The Dodgers will win at least three to five more World Series: The Dodgers have unlimited resources. They have their best players locked up long-term. The nucleus of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman isn’t going anywhere. They won this year with a beat-up pitching staff that didn’t even have Ohtani throw a pitch in anger. And he’ll be back on the mound in 2025.
There is no reason to think this team will not make deep runs in the playoffs every year he is on the team…and if at any point they are lacking a piece somewhere, ownership is committed to spending what’s needed to improve the team. This team isn’t going anywhere.
Ohtani is Babe Ruth:
If you compare the two player’s stats at similar points in their career, the numbers are eerily similar. Up to this point, Ohtani is already Ruth. Ruth ended up exclusively hitting, and Ohtani may end up doing the same. And we saw what an exclusively hitting Ohtani can do; his numbers this season were other-worldly. Another elbow injury will surely force him to stop pitching. And if you factor in his speed, Ohtani even adds an element to his game that Ruth didn’t have.
I never thought a 50-50 season was possible, and he kind of made it look easy. It’s a shame his transition to the MLB from Japan happened so late because if he were here from age 20 or 22, it’s scary to think what his career numbers would end up being.
Mookie Betts is this generation’s Derek Jeter:
Betts now has three World Series, one with the Red Sox and two with the Dodgers. Jeter won five. Betts is still a young man at only 32 years old and has many solid seasons ahead of him. He has eight more seasons on his current deal with the Dodgers, and he only needs two more championships to match Jeter.
And from a statistical perspective, Betts is a better hitter. Jeter has a higher career average than Betts, .313 to .294, but Betts’ OPS is far higher, .897 to .817. And Betts already has more career HRs. If you compare their other accolades they are so close to one another. Mookie has six Gold Gloves and Silver Slugger Awards. Jeter has five of each. Betts has won an MVP, while Jeter has a World Series and All-Star game MVP…and was rookie of the year.
At age 32, the biggest difference may be that Betts won’t reach 3000 hits. He currently has 1615, while Jeter had 3465 for his career. For years Red Sox fans chanted, “Nomah’s Better”…well that didn’t prove to be accurate, but when all is said and done, it may be possible to chant, “Mookie’s better”.
Should the Yankees pick up Gerrit Cole’s fifth-year option?
Cole just opted out of the remaining four years/$144M of his contract with the Yankees. There is a clause that the Yankees can override by adding a fifth year for an additional $36M…effectively making the rest of the deal five years/$180M.
The question is, should they? Another question is whether Cole should have opted out. At age 34 yrs old, Cole is taking a bit of a risk. There is a ton of money for starting pitching, but recent bloated contracts for aging starters haven’t gone so well…see exhibit A and B, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Cole may surpass his current $36M annual salary, but I can’t see a team offering him anything more than the four seasons he had with the Yankees.
As far as whether the Yankees should give him the option yr, an argument can be made on either side. They are $20M under the luxury tax, including his $36M, but $56M if they don’t pick up the option. And after the World Series meltdown in the fifth inning of game five, I’m not sure Yankee fans want Cole. Not re-signing him could be the way the wind is blowing in the Bronx. And, having Cole’s $36M in their pocket could come in handy in signing free agent Juan Soto. If I were Brian Cashman, I’d let Cole go onto greener pastures.
Who will sign Juan Soto?
Speaking of Soto, the Yankees must re-sign him. The question is, what will it cost? Well, he already turned down a 15-year/$440M contract with the Nationals back in 2022.
He’s still only 26 yrs old and just entering his prime. He could still warrant a 15-year deal, and that would take him to his age 40 season. And he now has Ohtani’s $700M deal as a baseline, although nobody will give him that much, even with creative financing. But he will absolutely be looking for $600M. And, other than Ohtani, Aaron Judge has the highest annual salary at $40M per year. Soto will command at least that amount.
I can see a scenario where a team gives him a 13-year/$ 520-million deal with two options that could take it to 15-year/$ 600-million. And that team needs to be the Yankees. They are too right-handed heavy with Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, and Soto was the perfect addition this season. Aside from that, they traded a ton away to get him. It would be a waste to only have him for one season.
If they don’t re-sign Cole, they have the salary flexibility to get it done. And they only have Stanton’s contract for three more seasons to contend with. This is a win-win for the Yankees and for Soto.
