July 11, 2016
Peter Solari
The 2016 New York Yankees aren't a bad team. They're just not a very good one either, and games like the one they played on Sunday, should be taken with a grain of salt.
The Yankees knocked off the the American League Central leading Cleveland Indians 11-7 on Sunday, to take 3/4 in the series, and end the first half of their season on a high note. The team heads into the All Star Break at .500 with a record of 44-44, and currently trail the division leading Baltimore Orioles by 7.5 games. Two other division rivals, the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, are currently leading the wild card race, 5.5 games ahead of New York.
These numbers would lead one to believe that the Yankees are right in the thick of contention for the postseason, and therein lies their biggest problem. Up to this point, they're not a playoff team. They're only teasing you.
Anyone who has paid close attention to the Bronx Bombers this season, knows how inconsistent they've been. There are times when the team has looked really good, but they are far-too-often mixed with other times, where they've looked really bad, and after 88 games, it's safe to say they're going nowhere fast.
The Yankees simply lack the starting pitching and consistent hitting that are coming amongst championship contenders, but that doesn't mean the season has to be a lost cause. With the trade deadline approaching at the end of July, the Yankees have some very desirable trade chips that could demand a high value of return. For that reason, New York should look to be "sellers" at the deadline.
Right fielder Carlos Beltran represents the type of player that contenders covet. He's a veteran, future Hall-of-Famer with plenty of postseason experience, and still has some pop in his bat. He currently leads the Yankees in most offensive categories including batting average (.299, 18 points higher than his career average), hits (89), home runs (19), and RBIs (56). Sure, losing Beltran would be a huge blow to the Yankees' anemic offense, but at age 39, he isn't part of their long term, and teams who find themselves one bat short of serious championship contention, may be willing to pay a pretty penny, for his services.
The Yankees also have three dynamite relievers at the back end of their bullpen, and should seriously consider trading at least one, before the deadline passes.
This one is difficult to write. The Yankees' "big three" of Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Aroldis Chapman have been the most exciting part of the ball club this season. They all have the ability to be Major League closers, and all three of them are young enough to factor into the team's future. However, at some point, all three of them will expect to be paid like big time closers, and it may not be wise to throw that kind of money at three different relievers. Furthermore, theres only room enough for one actual closer, even though it's likely that all three of them, at some point, would actually like to fill that role. So there's really no guarantee that these guys won't eventually leave the team in free agency, anyway.
Closers, and relievers in general, are of the utmost importance in postseason baseball, and there are a number of teams (the Chicago Cubs come to mind) who could really benefit their World Series hopes, by bolstering their bullpen. The Yankees have three of the best relievers in baseball, and several teams will come asking about them. It would be stupid for the Yankees to not consider moving at least one of them, if they can get back some highly rated prospects, who could ultimately be a big part of their future.
The Yankees have made it clear over the past couple of season that the days of George Steinbrenner are long gone. That may be tough to swallow, but the Bronx Bombers have no interest in overpaying players (in terms of money and length of contract) with the hopes of winning a few championships, before said players break down with multiple years (and tons of money) left on their contracts.
Keeping this in mind, it is essential for the Yankees to seriously consider making some blockbuster moves at the deadline. Trading Beltran and one of their big three relievers could garner potentially bring three prospects, who could one day make up the core of the franchise, in return.
Certainly, there are no guarantees. Prospects are just that: prospects. But this is how the Yankees want to build teams from here on out, through their farm system, and this is the way to go about that.
Look at it this way: The Yankees could hold onto Beltran as well as all of their relievers, and they'll still be a long shot to make the playoffs, and could potentially lose Beltran and Chapman at season's end anyway, not getting anything in return. Or they could make a couple trades, get a couple prospects, and begin constructing the future infrastructure of the franchise.
If you're like me, and grew up watching the Yankees win World Series' every year, this isn't easy for you, but the best way for this team to get back to that level, is to be "sellers" at this year's deadline.
It's time for this organization to stop pretending, and start thinking about their future.
