The New York Yankees have something tough to do as they are in a 2-0 deficit in the World Series after dropping the first two games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But regardless of the outcome, the Yankees will be forced to shift their attention to another pressing issue soon after the World Series ends.

The hot topic is the free agency sweep of superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who is a big reason the Yankees ended their 15-year AL pennant drought.

Conformable MLB Insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Soto will be the Yankees’ No. 1 at the top of their priority list this offseason and will see the rival New York Mets as their biggest competition.

“Going from the Yankees to the Mets … is murder,” a Yankees executive speaking anonymously told Heyman about Soto.

On the one hand, Soto may choose to stick with the Yankees long-term, meaning he’ll be hitting in front of superstar teammate Aaron Judge for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen has deep pockets, and his team exceeded all expectations by going all the way to Game 6 of the NLCS.

Soto could be the missing piece for the Mets to break their own 39-year World Series title drought.

But there’s no denying that the Yankees can’t let Soto out, whether they win a championship this year or not. Keeping Soto on a long-term deal would significantly boost their future World Series chances.

There has been plenty of speculation about what kind of deal Soto, who turned 26 on Friday, will pull off in free agency. The likely outcome is the young phenom getting a 10+ year deal in the $500-$600 million range. He could sign the second most expensive contract of all time behind Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million.