Mike Tyson says that everybody has a plan until they get socked in the mouth. Brian Cashman has a plan. He should brace for impact.

Last week, while Hal Steinbrenner was publicly poormouthing over the Yankees' 2026 payroll, Boston traded for Sonny Gray, and Toronto signed free agent Dylan Cease. 

It left me recalling a song by John Mellencamp that goes, "It aint the end of the world, but you can see it from here."

Listen: Neither Gray nor Cease is the nuclear bomb that imperils the '26 Yankees. But you can see it from here.

The big punch is coming, and if there's anything to be gleaned from Hal's sad moment with the media this week, it's that the Yankees' plan is to clutch their wallet and wait for the bargains to emerge. 

They are no longer MLB's premier franchise - haven't been for years, and they soon might not even be NYC's - whose bold moves set the winter agenda. Though they still possess perhaps the most lucrative fan base in American sports, they act like your Aunt Prudence, clipping coupons and combing the bargain bins for old 8-tracks of the Guess Who.     

The big fish are the Dodgers and Mets, who will spend whatever it takes to dominate the upcoming free agent winter. Once they are sated, the Yankees will bid with the Phillies, Cubs, Boston, Toronto (and probably still the hungry Mets) - for the leftovers. 

Make no mistake: There are gems to be had. Jiggering the scrap yards has been Brian Cashman's greatest skill as a GM. But his downfall has been in finding that ace pitcher who would lead the Yankees to a world series. 

Don't worry: That pitcher is not Sonny Gray, and it's probably not Dylan Cease. But soon, the Dodgers and Mets will make their moves. The Yankees will bid just enough to come in second. The plan is simple: See what happens.