The morning after: Why losing out on Juan Soto was blessing in disguise for Yankees

After weeks and weeks of waiting, the worst-case scenario came to pass on Sunday night for the New York Yankees, when Juan Soto opted to take a 15-year, $765 million contract with the crosstown Mets. Sure, losing Soto to a division rival like the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays would've stung, and made the path to another AL East crown all the more difficult. But this was something more existential: It's now Steve Cohen, not the Steinbrenners, who have the deepest pockets, and at this point it's looking like the Mets, not the big, bad Yankees, are in position to run New York for the foreseeable future.

That sort of paradigm shift stings, as does the thought of not getting to watch Soto in pinstripes for the next decade and a half. But the sun still rose on Monday morning, and as the shock wears off, Yankees fans might start to realize that their team dodged a bullet when Soto opted to take the Mets' money. Let's make the case.

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Yankees have other holes they need to fill

While the Yankees' reported final offer had a total value of just $5 million less than the contract Soto signed with the Mets, that doesn't mean New York was $5 million away from bringing him back. It's clear that Cohen was going to stop at nothing to get his man, and with a net worth of more than $20 billion, who knows how high the number would have eventually gotten?

The fact is that it would've taken a massive, massive deal to re-sign the outfielder, the sort of deal that would have had serious ramifications for the rest of Brian Cashman's offseason plan. Which is a problem: Because for as sensational as Soto is, the World Series made clear that New York needs upgrades in several places if it wants to be a true title contender. The bullpen needs a total overhaul. The rotation is full of question marks, from injuries to inexperience. There are holes at first base and second base, and even if Soto came back, that still wouldn't solve the problem that Aaron Judge simply can't be a full-time center fielder at age 33.

Maybe the Yankees could've addressed two or three of those areas in free agency after signing Soto for, say, $800 million. But given what Hal Steinbrenner has said about the team's budget, that sort of contract almost certainly would've ruled out an ace like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried, or an infielder like Alex Bregman, or even a trade target with a hefty price tag like Cody Bellinger. The dopamine high of a Soto deal would be sweet, but the team that actually takes the field on Opening Day 2025 would have been as lopsided as the 2024 version.

Soto's contract will become an albatross at some point

Soto's deal technically includes an opt-out after the 2029 season, but given the salary escalators that will kick in after that, it's almost a guarantee that he won't exercise it — and that he'll be a Met for the rest of his Major League career. The deal will take Soto into his early 40s, and New York is well aware that the player he is toward the end of it won't be anything like the player he is in his prime. That's the nature of free agency, and the bargain you make to get a game-changer like Soto in your lineup.

But what if there's more risk here beyond just the usual age curve? Soto is still just 26, ostensibly years away from any sort of meaningful decline in athleticism. But this is a player who's already making cringe-worthy plays in the outfield on a consistent basis; it won't take much slippage for him to become a full-time first baseman or DH. Soto is a historically awesome hitter, but there's very, very little margin for error here: If he gets hurt, or if he becomes even 80 percent the offensive player he's been, suddenly things could get dicey.

You can certainly argue that's a good problem to have, and the Yankees have their work cut out for them to build a World Series contender in 2025 and beyond. There are paths available, though, and you can easily make the case that New York's roster will be in a healthier place overall thanks to coming in second.