The biggest offseason questions facing the Yankees after World Series collapse

The Yankees’ play came to a bitter extremity connected Wednesday, arsenic the Dodgers won the World Series successful 5 games pursuing a 7-6, Game 5 triumph successful the Bronx.

As a quiescent stadium watched successful agony, the Yankees returned to their clubhouse. Now an offseason afloat of questions awaits.

Prior to Game 4 connected Tuesday, Aaron Boone said that helium had yet to sermon his aboriginal with the Yankees. However, they didn’t regenerate their astir recognizable shot-callers aft the squad failed to marque the playoffs successful 2023, truthful it’s hard to ideate Boone volition beryllium dismissed aft the franchise’s archetypal travel to the World Series since 2009.

“I’m surely blessed to person him arsenic our manager,” Brian Cashman said of Boone during the ALDS.

Cashman is nether declaration done the 2026 season, portion the Yankees person a nine enactment connected Boone.

With those 2 expected to enactment put, let’s look astatine immoderate of the much uncertain questions the Yankees volition person to reply this offseason.

Will Juan Soto stay?

This question has hung implicit the Yankees’ heads ever since they acquired Soto from the Padres past December.

Cashman pulled the trigger connected that blockbuster knowing that Soto could beryllium a one-year rental and that helium was poised to ink a monstrous woody successful escaped agency. Only 26 years old, Soto is expected to motion for much than $500 cardinal this offseason.

Will the Yankees beryllium the ones to onshore his signature? Time volition tell, arsenic the Mets are besides expected to participate the sweepstakes. Other suitors could see the Nationals – Soto’s archetypal squad – and Blue Jays. There’s besides been mixed reports implicit whether the Dodgers volition get involved.

Soto seemed to bask beingness arsenic a Yankee successful 2024. He clicked with fans, acceptable into the clubhouse, and had 1 of his champion seasons portion hitting successful beforehand of Aaron Judge. However, Scott Boras clients are often seen arsenic top-dollar chasers, and Yankees proprietor Hal Steinbrenner has shown that helium has limits.

“Every subordinate wants to beryllium blessed wherever they are, but astatine the extremity of the day, whenever you win, you’re truly gonna beryllium happy,” Soto said earlier the World Series began. “So wherever you are that you person a accidental to triumph a shot crippled oregon a championship, I deliberation you’re gonna beryllium blessed and you’re gonna beryllium excited to play.”

Are immoderate different imaginable escaped agents worthy keeping?

Several different Yankees are oregon could beryllium heading for escaped agency. That radical includes Gleyber Torres, Clay Holmes, Alex Verdugo and Anthony Rizzo, though Rizzo has a $17 cardinal squad option.

All 4 players had disappointing regular seasons, and Torres, Holmes and Verdugo were often targets for fans arsenic they struggled. Rizzo, meanwhile, is past his premier aft 2 injury-plagued campaigns, but he’s besides a person successful the Yankees’ clubhouse and choky with Judge.

“I emotion playing here,” Rizzo said earlier Game 4. “I emotion being a Yankee. I emotion what comes with it. I emotion the modular that has been acceptable present from each the generations, the large Yankees successful the past. Yeah, this could precise good beryllium it. I’m a realist. I’m not naive to it.”

Of the players mentioned here, Rizzo astir apt has the champion accidental of returning, though each person said they’d similar to travel back.

What volition the payroll look like?

Steinbrenner has said that having a $300 cardinal payroll is “simply not sustainable” for the Yankees. That constituent tin beryllium argued, but the proprietor seems intent connected trimming his fund this offseason.

Perhaps the Yankees’ World Series shortcomings unit a recalculation, but keeping the payroll down and re-signing Soto volition unit the Yankees to get originative with the remainder of the roster.

It could precise good mean supplementing the radical with younger, cheaper players, peculiarly astatine archetypal base, 2nd basal and near field.

How volition Judge respond to a wintertime afloat of criticism?

Judge heard plentifulness of disapproval passim the playoffs and World Series, arsenic helium endured yet different hard postseason. Fans were harsh connected the presumptive MVP, and the skipper adjacent said helium felt similar helium fto the Yankees down.

After disappearing erstwhile it mattered astir — the halfway fielder deed his archetypal World Series homer successful Game 5 — Judge volition surely perceive much disapproval passim the offseason and adjacent adjacent year. He could enactment unneurotic different monstrous regular season, but fans volition wonderment what he’ll bash erstwhile the brightest lights are on.

“I deliberation we each privation him to bash good because, archetypal and foremost, of who helium is to everyone successful this enactment and successful that room,” Boone said. “That’s besides the terms of playing successful the arena and playing precocious stakes, large league sports. No one’s amended to grip it than him.”