Yankees blow it, Lose world series to Dodgers, 4-1. What does this mean for soto?
OF Aaron Judge drops ball in the outfield on an error, via James Lang/Imagn Images
Roll the end credits. The Yankees 2024 campaign will end in a 4-1 World Series defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The team melted down when the lights were bright. This season summed up the entire Aaron Boone-Brian Cashman tenure in one week: a very talented yet terribly flawed fundamental team that is poorly managed. After going down 3-0 in the series, the Yankees gave their fans hope with an 11-4 victory to stay alive. However, in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium, the hope for a comeback only became stronger after an electric beginning to the game. The Yanks jumped into a 5-0 lead after home runs from OF MVP Aaron Judge, 3B Jazz Chisholm, and DH Giancarlo Stanton. It was incredible. While the offense erupted, Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole was dealing. The fanbase was looking towards a Game 6 in LA and what could be the greatest comeback in sports history. That was all until the greatest comeback in a World Series game would occur when the Dodgers scored a momentum-killing five runs in the 5th inning to tie the game.
The Dodgers would go into win the game as the Yankees would collapse and not be able to, mentally, get themselves back in the game. The impressive up-and-down 2024 season would end in a Dodgers World Series championship ceremony in Yankee Stadium with Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” playing in the background. This series was a terrible way to end the 2024 season. This would also be John Sterling’s last game as the Yankees commentator, and he would label what the team did as a “Disgrace,” I don’t think anybody else could label this differently. It was precisely that. A monumental collapse.
The team has already guaranteed another managing season for Aaron Boone, even after his many blunders, including the decision to put in Nestor Cortes Jr. over Tim Hill when Cortes hadn’t pitched in a game rehabbing from injury in over a month. This could also be Juan Soto’s last game as a Yankee, which is sad because of his impact on this team. His agent is Scott Boras, which already makes contract negotiations difficult. Boras is coming off an embarrassing offseason where he had to settle for minuscule deals for Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, and J.D. Martinez. This offseason is crucial. The Yankees cannot afford to lose Soto to the Mets or Dodgers. Mets Owner Steven Cohen will be licking his chops for Soto and will offer him the money. In my opinion, the Dodgers are bluffing. I don’t think they have the money to acquire him, and I think Soto has too much self-respect to join the team that beat him. However, he said he’s going wherever the biggest offer is, and any team has a chance. He will go as a hired mercenary without loyalty or discount to the Yankees. Gerrit Cole will has done so too, as he opted out of his contract. The Yankees could void this by adding the extra year and guaranteeing him $36M annually for the remainder of the contract. What a Yankee fan Gerrit is! The team also needs a 1B, and I’d like to give Ben Rice a shot; however, so much talent is available in the offseason. Mets Pete Alonso, D-Backs Christian Walker, and Cardinals Paul Goldschmidt are free agents. They have to make an offer. If the Dodgers acquired and paid for all that talent last offseason, and it amounted to a championship, the New York Yankees could do the same. The Boss would. This team needs to make moves and win a championship, it feels like they’re running out of time.
