When the Yankees’ 2023 campaign ended with the regular season in Kansas City, Aaron Judge and teammates stared out at Kauffman Stadium’s field.
By not making the playoffs, they knew they had failed in epic fashion. And so they lingered, delaying the start of an early offseason for a few dejected moments.
“I think that’s what fueled a lot of guys to go out there and say, ‘Hey, I don’t want to have this feeling again,’” Judge said after the Yankees won this year’s ALDS in Kansas City.
The Yankees’ captain said that amidst a champagne celebration. An additional party followed after the team beat down on another inferior AL Central opponent, the Guardians, in the ALCS.
The good times ended with the World Series, though, as the Yankees turned out to be the second-class club.
Facing a formidable Dodgers team, the Yankees lost the Fall Classic in just five games on Wednesday night. After capitalizing on the Bombers’ nightmarish defensive fifth inning, Los Angeles overcame a 5-0 deficit, ultimately won 7-6, and celebrated its second championship since 2020 on Yankee Stadium’s turf.
“I’m heartbroken,” a somber Aaron Boone said. “It doesn’t take away my pride of what that room means to me and what that group forged this year and what we’ve been through to get here. But I’m heartbroken. I’m heartbroken, and I’m heartbroken for those guys that poured so much into this. The ending is cruel. It always is.”
As the Dodgers’ own party moved to the visitor’s clubhouse in the Bronx, that undesirable, familiar feeling returned to the Yankees. Yet again, they failed to achieve their annual mission of winning a championship.
“I think falling short in the World Series will stick with me until I die,” Judge said.
Yes, the Yankees came much closer to their true goal in 2024 than they did in 2023 and all the years between now and their last title in 2009. But this group often appeared less than championship caliber — few teams looked the part this year — especially after the month of May.
Sloppy defense, bad baserunning and untimely hitting burdened the Yankees throughout an up-and-down regular season, even as they won the American League East and a pennant. Those same problems reared their ugly heads this October, especially in the World Series.
On Wednesday, Judge, Anthony Volpe, Anthony Rizzo and Gerrit Cole all contributed to errors or defensive miscues in the fifth inning, sparking the Dodgers’ comeback.
“You can’t give a good team like that extra outs,” said Judge, who made the first error of the inning. “It starts with me there with the line drive coming in.”
While Judge hit his first World Series homer earlier in the game, his persistent postseason struggles didn’t help either.
All season, the captain established himself as the league’s MVP while forming baseball’s deadliest duo alongside Juan Soto, acquired from the Padres over the offseason as a possible rental and the hopeful piece that would put the Yankees over the top.
While Soto shined in the postseason — at the plate, anyway — Judge mostly crumbled, hitting .184.
With their season ending in sorrow, the Yankees now face an offseason full of question marks.
Boone is expected to return — the manager said his future had yet to be discussed, but he has a club option for 2025 — so Soto will dominate the team’s winter.
Only 26, the superstar is headed for free agency. With figures like $500 million and $600 million being thrown around, Hal Steinbrenner will have to pony up if he wants to retain the generational hitter.
“I’m really happy with the city, with the team, how these guys do, but at the end of the day, we will see,” Soto said. “We’re going to look at every situation, every offer that we get, and take the decision from there.”
At the same time, Steinbrenner has made it known that he wants to keep the Yankees’ payroll under $300 million next year. With a handful of other veterans potentially hitting the open market — including Gleyber Torres, Clay Holmes, Alex Verdugo and Anthony Rizzo — that will require supplementing the roster with younger, cheaper players if Soto is re-signed.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that Soto goes elsewhere.
He’s seemed to enjoy his time in pinstripes, assimilating to the clubhouse, forming a connection with fans, and reveling in the spotlight that comes with New York City.
Judge, who has been through free agency before, said that Soto should “enjoy the process,” as other high-rollers are going to pursue the Scott Boras client. Meanwhile, Steinbrenner has shown that he has limits.
After coming up short in the World Series, the owner may have to reconsider that approach, as the Yankees would not have made it this far without Soto. Both sides surely realize that.
The Yankees must also realize that simply keeping the slugger won’t be enough, not after the Dodgers nearly swept them off baseball’s biggest stage.
There’s no denying that 2024 was a season of immense progress for the Yankees. But as they fell flat in the World Series, it became clear that better still isn’t good enough.