Bill Madden: Yankees’ fatal flaws exposed in World Series loss to Dodgers

To the Yankee legions licking their wounds from their heroes’ ignominious pratfall in the just completed “Checkbook World Series” with the Dodgers, when putting it in perspective their season must still be considered a success. After all, who among them wouldn’t have signed up for a season that ended up with their first World Series in 15 years?

For that they can thank the sea of mediocrity the American League was this year, making way for possibly the worst Yankee team to ever make the World Series. As horrific as that Game 5 fifth inning was, it was not something out of character for this Yankee team that has been one of the most fundamentally and defensively challenged teams in baseball for quite a while now but this year was able to mask those flaws with a major league leading 237 homers and a whole lot of inferior teams in the AL. I would submit that, besides the Dodgers, there were at least three other National League teams — the Padres, Phillies and (when healthy) the Braves — who were better than the Yankees. And once the Astros and Orioles were eliminated in the AL Division series, the Yankees never had an easier path to the World Series than this year.

This is the dilemma facing Brian Cashman and the Yankee high command: The half full picture is that they finally achieved their yearly goal of going to the World Series. The half empty is they haven’t been able to correct the flaws that have plagued them for years and now they have to figure out how to retain Juan Soto, who hit 41 of those 237 homers but is also a below average defender in right field. They desperately need Soto’s power bat, but they almost just as badly need to clean up their act defensively and on the basepaths.

Through his surrogates in the media, Soto’s agent Scott Boras has already floated the $700 million figure as the benchmark for his client. No matter what, it’s going to be another 10-12 year contract that will probably greatly surpass Aaron Judge’s $40 million per annum, even though Judge was a homegrown Yankee and a superior all-around player than Soto. That’s why if I were the Yankees I would offer Soto a contract slightly more than Judge’s and then see what clubs would be willing to top that. Where does it say that Soto is worth $10 million more a year than Judge?

Maybe Steve Cohen will, but I’m not so sure the Mets are going to be in on Soto and here’s why: David Stearns is a tried and true analytics man and one of the principal tenets of analytics is to eschew these crazy 10-12 year contracts that never work out beyond the first 6-7 years when the player reaches his mid-30s. Without Soto, the Mets finished sixth in the major in homers this year and seventh in runs. Stearns’ top priority this winter is starting pitching and it’s no secret he would like to achieve a reunion with his former Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes.

It would not be at all surprising if, instead of investing $50 million a year on one player, Stearns opts to spend that money on 2-3 players on shorter-term contracts from among Burnes, Max Fried, Christian Walker, Yusei Kikuchi, and re-signing Sean Manaea (which they’re reportedly already working on). There is also the matter of fan favorite Pete Alonso, who is not a favorite of Stearns’ analytics group. For how much do the Mets want him back?

Even though out of necessity Soto remains their top priority, the Yankees likewise need to be thinking about a Plan B without him, especially after he didn’t exactly express a whole lot of loyalty to them at the end of the World Series when, in true Borasonian speak, he said he was going to look at every offer he gets and will be open to every team. They, too, should be considering how they could spread that $50 million on 2-3 other players on shorter term contracts with an eye on filling the hole at first base (Alonso? Walker?) and improving their defense (Tyler O’Neill?)

With nearly $58 million coming off the payroll in free agents Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, Clay Holmes, Alex Verdugo  and Tommy Kahnle, the Yankees will have the money to sign Soto (for next year’s payroll purposes anyway). If Cohen decides not to get in on Soto, it’s uncertain as to just how high his market will go. But even if they are able to re-sign him, it doesn’t address the deeper problems with this Yankee team.