DALLAS — Now what?
The Yankees learned Sunday night that their last and highest offer ($760 million over 2016) wasn't enough to bring Juan Soto back to the Bronx.
The player most often compared to Ted Williams will spend the next 15 seasons in Queens, assuming his opt-out is denied or revoked.
The Yankees are down one generational superstar and have a lot of questions, including:
Will they repurpose that $760 million for other players in 2025?
There are plenty of precedents, most recently the Yankees splitting $458 million between Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, and Masahiro Tanaka after losing Robinson Cano after the 2013 season.
I expect them to do the same, and expect some good to very good players to make up for the loss of one all-time player.
Still, after Hal Steinbrenner, who approved his first salary of more than $300 million last season, reiterated that it was not sustainable for Yankees ownership to continue at this level, It is unlikely that he will greenlight a $60 million winter contract. It would be reasonable to assume that such a large sum of money could only be given to a 26-year-old Soto.
The Mets surpassed the Yankees and set a new financial standard in sports. Are the Mets the new Yankees and the Yankees the new Mets?
Yes and no.
The only team that spent more money than the Yankees last season was the Mets.
The Yankees offered Soto $47.5 million over 16 seasons, an offer that would have been history without Steve Cohen.
Follow The Post's coverage of Juan Soto's historic blockbuster deal with the Mets.
Yes, the Mets are sports' new financial juggernaut.
No, the Yankees aren't cheap.
What should Yankees fans think about Soto?
Some may understand that free agents typically go to the highest bidder.
I'm sure many more saw the Yankees make offers in the same stratosphere and get turned down.
From day one as a Yankee, Soto was a Bronx darling who could do no wrong (and did very little wrong).
The next time he appears at his old club will be May 16, 2025, and he will likely be treated as a traitor.
Is this a blessing in disguise?
of course. Huge contracts frequently go south.
Soto is not just a genius fielder or runner, but a supremely genius hitter who will eventually become a designated hitter.
The contract could become an albatross with an injury or two.
What do the final six seasons of Mike Trout's blockbuster look like?
The Yankees' 2025 hopes look even bleaker, but a smart move to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars would still make them a World Series threat.
They don't have long to recover after a gut punch like this.
