Juan Soto's dream season is in danger of ending with the Yankees losing 3-0 in the World Series

NEW YORK — Juan Soto bristled at the question.

To his right, he spotted Aaron Judge's nameplate at the far end of the New York Yankees' spring training clubhouse. To his left was Giancarlo Stanton. On the other side of the room sat Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón, while Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo sat just a few seats away.

It was one of Soto's first days with the entire Yankees team and he was confident that this team could win it all. Having been a key contributor to the 2019 World Series champion Washington Nationals, he knew the recipe for success. As he looked at the names above the lockers, he believed the Yankees could make him a two-time champion by the end of the season.

“Look around at what we have,” Soto said in February. “We have everything we need.”

Eight months later, the Yankees are down 3-0 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Fall Classic. Given the Dodgers' contributions from stars, supporting players and their pitching staff, it's hard to believe the Yankees will make history. Most likely, the World Series drought will continue for another year.

“Hopefully we can tell this amazing story and shock the world,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

This was supposed to be the year. It felt like the year. Now the only question is: When will the year be?

The Yankees fielded their most talented team of the Boone era, but it wasn't enough. The what-if game is more important than ever. What if Nestor Cortes had gotten Freddie Freeman to show up in Game 1? What if Jose Trevino had delivered with the bases loaded in the ninth inning of Game 2? The Yankees are still clinging to hope and believe a historic comeback is possible as the first two games could have gone either way.

“For me it’s not one-sided,” Alex Verdugo said. “The first game was ours. You won it. They had a historic hit. You did a better job. In the second game they caught us in one inning and we couldn't recover. That was the fault of the offense.”

Aaron Judge's struggles in October were a major reason the Yankees are down 3-0. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

The Yankees are on the verge of a short end to their season, and the ineptitude of the offense is the main reason why. While Soto and Giancarlo Stanton appeared, most of the cast did not, with Judge taking the lead in disappointment.

In the regular season, Judge and Soto were the modern equivalents of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Soto had the best year of his career hitting in front of Judge, who is on the verge of winning his second American League MVP trophy. The hope was that Judge's teaming with such an impressive left-hander would be enough to secure a World Series title. It didn't work out that way – not because of an incompatibility, but because Judge had problems in October.

He's going just 1-of-12 with seven strikeouts in the World Series and is 6-of-43 overall this postseason. This was supposed to be the year Judge cemented his legacy among the franchise's all-time greats, but he missed his chance. He admitted he felt like he had let his teammates down.

“You want to get the hits,” Judge said. “You want to do your job, but I’m not doing my job right now. I have to pick it up.”

It's easy to imagine how different this series could look if Judge weren't in crisis. At the same time, however, it is equally clear that the Yankees' roster could have been stronger with better offseason moves.

The Yankees traded for Alex Verdugo, who had been one of MLB's least effective everyday hitters until his ninth-inning home run Monday night and entered Game 3 with just five hits in his last 35 at-bats. They looked for his contact-oriented approach, but in return they mostly received weak ground balls. On the other side is Teoscar Hernández, who was available on the free-agent market but was signed by the Dodgers to a one-year deal. His power could have had a significant impact on New York.

Marcus Stroman has yet to pitch this offseason, while the Yankees passed on Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

They signed Marcus Stroman, who did not play in the postseason due to his struggles in the regular season. At the trade deadline, the Yankees dealt Jack Flaherty for health reasons, but watched as he shut them out for five innings in Game 1 before Stanton finally hit him deep.

They were hesitant to go all-in on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, believing $325 million was too high for a pitcher who had yet to throw a pitch on an MLB mound. In Game 2, Yamamoto held the Yankees to just one hit – a home run by Soto.

The Yankees allowed Anthony Volpe to abandon his rookie approach in favor of a contact-first mentality. Despite Anthony Rizzo's noticeable decline, they failed to improve at first base and failed to add a right-handed batting option, which was obviously necessary.

In three games, the Dodgers have proven that they are a stronger team. Their offseason acquisitions and deadline shifts have paid off and likely led them to a World Series championship. The Yankees made a bold trade for Soto, but have learned so far that it wasn't enough.

“When you trade for a guy like that, it’s just to make getting into the playoffs a little bit easier,” Nestor Cortes said. “Once you get there, it’s just a matter of putting it all together.”

Several of the players Soto highlighted back in February have largely failed him. As he prepares to enter free agency, which could be as early as Tuesday night, he needs to think about whether he wants to do it with them again.

(Top photo of Soto during Game 3: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)