SU has been happy with Cashman’s moves so far to replace Juan Soto. Max Fried was a solid signing assuming he can stay healthy and hey, it’s not my money. I also like the Cody Bellinger signing as he is only 30, and playing with the short porch in right field can only help him. His output has declined over the years but playing for his dad’s old team should light a fire under him. His Dad’s claim to fame was being a utility infielder/outfielder for Joe Torre during the glory years. Torre was a fan of resting his top players on Sunday if they won the first two games of a series. The Yankees were always in a position to put Boston away for the season with a sweep but Torre would say, “nah, let’s put in the Clay Bellinger lineup today” and rest 4 regulars. SU estimates that the Yankees lost 90% of those games but I would have to check the stats.

Christian Walker will be signing with the Astros and it has never sounded like the Yankees were interested in Bregman to play third base. They still need to find a 3rd baseman and a 1st baseman although Bellinger can play there for some of the time.

The latest – and very hot rumors this morning – are the Yankees signing Paul Goldschmidt (37 years old and in decline) after a very good career, and then trading for Nolan Arenado, 34 years old, and a gold glover on the Cardinals. Apparently, they are buddies and Arenado, who just turned down a trade to the Astros, might be willing to bring his talents to New York if Goldschmidt signs. Arenado is another guy in decline after some great years in Colorado earlier in his career. He has 3 years left on his contract with the Rockies paying some of the money and the Yankees would be on the hook for $60 million.

SU liked that brief era when the Yankees were trying to get younger and more athletic (I believe that era lasted 38 hours but I would need to go back and check the timeline). It sounds like they are now back to signing aging ballplayers for 1 – 2 year contracts and hoping to get lucky. The risk is that you add two DJ LeMahieus to the roster and then have 3 aging players in decline. Of course, they are all right-handed hitters per usual. Now, they do have Jazz Chisholm, Wells and Bellinger hitting from the left side but it would be nice to have one more bat. That was why Soto was so great for last year.

The other option apparently being explored is Carlos Santana, 38-years old and a good fielder. He will hit .220 and hit some homeruns but would be a 1-year rental type player. Also not inspiring.

Goldschmidt wants a multi-year deal which could torpedo the deal right up front so we will have to see how this unfolds. SU says get younger and more athletic please. And a bit more left-handed as they do play 81 games at Yankee Stadium and last I checked, that fence is pretty close. It does not sound like Pete Alonso is not in the mix but SU is OK with that as he will want a long term deal and is another .230 hitter. There must be some guys out there that hit for average.

Your thoughts? Clearly, the Yankees want to go for it in 2025 as Judge is in his prime, Cole is still an ace and they were close this year.

SU got a kick out of Juan Soto’s remarks at his introductory press conference with the Mets yesterday.  “And at the end of the day, we looked at everything. We looked at the chances, and we looked at what the other teams wanted to do and what everyone wants to do for the next 15 years. And I think we have the best chance over here.”

Translation: Steve Cohen is the owner who will clearly outspend any owner in MLB over the next 15 years. And he is the owner who will spend the most money on me. Even down to the wire, Soto was asking the Yankees to up their offer just a little higher. Sure, Hal would not throw in the free luxury suite for the Soto clan for every home game but SU is sure that was not the deciding factor – at least I don’t think it was. In the end, Steve Cohen offered up a bit more money.

SU has no problem with that. Soto clearly did not appreciate any aura or history playing for the Yankees and all the tradition. SU says it is noteworthy that he did not speak with any of the Yankee players following the end of the season during his free agency. Interesting. Certainly Judge and Stanton would be guys to connect with – maybe even Cole. I think this was in the end, a straight money play – the highest bidder wins and that is fine. Just say it. Time will tell if he is worth it.

As a Yankee fan, I am OK with Soto leaving, and it’s fine that he is going to the Mets. Better to get him out of the American League. For SU, no player is worth this type of money as you can probably slot in 2 – 3 really good players for that cost. While Cohen has an open pocketbook, the revenue taxes are going to be huge for him, and you wonder at what point this becomes not worth it?

In the meantime, the Yankees continue to be linked to everyone: Bregman, Tucker on the Astros, Walker on the Diamondbacks, Bellinger on the Cubs. The Red Sox are interested in Bregman so Cashman must be floating their interest in him to drive up the price for Boston. Cannot see him coming to the Yankees as a right-handed hitter.

