Now that we’ve had the weekend and then some to sleep it off, let’s accept it and say it out loud: The New York Yankees got absolutely washed in the World Series courtesy of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Be it awful fundamentals or lack of timely hitting, don’t count on this being an October one-off in the Bronx. General manager Brian Cashman and a whole new generation of Yankees fans had a taste of the World Series for the first time since 2009. Now, they’re craving a full serving.
But the Yankees can’t just run it back. Complacency is a killer, and the team’s complete lack of basic fielding skills proves it. There needs to be addition, subtraction, and a little bit of in-house work.
Luckily for Cashman, his roadmap back to October isn’t all that complicated.
Re-sign Juan Soto. Talk about a contract year for the ages. Soto was acquired from the Padres last winter and turned in a career season in pinstripes. Soto hit .288 with 41 home runs—a new personal best—and his 180 wRC+ ranked second in the American League behind teammate and likely MVP Aaron Judge. Soto also hit .327 with four homers in the playoffs, including a pennant-clinching three-run blast in the ALCS.
Soto has said he’s “open to listen to every single team,” and he could easily score close to $700 million. Turning 26 during the World Series helps too. But with the crosstown rival New York Mets as the only true competition for Juan Soto, Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner can’t afford to be outbid by Steve Cohen.
The man was the Yankees’ difference-maker in 2024. In the Bronx, that should be enough for a blank check.
Bring back some familiar faces. First things first, the Dodgers supposedly preferring a team over its lack of fundamentals is a non-story. Sure, LA could have put in its Yankees scouting report that New York was prone to playing sloppy, but that’s it. Teams rarely build an entire gameplan simply waiting for an opponent to cut corners into a mistake. Not to mention that, despite being seventh-worst in MLB with 93 errors, the Yankees ranked second in fielding run value (FRV) at +36.
The real problem, rather, is that the Yankees’ mistakes both in the field and on the bases often happened at the worst times. That indicates a lack of focus, which means some new coaches are needed. Start by letting first base and infield coach Travis Chapman go, and then hire Staten Island Ferryhawks manager and former Yankee infielder Homer Bush in his place.
As for third base, each of Rojas’ bad sends looks worse than the last. New York needs someone who understands outfield depth, arm strengths, and has a better idea of when to be aggressive. It will probably never happen, but this could be a quick ticket to getting Brett Gardner back in the clubhouse. In fact, we’ve speculated that very thing!
Who leads the lineup’s lower half? The Dodgers barely hit above .200 in the World Series, but it was obvious their lineup was far deeper than their AL counterparts’. New York had the same problem in October as it did all season: The top of the lineup did the lion’s share of work, and the lower half was just kind of there.
With or without Soto, the Yankees need to address this weakness. What path do they take, especially with Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres hitting free agency? Filling Torres’ void is simple, just shift Jazz Chisholm Jr. over from third, but the rest is more complicated. Even if Chisholm stays at the hot corner, a lot could be asked of rookie Ben Rice and youngsters Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza.
The goal is simple: Who in the Yankees lineup is going to be the Kiké Hernandez in the big moments? Who below the mammoth swings of Judge, Soto, and Giancarlo Stanton can come through with everything on the line? Will likely cleanup hitter Austin Wells take another step forward, or will Rice prove a shocking surprise?
Maybe the answer is on the trade or free agency market, but Cashman should view this with almost as much urgency as re-signing Soto.
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