Where Do The Yankees Turn After Disappointing World Series Exit?

The city of New York — specifically the borough of the Bronx — is understandably morose on Halloween. Less than 24 hours prior, the Yankees blew a five-run lead and were unceremoniously bounced by the Los Angeles Dodgers. A somber Juan Soto sat in the dugout, with his helmet on, watching as LA celebrated on the field.

It was truly a gut-wrenching game for the Yankees. Every ideal aspect was lining up for the team to push this World Series to a Game 6 in Los Angeles. Gerrit Cole was working on a no-hitter into the fifth inning. Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Aaron Judge had all homered. The crowd was in a frenzy, and there was a path for the Yankees to potentially shock everyone by becoming the first team to overcome a 3-0 World Series deficit.

Alas, a comedy of errors ensued in the fifth inning. Cole failed to cover the first base bag on a slow grounder to first base which would’ve gotten the Yankees out of a bases-loaded jam. Prior to that, Judge dropped a routine fly ball in center field. Anthony Volpe made a throwing error on a play when he was moving to his right to throw out Enrique Hernandez at third base. All of the errors were finished off by a two-run single by World Series MVP Freddie Freeman, and a bases-clearing double by Teoscar Hernandez. Both hits came with two outs and two strikes.

While the Yankees scratched across a run-off Brusdar Graterol, the Dodgers came back and scored the two-game-deciding runs off reliever Tommy Kahnle. Walker Buehler came in the 9th inning to close the door and end the Yankees’ hopes of making this a real series.

There were a few things quite clear after analyzing this series. For one, the Dodgers were the better team in virtually all facets. This included the bullpen, roster depth, starting rotation production, fielding the baseball properly, baserunning, hitting with runners in scoring position, and the managing by Dave ‘Doc’ Roberts. LA did all of the little things to ensure the franchise’s eighth World Series title.

From here, where do the Yankees go?

Of course, everything this offseason will revolve around Soto. Losing in the World Series was bad enough. Potentially getting out-bid in the Soto sweepstakes by the Mets is something this franchise simply cannot have happened. Comparatively speaking, the Mets appear to have a brighter future as things stand. The Yankees are an aging roster with some real deficiencies defensively and athletically. The Mets have Francisco Lindor to build around on top of budding star Mark Vientos and a host of young players currently on the roster and those ready to leap up from the Minor Leagues.

From an optics standpoint, the Yankees cannot lose Soto under any circumstances. He would be the future of the Yankees franchise, and someone they could rely upon for the next decade-plus. Soto was the best player in the postseason for this team, and he is without a doubt among the better players in the sport. The Yankees have to do everything in their power to keep him — even if that involves overspending.

As for the rest of the roster, it needs to get younger. Anthony Rizzo will likely walk in free agency. Gleyber Torres had his moments as the lead-off hitter. However, his lack of range coupled with a host of perplexing moments likely makes him expendable. Giving him an extension probably isn’t ideal for the future of the franchise. The bullpen will have to be addressed. Tim Hill, Tommy Kahnle, Clay Holmes, and Jonathan Loaisiga are all free agents. This is also the case for the team’s starting LF Alex Verdugo.

The Yankees truly need less slug and more contact in their lineup. Getting guys that are more athletic in the mold of Volpe and Chisholm Jr. makes sense as the team modernizes with the rest of baseball. From a fielding standpoint, the team could opt for a more defensive option/base stealer in the outfield rather than someone known for a hit tool.

With the pressure of not winning a World Series in nearly 20 years, in addition to the way New York crashed out of the playoffs this year, it will be fascinating to see how Brian Cashman and company try to best improve the ballclub.