SU watched the UConn women’s game vs. Notre Dame last night. Notre Dame has a really good team and led pretty much from start to finish. Note to the NCAA: you really need to upgrade the quality of reffing in the women’s game. It is subpar. Notre Dame plays very aggressive defense and basically forced Paige Bueckers to drive in order to get off her shots. She did not get to the foul line until late in the 4th quarter after taking 21 shots – most of which were drives in the paint. UConn had 1 foul shot mid-way through the 4th quarter. They were letting them play as the saying goes which for a fan is enjoyable but usually the players that take it to the basket are rewarded with some foul shots. Geno Auriemma did not bring it up in his as far as I know but you cannot play that level of handsy defense without getting some calls. It was pretty clear on the telecast to see what was happening. Do better.

Yankee fans: check out the Netflix documentary on the 2004 Red Sox – Yankees ALCS series. While it is painful to watch as a Yankee fan, the former players and coaches/managers are very candid in the interviews, and there were some interesting reveals. SU did not know that many of the Red Sox were doing shots of Jack Daniels in the clubhouse before game 6 at Yankee Stadium – they have film of it. I can only watch this in 30-minute segments as it brings back too many painful memories. The Yankees had some real sluggers on that team but man, the pitching. Paul Quantrill – still a painful memory. Anyway, it is entertaining.

Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees are licking their wounds from losing out on Soto but the vault is now open to sign some free agents to plug the holes on the roster.

Long-time subscriber, S. Safier, shared this article from the New York Post that one of deal breakers for Soto was that the Mets offered up a free luxury suite at Citi Field for his friends and family while Hal only would offer a discount (https://nypost.com/2024/12/09/sports/mets-suite-offer-yankees-didnt-match-helped-sway-juan-sotos-decision/). Echoes of A-Rod for SU. This reinforces the view that Soto is a mercenary and in the end, he was open to the highest bidder. Sure, he liked the personal touch by Cohen to invite him to his LA home as part of the wooing process. Whatever, we move on.

The Yankees made their first bold move by signing Braves’ pitcher, Max Fried, to an 8-year deal for $218 million. SU views him as an excellent starter with an injury history – what can go wrong? Apparently, some of the recent injuries are a bit fluky but you have to wonder about his durability. He will be 38 at the end of this contract. Well, not my money and the Yankees always need more quality starters. SU wishes him well and will hope for the best, but when he has “left forearm stiffness” in late March, I will not be surprised. They can now move Marcus Stroman in a trade as they need to keep Gil and Clarke Schmidt. They may have to trade Cortes instead of Stroman but we will see. They are actually fairly deep with starting pitchers now.

And what’s next? Lots of talk about Christian Walker to play 1st base. Gold glover, 33 years old – the word is a 3-year deal. That is the ideal length of any free agent contract for me. Overpay for the shorter duration. We already have DJ LeMahieu to look at when it comes to diminishing skills as players age into their late 30s. Walker sounds like a good fit although he is a right-handed hitter. Also lots of talk about Cody Bellinger coming from the Cubs in a trade. Long-time subscriber, B. Levine, is convinced the Yankees will trade top prospects for Kyle Tucker on the Astros. The one common thing about Yankee prospects is that they are overrated and overhyped. Something to watch here. SU says stay away from Alex Bregman – not cut out for Yankee Stadium as a right-handed pull hitter.

Hopefully, Cashman will save some of his money for the bullpen. For the Yankees, that has to be a top priority as we know starters rarely go past the 6th inning.

SU notes that former Yankees, Thairo Estrada signed a 1-year deal with the Rockies for $3.2 million. While his average was down in 2024, he can play multiple positions and usually can hit. Not every player has to make $20 million. These are the kind of guys that plug holes when injuries come up and he knows how to put the ball in play. Can we have some of that please? He would have come cheap.

SU expects the spending to continue now for the Yankees and we will see what comes next. It will be quick. Two priorities for me: left-handed hitters who hit for average; and guys who can play in New York or a big market. The swing and miss hitters can stay away. And hey, if they can play defense, we will take that as well.

You all know the quote from the Jerry Maguire movie: “Show me the money!” Well, Steve Cohen did just that for Juan Soto and there is officially a changing of the guard in New York. SU has felt this coming for several weeks now. Soto is just the latest of several stars who have said “no thank you” to Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees. We had Ohtani (twice), Yamamoto, and now Soto.

The Soto defection is especially painful as he played in the Bronx for a full season, won the adoration of the fans and even played in a World Series. From all reports that SU has read, it does appear that Hal backed up the truck with a lot of money to keep Soto in pinstripes – way more than he was likely comfortable with but felt he owed it to the fans. However, Steve Cohen was not going to be outbid, and it would therefore come down to Soto and if playing at Yankee Stadium with the history, championships, aura, etc. was worth literally a few million dollars less than $765 million.

