The New York Yankees bowed out in the American League Division Series to the rival Boston Red Sox on Oct. 9. Their loss to the Sox now makes nine straight seasons without an appearance from the Yankees in tThe World Series.

Yankees fans like me are livid about this. Yankees’ General Manager Brian Cashman has spent about one billion dollars investing into the team since they have won the 2009 World Series, according to Baseball-Reference.com. This includes spending more than $450 million in the 2013-14 offseason, $153 million of which went to Jacoby Ellsbury, who had season-ending surgery in August, according to Business Insider.  

In the years since 2009, Yankees Manager Joe Girardi eventually left the Yankees “on mutual terms,” but we all know that isn’t the full story. Girardi and Cashman butted heads quite often, as reported in media, and Cashman wanted someone who would follow his orders to a tee. Enter Aaron Boone, the Yankees 2003 American League Championship Series Game Seven hero, who was hired by the Yankees on Dec. 4, 2017.

On paper, the regular season looked like a success. The Yankees finished with a 100-62 record and placed second behind the Red Sox in the division. However, most Yankee fans could tell you an ALDS exit was inevitable, even if the team wasn’t playing against Boston. During the final two months of the season, the Yankees looked sloppy and was plagued with injuries including Aaron Judge’s broken wrist.

In the AL Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics, Boone took a risk by starting Luis Severino, who was able to throw four innings for the Yankees. Severino was in game three of ALDS with the series tied 1-1. He lasted three innings and gave up six runs in an embarrassing 16-1 loss at Yankee Stadium, which set the tone for the 4-3 loss to the Red Sox to end the series.

Does Brian Cashman need to spend a lot of money this coming season to give the Yankees a chance to compete next season? Historically, the Yankees do spend big, and the last time they did, they didn’t even make the playoffs. In fact, the last time the Yankees finished first in the American League East was in 2012.

What the Yankees should do this offseason is sign infielder Manny Machado and outfielder Bryce Harper, because now that the luxury tax has reset for the teamafter only having a payroll of $192.1 millionm this past season, they can spend freely without being penalized heavily.

Plus, with the news that Didi Gregorious will be having UCL reconstruction – otherwise known as Tommy John surgery – and therefore will be out for a good amount of next season, the Yankees need to find a shortstop. And Bryce Harper, who is now up for grabs as a free agent, is destined to be a Yankee.