Hal Steinbrenner still can’t escape the ghost of his father after Yankees’ Juan Soto miss

DALLAS — It was one year. One pretty glorious year that included among the most memorable at-bats in Yankees history — an at-bat that propelled the organization to its first World Series appearance in 15 years. But it was Juan and done.

Now the Yankees have to figure out how to spend the money not invested in Juan Soto on a group of players that can keep them as elite. What should hearten them? Well, Scott Boras had free-agent clients as young and special as Soto previously. Alex Rodriguez left Seattle after the 2000 season and the Mariners won a record 116 games the following year. Bryce Harper left Washington after the 2018 season and the Nationals won it all (with Soto starring) the following season.

There is a tomorrow. But the Yankees are going to have to hit on a lot at one time, which is not particularly a specialty for them — see (among others) Ellsbury, Jacoby after Robinson Cano escaped. With Soto there might have been guesswork in, say, 2037 and 2038. But not in 2025.

And it is why so much falls on Hal Steinbrenner. It is under his stewardship that for the first time a great player left the Yankees’ employ for the Mets. It threatens to change the balance of baseball power in New York.