Soto showed he is a mercenary – took the maximum dollars. SU will not knock him for that. For him, the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays – they’re all just MLB Clubs. He wanted the biggest contract of all time – that was the goal. I am sure he will say all the right things at his press conference this week but it’s clear he wanted the money in the end. Credit to him. He was in his walk year and put up huge numbers playing for the Yankees with many, many dramatic moments along the way. A big time player in a big time market.

Time will tell, of course, if he is worth that money in his mid-late 30s. We know those contracts don’t end well. And time will tell if Steve Cohen does not care about paying the luxury taxes each year as he will still need to upgrade the Mets’ roster in a major way. They are far from a finished product. For SU, the bottom line is this: huge, huge get for the Mets, and another instance for the Yankees and Hal of being knocked down a peg.

We now wait to see what Brian Cashman has for his plan B. SU is not optimistic. Do not overpay for the older free agents with long term deals (looking at you Alex Bregman). For a fan, we enjoy watching young players figure it out and become really good players. There is no joy in watching players like Stanton and Rizzo decline over time. It is not inspiring. I do believe Cashman will act quickly now so buckle up.

So, Yankee fans: are you pissed off? Will you boo Soto when he comes to the Bronx? And Met fans: what comes next? Is it too much money? Or do you have bragging rights for the next 15 years?

As MLB’s winter meetings get underway, the consensus opinion is that Juan Soto will be making his decision in the next day or so. What that means is that Soto will decide from which team he will take $700 million for his free agent contract. What makes him so unusual is that he is only 26 years old because he started his Major League career at such a young age. As a result, the team he signs with will be getting a player much younger than your normal free agent, and that team will no doubt get a lot more production over the course of that contract as well.

SU has thought from the beginning that Soto will sign with the Mets. Steve Cohen has the money and he has no problem spending it on his team. This is probably the best investment he can make in a player. Hal Steinbrenner has, apparently, been willing to go as high as $700 million but hard to see Cohen losing out on signing Soto over money. It’s possible Soto will like the idea of playing with Judge for the next 10 years and the short right field porch at Yankee Stadium, and will take a few million less. But Soto is a Scott Boras client and we know how these things usually end – go with the high bidder and call it a day. Supposedly, the Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays are still in the mix.

The good news is that Soto will decide in December so that other teams can make alternative plans now vs. waiting it out right up to Spring Training in 2025. SU says decide and we can all move on. I hope he stays with the Yankees. The dude plays every day, runs out his ground balls hard to 1st base (see Robinson Cano and Gleyber Torres? It is possible to do that), and has a great swing to watch. But you have to figure Cashman has a Plan B ready to go to overpay for middling players, all right handed hitters who will show they cannot perform in NY. Cannot wait!!

SU likes the Mets’ signing of Clay Holmes. He is still only 31 years old and maybe they turn him into a starting pitcher. Even if that does not work out, he is a versatile reliever. Yankee fans hated him but SU notes he tried hard, cared and was a stand-up guy in the locker room win or lose. Worth the gamble and he will surprise people.

SU loved the Michigan win over Ohio State last week despite not having their best players on offense and defense, and playing with a quarterback who can barely complete a pass. SU did not love the flag planting after the game, and the NCAA or Conference Commissioners (who have more power I guess these days) should just outlaw that stuff now. I know we live in a world where you rub your opponent’s face in it if you win (not just talking about sports here of course) but we don’t need it at the college level. Shake hands, celebrate on the field for a few minutes and go celebrate in your locker room. It’s a bad look. You know what is also a bad look? Ryan Day just standing on the fringe of the action instead of trying to break up the fights as his assistants were doing and the Michigan coaches were doing. SU believes he needs to win the natty this year to save his job – if he even wants to stay. The pressure must be intense on both him and his family.

And, by the way, if you lose, learn to lose and take your lumps. Use it as motivation to win next time. SU is old and I am old school on a lot of this. I don’t like the bat flips on the home runs, the 60-second trots around the bases, the taunting of NFL players as they cross the goal line. As the saying goes, “act like you’ve been there before.” What a concept.

The Knicks continue to be a fun watch this year although they have no bench and that will come back to haunt them soon enough as Thibodeau is putting large minutes on the starters early in the season. Not sustainable. Something has to give there with some trades in January and February. Wonder if they could somehow bring back Donte?

Keep an eye on the Djokovic coaching arrangement with Andy Murray for his Australian swing in January. It’s an interesting concept for a player who regularly is screaming at his box during matches. But if you win matches on the margins, perhaps Murray can offer enough small tips to make a difference. Good for the sport either way to give people something else to talk about instead of failed PED tests to top players.