DALLAS — Amid the Juan Soto fallout, Brian Cashman promised a quick transition to Plan B, and he seemed particularly keen on it now that Hal Steinbrenner’s $760 million offer had returned to the GM’s pocket.

Cashman, however, insisted that the Yankees would not respond with what he called a reckless spending spree like “drunken sailors.”

Those words sounded like a cooler, saner approach to improving the Yankees’ 2025 roster compared to Steinbrenner’s obsessive, feverish pursuit of Soto. Spread the money around, strengthen some areas of need, you know, normal team-building behavior.

But a day later, after the 24-hour mourning period over Soto’s departure, the Yankees were the Yankees again. Before Soto could even be introduced in a Mets jersey, Cashman quickly tried to put him in the rearview mirror on Tuesday by giving two-time All-Star Max Fried an eight-year, $218 million contract, according to sources.

Of course, the fact that the Yankees brought Fried aboard with the richest contract ever for a lefty starter doesn’t immediately ease the pain of losing Soto to their crosstown rivals. It’s too early. This will take a while. But despite their battered pride, the Yankees are still flush with cash, and wealth is a weapon that has served them well for decades.

In this case, Steinbrenner’s checkbook allowed them to outbid the Red Sox – a team far more in need of rotation help – and find another way to strengthen themselves for an AL East title defense. If the Yankees couldn’t bring back a run-producing wunderkind like Soto, why not move on to run prevention with another top name on the free-agent market? After all, it’s all about money.

Thanks to an already overheated market and the aggressive post-Soto Yankees in the hunt, Fried got a bigger win than many would have expected. He’s an elite pitcher for sure. Fried finished in the top five for Cy Young twice. His calling card is excellent leadership, which often leads to poor contact. A groundball generator that keeps hitters inside the fences, making him a good fit for the Bronx. Since 2017, Fried ranks fifth among MLB starters with a HR/9 ratio of 0.75, in stark contrast to the Yankees’ current top lefty, $162 million enigma Carlos Rodon.

But acquiring another starting pitcher wasn’t really one of the Yankees’ most pressing offseason needs. They had a solid back four with Gerrit Cole, Rodon, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, as well as Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman at the back end. While it never hurts to add more talent to the rotation, Fried comes with a high price – and a worrisome risk.

The Yankees mitigated the impact of the luxury tax by extending Fried’s contract for eight years, reducing it to an AAV of $27.25 million, nearly half the cost of Soto’s salary but still a significant sum. Cashman didn’t specify what the Yankees’ 2025 budget is, but they’re not the Steve Cohen Mets, and Steinbrenner probably isn’t willing to pull all the financial levers for a handful of next-tier players, as Soto expected .

Additionally, Fried turns 31 in January and hasn’t exactly been the healthiest pitcher over the past two years. In 2023, Fried was limited to 14 starts due to a left forearm strain, but was actually great on the mound (8-1, 2.55 ERA). He was sidelined last season with nerve inflammation in the same forearm, but still managed 29 starts to salvage his running year (11-10, 3.25).

Recurrent forearm problems are usually a warning sign for pitchers, and Fried had Tommy John surgery a decade ago. That’s not to say it will always come up in the future, but Fried isn’t getting any younger, and the Yankees just signed him to age 39. With the Yankees suddenly reaching for Fried, I’m reminded of Steinbrenner’s impulse to purchase Rodon, another overpayment that followed Cohen signing Justin Verlander to a two-year, $86.6 million contract a week earlier in December 2022.

This time around, acquiring someone like Fried appears to be in line with Cashman’s Plan B, as the GM told us on Monday that he was on the sidelines of the Blake Snell negotiations while Soto was still considering his options. But when Snell’s agent Scott Boras – who also represents Soto – asked Cashman if he was willing to make an offer, the GM said he needed a resolution on Soto first. The next morning, Snell had signed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers.

The pressure was on the Yankees and Cashman to restart this offseason transformation sooner rather than later, and they couldn’t afford to be patient. Is Fried the key to getting them back to the World Series? No chance. But it’s possible he can be part of the blueprint that carries them well into October again, as long as Cashman can also find some protection for Aaron Judge in the lineup. It won’t be anywhere near Soto quality, but the Yankees can’t worry about making amends for the Flushing traitor. Steinbrenner just has to write more and more checks.

“There are a lot of ways to be a great team,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday.

Minus Soto, Boone & Co. are definitely not there yet. Fried should help, but it has to be just the beginning of the Yankees trying to be the Yankees again.

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a Baseball Hall of Fame voter and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.