Mr. Cashman has a bridge he would like you to buy.

Hey, it's a helluva bridge. In continuous operation for over 141 years. At its opening, the longest suspension bridge in the world. Celebrated in verse and song, admired by millions the world over. And it can be yours! Cheap! Just contact B. Cashman and Associates, c/o Yankee Stadium, for the deal of a lifetime.

Gee, what a coincidence: just as the bidding for Juan Soto heats up, sportswriters across New York begin to think of the incredible team your New York Yankees could put together with the same money that Soto wants. I wonder what inspired them? Hmm, let me think...

So when was the last time this happened? Let's think back, back, back—room starts to go wavy on the TV screen, characters begin to look much younger—to the last time something like this happened. Why, it was...all of last year!

The Yankees—if you can possibly recall anything that far back—were in a desperate struggle to come in second in the bidding for Yoshinobu Yamamoto (a bid they would tragically lose, finishing third at best). Suddenly, all sorts of suggestions began to spring up from the laptops of our local Knights of the Press Box about how the Yanks didn't need Yamamoto at all! No, sir! They could use that money to build a much better staff!

Why, they could sign Blake Snell! Or—this was my favorite—they could "supercharge" (or was it "supersize"?) the bullpen, by signing every available, first-rate, free-agent reliever out there. 

Instead, we got Marcus Stroman.

Wow, who does that remind you of?

But I'm being unfair. Let's step into our hot tub time machine and go back, back, to the last time Brian Cashman let a Yankee star go so he could rebuild the team with all the money he saved.

The time was the 2013-14 off-season. The departing star was Jogginson Cano. And the replacements that were going to bring the Yankees over the top were...Carlos Beltran; Jacoby Ellsbury, The Man of Iron; and the two other Brians, McCann and Roberts.

Uh, yah.

Now, all of a sudden, the Yankees can easily let Juan Soto walk, because we're going to pick up, oh, so many stars. Anthony Santander and Willy Adames and Christian Walker and Tanner Scott! Oh my, how many beamish boys!

All of them—except for Adames, who is 29—on the wrong side of 30. All of whose careers have been veritable yo-yos. All hitters who strikeout in bushels and don't walk all that much; who rarely hit over .250 and sometimes as low as .217. And Tanner Scott, who has now put in two straight, good years—after two wretched seasons right before that.

Yeah, can't wait. Joey Galloway redux. And the ducks would probably hit better.

Look, the time to decide on re-signing Juan Soto was BEFORE they dealt a first-rate starter and three prospects who helped the Padres grab Dylan Cease. Not now. And the biggest pile of mediocrities in the world isn't going to make it better.

Is it possible that Soto won't work out? That's he'll get hurt, or that the Yankees won't win a ring even with Soto and Judge, the way the Angels didn't with Ohtani and Trout?

Yep. Things could happen. Life is full of risks.

But I bet most Angels fans were at least glad to see those guys in their prime. And with Soto, there is the chance of seeing greatness, every game, at Yankee Stadium.

Or put it this way: who among us can remember Brian Cashman ever putting together a world championship team on his own? I mean, one on which the core was not built by his predecessors?

C'mon, let's see a show of hands. Yeah, I didn't think so. 

But maybe we can still get in on that bridge deal...