s bat, but you’re going to have to try. At the very least, double down on pitching if that’s the case. Here’s my ideal lineup and rotation—likely drastic and emotional, but that's where I stand.
RF - Aaron Judge
CF - Cody Bellinger
LF - Jason Dominguez
1B - Pete Alonso
2B - Nico Hoerner
SS - Anthony Volpe
3B - Jazz Chisholm
DH - Giancarlo Stanton
C - Austin Wells
SP - Gerrit Cole
SP - Corbin Burnes
SP - Max Fried
SP - Luis Gil
SP - Clarke Schmidt
You find ways to move Carlos Rodón. You dump Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes. You cut ties with DJ LeMahieu before it becomes another Josh Donaldson or Aaron Hicks situation.
Realistic? I have no idea, but the years of waiting are over. Judge, Cole, and Stanton are all getting older. You were just embarrassed twice in the same season. Losing cannot be an option any longer. You can’t go back in time, but all these issues we face ultimately come down to one move. We would have NEVER been in this position if the Yankees had signed Bryce Harper. Don’t let us down now, Hal.
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