Should We Really Want Juan Soto Back?

I’m still reeling over here. We lost in an ugly way and now I have to listen to Juan Soto run his mouth to earn a disgusting pay day. We gave up a lot to get him in a trade….and then we still lost. So should the Yankees really be willing to pay him a fortune to come back?

Sounds like potential highway robbery to me. Look, would I want Soto back? Sure, all 30 teams want him on the roster. The real question here is….do I want him back at the price he wants? Nope. There’s a limit to everything including Soto. I’m not the only one who agrees.

Look, I don’t live by what Suzyn Waldman says but she’s making some good points, read more HERE. 
“Juan Soto is really something,” Waldman said. “What he is not, is a right fielder … Are you really going to break the bank for Juan Soto and still have to put Aaron Judge in center field? Everyone is so focused on Juan Soto. There are eight other positions on the field that you can’t fill right now … If you don’t fill those positions correctly you’re gonna replay this year.”

Everyone is so focused on Juan Soto and he will be the talk of the winter until some stupid team pays up the a*s for him. Someone will….I just hope it won’t be us. The Yankees really need to think about reinforcing the infield because Anthony Rizzo can’t handle it anymore, DJ LeMahieu is also made of glass and it’s just time to move on from the Gleyber Torres experiment. The infield needs a serious makeover.

You also can’t forget about the outfield. Judge is about to be 33 and he shouldn’t be manning centerfield every night. That’s not the best move. Alex Verdugo started off red hot but became ice cold as the season played on and Trent Grisham just wasn’t a fit. Soto is an outfielder, but Waldman is right he’s not a GREAT fielder. The Yankees already have one outfielder turned DH that can’t play out there regularly in Giancarlo Stanton….the Yankees don’t need another expensive “outfielder” in the mix, especially in the later years of a long term contract that Soto is demanding.

We can’t forget about the pitching. The Yankees need more of it, and better options. Gerrit Cole can’t do it all and I am over the Clay Holmes experiment. If the Yankees are going to make a real run again better quality starters and some strong relievers are necessary, especially to keep up with a strong AL East team like the Baltimore Orioles.

So should the Yankees spend crazy Shohei Ohtani like dollars on Soto? I’m not seeing it. Spending on Soto when they already lost with him on the roster makes no sense. The Yankees are a fundamentally flawed team. They would be better served upgrading the talent at multiple positions. Soto did not save this team, and he won’t save it in the future after he cripples the Yankees financially.

One thing Waldman and I do disagree on….she said if the Yankees don’t fill the needed positions correctly we will replay this year. I disagree with that….because there’s no reason to believe the Yankees will repeat this season with 94 wins and win an American League pennant while other big American League teams fall behind. Not just with Soto.

If Hal was smart, he’s make a good offer and drive up the price for everyone else because the Mets aren’t going to let the Yankees outbid them…..and that’s no hunch. I’m over Soto, the trade didn’t pay off so it’s time to move on.

–Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa