There’s no way around it, folks — the Yankees’ ALCS performance against the Astros was pitiful. The goal for the Bronx Bombers each year is to win the World Series, but they haven’t even gotten to the Fall Classic since winning it all in 2009.
The organization also has a crucial offseason ahead with Aaron Judge hitting free agency. In the past, wondering if Judge would return to the Bronx would never be a question. Based on how general manager Brian Cashman calls the shots makes it a legitimate question, though. It may hurt a little more for Yankee fans upon looking across town and seeing the Mets gearing up to be big spenders after their own disappointing trip to the postseason.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan discussed the Yankees’ postseason exit and what lies ahead on First Take. In his usual fashion, he didn’t hold back:
.@JeffPassan on the Yankees:
"They got outclassed. They didn't just get beaten, they got beaten DOWN." pic.twitter.com/ZfRQAWPqzP
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 24, 2022
I don’t think any Yankee fan will disagree with what Passan said here, either. What really sticks out to me is the very last thing he said in this clip:
Why are the Mets more like the Yankees than the Yankees?
If you showed this clip to Met and Yankee fans about five years ago, everyone would laugh. The Mets acting more Yankee-like than the Yankees? Get outta here. But when you lay the cards out on the table, that’s exactly what’s happening.
This is part of the reason why there’s a faction of Yankee fans who want both Cashman and manager Aaron Boone fired. The Bombers have made the postseason in each of the past six years. This has included three trips to the ALCS, but their chances of advancing further have gotten worse with each trip.
It took the Astros seven games to eliminate New York in 2017. Houston only needed six games to do the same thing in 2019, and that shrunk to just four games in 2022. Clearly, something needs to change. From what Passan said, though, it’s undetermined if that will happen in any significant manner for the Yankees this winter. We’ll have to just wait and see if it does.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
