NEW YORK -- The end of any season without a championship always feels “cruel,” as Aaron Boone said, even when it features the Yankees’ first American League pennant in 15 years. This roster achieved a lot in 2024, a perspective that will likely come with time, though it wasn’t easy to view that in the moments after the World Series concluded.

As the Dodgers celebrated their title on the field at Yankee Stadium, the home team kept its clubhouse doors shut for more than 40 minutes. Boone said multiple players were “pouring their hearts out and being there for one another.” Tears were shed; there were speeches, handshakes and hugs.

Over the course of 162 games plus 14 more in the postseason, these Yankees were very good -- the American League’s best with 94 victories, boasting a lineup built around power and patience, headlined by the duo of captain Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Their 815 runs scored led the AL; their 3.74 staff ERA ranked fourth. If the measuring stick is set at championship or bust, though, they fell short.

“We just didn’t finish it,” said Judge. “Guys had some great years this year. It was fun playing with this group of guys that really came together, the guys that we either signed to come here or traded for. They all fit this club perfectly and really bought into what we were doing.”

Defining moment

No one needs to rewatch the fifth inning of World Series Game 5, though that miscue-laden frame looms freshest in our minds. Let’s instead point to a happier moment: Soto’s epic seven-pitch battle against the Guardians’ Hunter Gaddis in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, which was arguably the team’s finest at-bat of the season.

Exhibiting all of the confidence and swagger that made him a fan favorite in the Bronx, Soto launched a go-ahead, three-run homer that powered the Yankees’ 5-2 victory at Progressive Field.

“I mean, I was all over him. I was all over him," Soto said. "That was the only thing I was thinking. I was just saying to myself, 'You're all over that guy. You're all over that guy. He ain't got anything.' And just try to make good contact, and I did.”

What we learned

Where to begin here? The combination of Judge and Soto in the lineup was as relentless as anticipated, though Judge underperformed in October. Giancarlo Stanton rose to the occasion when the games mattered the most, setting a Yankees postseason record with seven home runs. The Yankees survived a Gerrit Cole injury scare in large part because Luis Gil emerged as a legitimate AL Rookie of the Year candidate.

What else? After more than 5,400 days without hosting a World Series game, Yankee Stadium still rocks. The fan atmosphere for Game 4, highlighted by the best game of Anthony Volpe’s life, was arguably the best in the Bronx since Robinson Canó fielded that ground ball in November 2009.

And, yes, we learned that the defensive miscues and sloppy baserunning that hardly seemed to affect the Yankees throughout the first two rounds of the postseason indeed would catch up to them. Giving teams extra outs, especially a great one like the Dodgers, is no recipe for success.

Best development

Luke Weaver had never experienced a save situation before Sept. 6 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, when the right-hander said that he “couldn’t see straight” and “blacked out” while icing a Yankees victory over the Cubs. Thrust into the closer’s role when Clay Holmes’ second-half struggles cost him the position, Weaver excelled.

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A 31-year-old journeyman cut loose last season by both the Reds and Mariners, Weaver posted a 2.89 ERA across 62 appearances in the regular season, then pitched to a 1.76 ERA in 12 postseason outings. He credits increased use of his cutter and improved grips on his fastball and changeup for his success, and with just a $2.5 million salary for 2025, Weaver looks like a bargain.

“I know I surprised the world a little bit, but I feel like this game is hard,” Weaver said. “This game comes with a lot of success and a lot of failure. In my account, the failure has definitely filled up a lot of the chapters, but it was for good reason. It prepared me for this moment, to pitch in a city like this, on a team that’s as good as they are.”

Area for improvement

Aside from previously mentioned issues with baserunning and defense that were hardly isolated incidents, the Yankees will need to at least partially reconstruct an extremely top-heavy lineup, with much of the weight pulled by Soto and Judge during the regular season.

Consider that no Yankees first baseman hit a home run after July 31 (DJ LeMahieu at Philadelphia) and that Alex Verdugo hit just four after the All-Star break (including one in the World Series). Austin Wells limped to the finish with a .111 batting average in September, then went 6-for-50 in the postseason. The bottom of the order felt light because it was.

If Soto returns -- and especially if he doesn’t -- the lineup needs to be a more consistent threat one through nine.

On the rise

What does the future hold for Jasson Domínguez? The organization’s top prospect was unable to seize an opportunity to take over in left field during a September audition, finishing the regular season batting .179 (10-for-56) with two homers in 18 games. A selection of defensive misplays prompted the Yanks to reinstall Verdugo for the playoffs, prioritizing run prevention.

The Yankees believe Domínguez was impacted by a late start to his season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and then an oblique strain at Triple-A. With Verdugo now a free agent, there is a path for Domínguez to win a spot. If Soto re-signs, Domínguez could get a full spring of workouts in left field; should Soto depart, Domínguez could take over in his more natural position of center field, with Judge returning to right field.

Team MVP

Judge said that falling short in the World Series “will stick with me until I die, probably,” and though he was speaking about the team’s loss, Judge’s terrific regular season has been overshadowed by his playoff struggles at the plate (9-for-49, 20 strikeouts) and the dropped Tommy Edman fly ball that opened the door for Los Angeles’ Game 5 comeback.

All that said, Judge is a lock to win his second AL MVP in three years. He led the Majors with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs during the regular season, pacing the circuit in walks (133), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701) and OPS+ (223) while batting a career-best .322.