THE New York Yankees were dealt a major blow in the World Series, looking completely outclassed against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, a big offseason arrives, defined by the impending free agency of four-time All-Star Juan Soto. Soto’s next contract, presumed third winner in AL MVP voting, could sneak past Shohei Ohtani’s. A threshold of 700 million dollars.

That alone is enough to send the Yankees front office into a tough spot. total panic. Multiple teams will field competitive offers for Soto, who offers unique offensive firepower and longevity at 26 years old. Crossing the city New York Mets are frequently cited as the favorites to get Soto out of the Bronx, while Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue JaysAnd The Dodgers also appear to be viable landing spots.

The Yankees are faced with what is seemingly a binary decision. Let Cole go, or pay him $180 million over the next five years by adding $36 million and a 10th year to his historic contract. At this point, it is clear that the Yankees should TO DO. Cole is one of the best pitchers in MLB and his contribution to New York’s success has been immense. That said, with Soto’s supermassive contract on the horizon and several more affordable pitchers available in free agency, we could see the Yankees bid farewell to a key contributor.

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It would have been much easier for Cole to sign up, but the Yankees will have to deal with the consequences of his possible departure. Paying over $36 million for Cole’s season at age 38 doesn’t seem ideal, but you’re paying for upfront production. If Cole has a few more Cy Young-level seasons left in the tank, the Yankees can handle overpaying in his later years.

That said, after years of reliability, Cole has floundered this season. He was limited to 17 regular season starts due to injury and so his production wasn’t always up to his (extremely high) standards. Cole had a strong postseason, including four hitless innings in New York’s Game 5 loss to Los Angeles in the World Series, but the seeds of doubt were sown. Just enough to complicate the Yankees’ decision here.

There is a world in which Cole opts out, hits the market and re-signs in New York with a better contract, but that seems far-fetched. Cole wouldn’t step down if he didn’t believe more substantial offers were on the table. Pitching has never been more in demand and several big-spending suitors are reportedly tripping over each other to put an offer sheet on Cole’s desk first.

The Yankees can’t really afford to let Cole go, but investing $180 million over the next five years and dishing out more than $700 million to Juan Soto could be a tall order for a front office that has spent the entire season to talk about reduce costs.

Don’t blame Yankees fans for starting to think about potential replacements. Blake Snell was Yankees-related last season. Max Fried is up for grabs. Roki Sasaki could provide ace value on a minor league contract. There are ways to replace Cole, or at least fill the bottomless void left by his absence.

Let’s see how this all plays out. Apologies to Yankees fans, but there won’t be much time to relax after a bitter World Series loss.