Setting Up 2025

I hate the break it to the haters, but Gerrit Cole was never going anywhere.  I saw plenty of fantasy scenarios that had all of these hypothetical teams that Cole could sign with after he opted out and became a free agent, as if that was ever actually going to happen.  Cole opting out wasn't a surprise.  It's what the Yankees expected, in fact.  The expectation was always that he would opt out and the Yankees would void the opt out by adding an extra year at the end of his deal.  Cole deciding at the last minute to opt out of the opt out was the only curveball thrown into the equation.

Judging by the comments from both sides, Cole didn't actually want to leave and the Yankees didn't want to run the risk of losing him, but the deadline of five days after the World Series was simply too quick to make a decision.  Cole literally made his last start of the season on Wednesday!  He and the team, fresh off a World Series appearance, then had to immediately decide about the opt out.  Neither side felt comfortable about that, so they punted and opted to give themselves more time rather than meeting an arbitrary deadline.

So, all of those articles listing the options the Yankees should consider if they lost Cole weren't realistic.  Because it was never going to happen!  If push came to shove, they were giving him the extra year.  Now, they have plenty of time to negotiate a new contract (or not, since there are no other opt-outs in the deal, which runs until 2028).

With everything settled regarding their ace, the Yankees are now free to move on to their other offseason priorities, of which there are many.  First and foremost is re-signing Juan Soto.  It's obvious that he's the Yankees' No. 1 priority.  And what happens with Soto will shape their entire offseason.  In fact, it already has.

Soto isn't the only Yankee who became a free agent the day the World Series ended.  So did Gleyber Torres.  And Alex Verdugo.  Anthony Rizzo had a team option.  It was declined, making him a free agent, as well.  None of that was unexpected.  And of the three, I can only see one of them possibly back in Pinstripes next season.

Rizzo's team option was $17 million or a $6 million buyout.  It seemed fairly obvious for most of the season that the $6 million buyout would be the choice.  Rizzo's age and level of production made that all but a certainty.  Is he worth bringing back on a cheaper deal, though?  I wouldn't be opposed to it.  Say, for something like two years, $25 million.

Although, it does appear that the team is ready to move on from Rizzo.  There are younger, cheaper options, both in free agency and in the Yankees' system.  And they know they're gonna have to pony up for Soto, so if they can save money somewhere else, first base seems like a logical place.  (And, don't forget, DJ LeMahieu is still under contract for next season.)

Fans weren't happy that Alex Verdugo got the nod over Jasson Dominguez in the postseason.  Next year, that won't be a problem.  When the Yankees traded for Verdugo, the whole idea was that it would only be for a year.  He was a pending free agent and Dominguez was coming off Tommy John surgery.  The plan was always for Dominguez to take his place alongside Judge and Soto in the Yankees outfield in 2025.  (If Soto leaves, it'll still be Dominguez and Judge, with the third outfielder TBA.)

Then there's Gleyber Torres.  If the circumstances were different, the Yankees would make a much stronger effort to keep him.  I have no doubt they'll make him an offer.  I just don't think that offer will be high enough to compel him to stay in New York.  Torres is well-positioned to cash in as a free agent.  Someone else will pony up with money the Yankees can't or won't be willing to match.  Especially since they know they can just move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second, which is his natural position.  Or leave Chisholm at third and bring in a cheaper free agent to play second.

The bullpen also figures to see a massive makeover with Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle and Jonathan Loaisiga all becoming free agents.  Luke Weaver will be returning after the Yankees picked up his $2.5 million team option.  That's not a surprise.  It's a cheap, team-friendly deal for a guy who was effective for them and figures to play a big role again next season.  As for the others, I don't see any of them coming back.

You know my feelings on Clay Holmes.  The guy's not a closer, despite their insistence that he was, and he's certainly not good enough to be as overused as he was (seriously, why did he pitch in all five games of the World Series?).  Still, somebody's gonna pay him.  That might be the Yankees.  He's the most likely of the three to return.  I think someone else will be willing to give him more, though.  Whether it's dollars or years or both.

Kahnle will almost certainly be throwing his 65 straight changeups for another team next season.  He simply didn't give the Yankees enough to warrant coming back.  Ditto about the oft-injured Loaisiga.  The Yankees won't miss him.  They'd rather have someone who isn't on the injured list!

This is a team that desperately needs an actual closer.  Even if they re-sign Soto, they'll still have enough in the budget to sign one.  And perhaps a starter, too.  That's an area of need that they were able to mask during the regular season and AL playoffs, but was badly exposed during the World Series.  Making another run at Blake Snell wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea.

One thing's for sure.  The Yankees will look much different next season.  Gerrit Cole and Luke Weaver will be back.  Juan Soto hopefully will, as well.  Gleyber Torres, Anthony Rizzo, Alex Verdugo and all those relief pitchers, though.  I doubt any of them will be back.  Especially since they're not the priority.  Soto is.

NFL 2024 (Week 9)

Week 9 of the NFL season started with a surprise.  The New York Jets decided to dress as professional football players for Halloween.  It was their second Thursday-night win of the season.  They're 1-6 on Sundays and Mondays, yet are convinced that they still have a chance at the playoffs "because they have an easy remaining schedule."  Maybe they do.  Mercifully, America won't be subjected to them in prime time every week anymore.

I know I complain about the NFL's obsession with Aaron Rodgers and featuring the Jets all the time even though they aren't good a lot, but the truth is there are plenty of other good teams worthy of being shown in the marquee windows, too.  Which is why I'm glad we got our first Sunday night flex this week with Colts-Vikings replacing Jaguars-Eagles.  More of that, please!  (Or just schedule better, more watchable matchups that are less likely to be flex candidates.)

