About the Off-Season: Finding Motivation
- Tim Kabel
- Nov 1
- 4 min read
About the Off-Season: Finding Motivation
By Tim Kabel
November 1, 2025
***
Today is November 1st. As I am writing this, game six of the World Series has not yet been played. The Blue Jays are leading the World Series three games to two and could wrap things up with a win tonight. Regardless, the Blue Jays have two chances to win the World Series at home against the Dodgers.
To be perfectly transparent, I have not watched the World Series this year. I dislike both teams immensely and could not bring myself to watch it. However, I do have some thoughts about it.
Since I strongly dislike both the Blue Jays and the Dodgers, I initially did not care who wins. There really was no “lesser of two evils” for me. However, I have changed my mind. I now want the Blue Jays to win. I am still not going to watch Game 6 or Game 7 if there is one. It may sound very strange and perhaps even traitorous of me to say that I want the Blue Jays to win. Allow me to explain myself.
The Blue Jays have now become the Yankees’ biggest divisional rival. I know that the Yankees have a history with the Red Sox dating from since my friend Roger was in short pants. However, the level of animosity between the Yankees and Blue Jays is so high that it usurps tradition. In particular, the way that the Blue Jays beat the Yankees in the ALDS this season was especially galling and humiliating. The Yankees lost the series three games to one and were totally destroyed in the first two games. I know they had a late rally in the second game, but the lead was insurmountable. The Blue Jays totally outclassed the Yankees in that series and then they showed no class afterward by rubbing salt in the Yankees’ wounds. That is enough to make the Blue Jays the Yankees principal rival in the American League East moving forward. That could well change but for now, that's the way it is. (Apologies to Walter Cronkite)
Not only did the Blue Jays beat the Yankees handily in the playoffs, but they will have also done something the Yankees could not and did not do if they win this World Series. Last year, the Yankees lost the World Series four games to one against these very same Dodgers. The Blue Jays have already had a better showing in the World Series against the Dodgers than the Yankees did last year.
The Yankees and the Blue Jays had the exact same record at the end of the season, but the Blue Jays won the season series against the Yankees eight games to five. Based on that and what happened in the ALDS, the Blue Jays are clearly the better team. You can dredge up any obscure statistic or analytic measurement, or make any other argument you want, the Blue Jays are better.
So, why on earth would I want the Blue Jays to win the World Series? It's very simple. I am a Yankees’ fan. I have been a Yankees’ fan for over fifty years. I want the Yankees to win. I believe that the Blue Jays winning the World Series may be enough motivation to spur Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman to go all in during the offseason. “Good enough” will no longer be good enough if Steinbrenner and Cashman are upset enough about being second fiddle to the Blue Jays.
I have advocated for the Yankees to sign Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Schwarber during the off season. It does not necessarily have to be those exact moves but, the Yankees need to upgrade in several positions, particularly on the offense so they can not only contend with the Blue Jays next year and in the future but so they can return the favor of outclassing the Blue Jays and embarrassing them. Be very clear, I am not proposing that the Yankees engage in classless behavior after beating the Blue Jays next year, that's unacceptable no matter who does it. What I am saying is I want the Yankees to win the season series against the Blue Jays next year thirteen games to zero. If they meet in the playoffs, I want the Yankees to sweep the Blue Jays. When those things happen, I want the Yankees to very quietly and very classily celebrate the victory without even mentioning what happened in 2025 with the Blue Jays. I want the Yankees to win handily next year, particularly against the Blue Jays and to win the division and every playoff round and then the World Series. I also want the Yankees to act as if they were supposed to do that.
So, if the Blue Jays win the World Series and it motivates the Yankees to make drastic and extensive improvements to the roster, I will happily say “Go Canada “instead of “O Canada” before tonight’s game.
I pretty much agree with all of what Tim says here and would only add that, as others here have pointed out in other threads, it would be really nice if Don Mattingly finally got a championship ring. That would take some of the sting out of the 2025 post-season for me. Also, it would please me if Ohtani gets shelled tonight.
I am no fan of either team and I do not believe the Yankees will change their approach as long as Cashman is GM, but if I had to choose a team I suppose the Dodgers only because they have the blueprint for large market teams and the Yankees would be in that category! They have the money but maybe they get shamed into spending more to sign some FA's this winter without giving away the farm. The Yankees seem to be unwilling to take advantage of their financial advantage...... Unfortunate!
let's nope the Series gets all 1912 in them
and goes at least 8 games
let 'em bop till they drop
The Blue Jays are not, have never been, nor will they be the Yankees biggest division rival. They might be their biggest threat, but rival no way. But they love chirping about the Yankees, even when I lived up there from November 1999 till July 2008 (this is why after seeing AJ Burnrett upfront I wanted no part of him. Oh, if Wang never gets hurt, they don't sign him). But over the next couple of years it could be fun watching Yesevage vs. Schlittler - similar to what we had for a few years with David Price vs CC. Under this same ilk, this is why I think it would be pretty funny if the Yankees were to…