The New York Yankees this off-season had one crucial prerogative in hand: re-sign Juan Soto in New York. Soto did return to New York, except not the Yankees. Soto signed with the New York Mets for a head-turning $765 million. This left the Bronx absolutely devastated. Why not? Juan Soto and Aaron Judge were the ones who, after 2009, were able to shoulder the team to the World Series. But that love soon turned to fumes, as people got to know the perks Soto got in the Mets.

From a suite that Hal Steinbrenner declined to a staggering bonus, free tickets, and security, Steve Cohen went overboard with Soto’s contract. And now the narrative has changed from Soto would have been game-changing to the Yankees have dodged a bullet with Juan Soto. Meanwhile, the Yankees haven’t stopped at anything, signing one after another good player. The latest is Paul Goldschmidt, and Michael Kay is going ahead to say that the Yankees are the best team in the AL right now.

The New York Yankees have the best team

The New York Yankees signed MVP Paul Goldschmidt, and he will be one of the several joining the Bronx Bombers. From Max Fried, the All-Star ace, to Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger. They all were either traded in or signed in the market this off-season. The Yankees might have taken a hit with the Soto deal, but they pivoted quickly and seem to have built a good team. Michael Kay is saying, “The best!”

“The people they brought in have made the team better. If you want to go break down each thing that they’ve done, it’s made them better. Max Fried is an excellent starting pitcher. Devin Williams is one of the best relievers in baseball. Bellinger, obviously, has had an MVP on his wall and had a decent year this year,” said sportscaster Michael Kay. According to him, every move that the New York Yankees have made has had a purpose behind it.

Michael Kay added that he thinks that those moves made the Yankees the best team in the American League. “I think right now, obviously, there are still moves to make for other teams. They are the best team in the American League.” And like him, many others too feel that the Yankees are better now, or that it is great they lost Soto. Sports personality Chris Russo mentioned it is outrageous that the Mets spent so much on a player who’s going to become a DH in about five years. For him, the Yankees can do without Juan Soto.

The Yankees are aiming for the long game

Even though the Yankees had signed key players, they had some gaps. The major one was left by Anthony Rizzo, and hence the team signed Paul Goldschmidt. For the longest time, speculation was on whether the team would sign Pete Alonso, but due to what seems to be ‘budget constraints,’ the team had to go for Paul for a $12.5 million deal. Sportscaster Michael Kay mentioned that Goldschmidt was a better hitter than Rizzo and that he is reliable with his glove.

The play-by-play announcer for the Yankees on YES mentioned, “I think that Anthony Rizzo took a step back defensively, although I think Goldschmidt was even, (with) zero defensive runs saved. In terms of defense, he’s going to be better than Rizzo.” But even if Goldschmidt doesn’t do as anticipated, the Yankees are not at a major disadvantage because they signed him for a year.

The Yankees, with the signing of Goldschmidt, have the flexibility to pivot. And given that a player like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be in the market then, they could make a play for him. Jim Bowden mentioned, “Free agents like Kyle Tucker and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are two players they’re going to have interested next offseason, so they wanted to keep flexibility.”

The New York Yankees sure are playing the long game here. Do you think it will pay off? Let us know in the comments.