THE New York Yankees take part in game 3 tonight with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a worrying 0-2 hole. The Dodgers offense has outplayed New York at every step thus far, largely due to the ongoing struggles of presumed American League MVP Aaron Judge.

After a regular season for the history books, Judge’s beat a become frozen in October. He was slow in the Yankees’ win over Kansas City, he was slow in the Yankees’ win over Cleveland, and he was particularly bad in the World Series. The Dodgers aren’t exactly loaded with high-end pitchers, but Judge hasn’t figured out what Los Angeles is throwing at him.

Judge is 1 for 9 with six strikeouts so far in this series. For his career, the 32-year-old is now batting .199 with a .436 batting percentage in the postseason. That’s not great for anyone, but particularly disappointing for arguably the best hitter of his generation.

No matter how many accolades Judge accumulates in the regular season, skeptics will continue to blame him for his October struggles. He could turn the narrative around with a dominant performance down the stretch, but there’s no precedent for Judge coming out of a playoff slump. It’s hard to win at the highest level when your best player fades into obscurity under the brightest lights.

This brings us to Juan Soto. These bad games from Judge are especially frustrating for Yankees fans because of how fleeting it all feels. Soto is eligible to enter free agency once the season ends. This might be New York’s only real shot with this core, and blowing it up because of a Judge megafunk would leave a bitter taste in the mouth of Yankees fandom. Not to mention what this means for Soto’s draw this winter: What if Judge’s postseason woes ultimately convince Soto that his best chance at another ring lies elsewhere? Here are some viable landing spots with more reliable superstars.

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Bryce Harper and Juan Soto were once teammates on the Washington Nationals. Actually, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber too. THE Philadelphia Phillies have made a habit of poaching former Nats and winning big as a result. Why not continue the tradition with Soto?

The Phillies are not very eager to outperform the third luxury tax thresholdbut it seems that Dave Dombrowski is still pursuing Juan Soto. He’s too good a player not to, and Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, has deep connections to the Phillies organization. With Harper and Turner on the recruiting front and a solid playoff reputation on the Philadelphia side, it’s not hard to buy into the Phils as Soto’s legitimate dark horse.

It helps that Bryce Harper, even when the rest of Philly’s roster disappears, tends to deliver in October. The Phillies first baseman slashed .333/.529/.750 with a homer and five walks in their NLDS loss to the Mets. The two-time MVP has established himself on this stage several times so far. All that’s missing from Harper’s solid resume is a World Series crown, which Soto can help win.

The Yankees are obviously great and Philadelphia is not without its flaws. But the Yankees offense has felt terribly dependent on a few power bats all season. And all playoffs. With Judge going down, it’s just Soto and Giancarlo Staton propping up a mediocre collection of misfit plays. The Phillies have talent across the board, with several All-Star bats around Harper already. Soto would join more of a collective effort.

Philadelphia also has the best pitching staff in the National League, which is a nice boost. If the Phillies can actually make a competitive offer for the four-time All-Star, Soto would be foolish not to consider it.

If the Yankees cannot convince Soto to stay, the New York Mets I definitely feel like the favorite to land him. It’s a short drive across town, for example, and Mets owner Steve Cohen has the deepest pockets in baseball. It helps that we just saw the Mets in the NLCS, proof positive that this high-priced roster can win with the right manager.

The Mets could lose several critical free agents this winter, but Soto would guarantee New York a competitive position in the loaded NL East. Battling the Braves and Phillies all season is no easy feat, but New York would have arguably the best one-two punch in the National League with Soto and Francisco Lindor, who is projected to finish second in MVP voting.

Lindor has always been excellent, but this was his breakthrough campaign. The 30-year-old shortstop rose to the top of the Mets’ lineup and exploded, which continued into a productive postseason. He slashed .275/.387/.490 with two homers, six extra-base hits and 10 walks in 13 games in October. The Mets ultimately came up short against a loaded Dodgers team, but not for lack of effort on Lindor’s part, and Soto would be as big a boost as the team could hope to provide.

A ton of money is one thing, but it’s hard to imagine Soto leaving the World Series-contending Yankees for a losing team. The Mets’ October was exactly what they needed to successfully pitch Soto, who would never lack support with a five-tool superstar of Lindor’s caliber in the lineup.

The idea of ​​Juan Soto going to Los Angeles Dodgers should terrify the rest of the league. It’s bad for baseball, honestly. Hal Steinbrenner, Steve Cohen and John Middleton should all find it in themselves to outbid Los Angeles at all costs. Soto has experience on the West Coast with the Padres and there undeniable attraction to join a lineup already made up of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

We can almost never count on Los Angeles when it comes to high-profile free agents. Ohtani’s historic $700 million contract came with equally historic postponements, allowing this front office to mull over another investment of unusual magnitude before Ohtani even gets a full season at his active.

The Dodgers are two wins away from a World Series, and Soto knows how intimidating the Los Angeles lineup is, especially when their pitching staff is carrying water. The Dodgers weren’t expected to pitch well in October, but Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler all dug deep for heroic starts while the bullpen was lights out. Next season, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani will join the rotation, while free agents like Max Fried will as well. on the Dodgers radar.

So going to the Dodgers almost seems unfair. Baseball is wild and unpredictable – repeat champions aren’t exactly a common occurrence – but if it happens, well… we could be talking about the greatest dynasty since the Cincinnati Reds‘ Big Red Machine in the 70s.