Thursday Night: Houston (Loss)

Cowboys (3-4) at Falcons (5-3): Atlanta-Jerry Jones is actually starting to feel a sense of urgency.  Or, maybe, the Cowboys just aren't very good.  Whatever the Packers exposed in the playoffs last season has been fully exploited this year, resulting in Dallas having just a 3-4 record at midseason.  Atlanta has moved into the position most people expected of them as the NFC South leaders.  Will they hand the Cowboys a fifth loss?

Dolphins (2-5) at Bills (6-2): Buffalo-With a win, the Bills will have as many victories as the rest of the AFC East combined.  So, they look to be cruising to a division title.  Especially when you consider how collectively bad the Dolphins, Jets and Patriots are.  In other words, Buffalo's journey to the playoffs will be much more comfortable this year than it was last season.  It's midseason, and they can all but lock it up before their schedule gets trickier in the second half.

Raiders (2-6) at Bengals (3-5): Cincinnati-There's still time for the Bengals to get back in the playoff race, but it is running out.  They're benefitting from a down year across the board in the AFC, but still have the Steelers and Ravens in their own division to worry about.  If they have any hope, they need to beat the Raiders at home.  If not, I have a feeling that's a loss that will prove costly as the season progresses.

Chargers (4-3) at Browns (2-6): Chargers-Out of absolutely nowhere, Cleveland shocked Baltimore last week.  Maybe the whole Deshaun Watson situation being resolved (aka, him not being able to play and them playing someone else at quarterback) is exactly what the Browns needed.  We'll find out against the Chargers, who've only allowed 20 points twice all season (and one of those was in Week 1).  I just don't think Cleveland is equipped to win that type of low-scoring game.

Patriots (2-6) at Titans (1-6): New England-Two of the worst teams in the NFL square off in Nashville.  The Patriots snapped their six-game losing streak by doing something they seemingly always do--beat the Jets.  That win gave them momentum heading into one of the few games this season where they'll actually be favored.  And if they beat the Titans, New England will head to Chicago on a two-game winning streak.

Commanders (6-2) at Giants (2-6): Washington-This is weird.  Players evidently WANT to play in Washington now!  What a difference a new culture can make!  Of course, the fact that the team is actually good now doesn't hurt, either.  Last week was their season in a nutshell.  And that was some Hail Mary pass too!  You just get the feeling that something special's happening in Washington this season, and losing to the Giants doesn't seem like something the Commanders will do.

Saints (2-6) at Panthers (1-7): New Orleans-New Orleans scored 91 points in its first two games, both wins.  The Saints have scored 94 combined in their last six games, all losses.  So, those first two weeks were clearly a mirage.  One of those two games was a Week 1 victory over Carolina where they put up 47.  Will they find their offense in the rematch with the Panthers?

Broncos (5-3) at Ravens (5-3): Baltimore-Both of these teams started 0-2.  They're both 5-1 since and sitting in second place in their respective divisions.  Denver has been trending upwards all season on the strength of that tremendous defense.  Let's not get carried away, though.  The Broncos haven't exactly been playing the cream of the NFL crop.  The Ravens, meanwhile, had their five-game winning streak snapped with a shocking loss to the Browns last week.  They're gonna come into this one hungry.

Jaguars (2-6) at Eagles (5-2): Philadelphia-They flexed the Jaguars and Eagles out of Sunday night, mainly because no one wants to watch Jacksonville.  And why would they?  The Jaguars came back from London and gave the Packers all they could handle, but they still lost and fell to 2-6.  The Eagles manhandled Cincinnati and moved to 5-2.  They know Washington isn't going anywhere, so they need to take advantage of a home game against a Jaguars team they should beat.

Bears (4-3) at Cardinals (4-4): Chicago-That loss to the Commanders could really end up hurting the Bears.  Not because of how they lost, as bad as it was, but because of how tight the NFC North race is.  They're gonna need every win they can get, and they gave one away.  The Cardinals, meanwhile, have won three in a row and technically lead the NFC West right now.  So, this is actually a pretty good matchup on paper.  It's a game that they not only both can win, but they both feel like they should.

Lions (6-1) at Packers (6-2): Detroit-If the Packers win, they won't just take over first place in the NFC North, they'll take over the top spot in the entire NFC.  The Lions are still the best team in the NFC, but it's crazy to think of how close the positioning between all four teams in that division is.  It puts a premium on division games so that they don't end up with the 5-seed in the playoffs.  That's the case for both teams here.

Rams (3-4) at Seahawks (4-4): Seattle-And you thought the NFC North was screwed up!  Just check out the NFC West!  A half-game separates all four teams, and the last-place Rams can possibly move into first if they win in Seattle.  Winning in Seattle is something that's become much easier for visiting teams this season.  Suddenly, the 12th Man and the Seahawks' home field advantage is no longer much of a factor.  They need to get that figured out.  And soon.

Colts (4-4) at Vikings (5-2): Minnesota-When they flexed this game into Sunday night, the Vikings were still undefeated.  Now they've lost two straight and suddenly find themselves in third place.  They've had 10 days off since their loss to the Rams, though, which should've been enough time to reset.  The Colts should make it a tight game.  They make every game tight.  But expect Minnesota to win.

Buccaneers (4-4) at Chiefs (7-0): Kansas City-The Chiefs haven't even played their best football yet, and they're still undefeated.  Will they finish 17-0?  Most likely not.  But you've gotta be impressed with what they've been able to do this season despite not playing up to the standard they've set.  They've got two big ones coming up against Denver and in Buffalo, so the first loss very well could come in one of those.  It shouldn't come against Tampa Bay.

This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 71-53