New York Yankees They suffered a sobering blow in the World Series and looked completely outmatched by the opposition. Los Angeles Dodgers. Now comes a major offseason defined by the free agency of four-time All-Star Juan Soto. Presumed to finish third in AL MVP voting, Soto’s next contract could go beyond Shohei Ohtani $700 million high water mark.

That alone is enough to send the Yankees’ front office into a tailspin. full panic. Many teams will make competitive offers for Soto, who offers unparalleled offensive power and longevity at 26 years old. Intercity New York Mets They are frequently cited as the favorites to pluck Soto out of the Bronx. Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue JaysAnd The Dodgers all loom as viable landing spots.

The Yankees face a seemingly dual decision. Let Cole go or pay him $180 million over the next five years, taking on the 10th year and $36 million of his historic contract. At this point it’s clear what the Yankees are up to. should do To do. Cole is among the best pitchers in MLB, and his contributions to New York’s success are immense. However, with Soto’s huge contract on the horizon and several more affordable pitchers available in free agency, we could see the Yankees bidding farewell to a key contributor.

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It would be much easier for Cole to join, but the Yankees will face the consequences of his potential departure. Paying more than $36 million for Cole’s age-38 season doesn’t seem ideal, but you’re paying for production up front. If Cole has a few more seasons at the Cy Young level in the tank, the Yankees can afford to overpay for Cole in his final years.

However, after years of reliability, Cole has floundered this season. He was limited to 17 regular season starts due to injury, and as a result his production was not always up to his (extremely high) standards. Cole had a strong postseason performance, including four no-hitters in New York’s Game 5 victory over Los Angeles in the World Series, but the seeds of doubt were planted. Enough to complicate the Yankees’ decision here.

There’s a world where Cole opts out, hits the market, and re-signs with a more favorable contract in New York, but that seems far-fetched. Cole would not have withdrawn if he did not believe more important offers were on the table. Pitch has never been in greater demand, and several big-spending contestants would be tripping over each other to get a pitch sheet on Cole’s desk first.

The Yankees can’t afford to let Cole go, but making $180 million over the next five years and doling out more than $700 million to Juan Soto could be a tall order for a front office that has spent all season talking about it. reduce costs.

Don’t blame Yankees fans for starting to think about potential changes. Blake Snell affiliated with the Yankees Last season. Max Fried is up for grabs. Roki Sasaki could provide ace-level value on a minor league contract. There are ways to replace Cole, or at least fill the bottomless void left by his absence.

Let’s see how everything will develop. Sorry Yankees fans, but we won’t have much time to de-stress after a bitter World Series loss.