{"id":2629,"date":"2016-07-16T06:00:59","date_gmt":"2016-07-16T10:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/?p=2629"},"modified":"2019-06-26T16:50:29","modified_gmt":"2019-06-26T20:50:29","slug":"start-spreading-the-news-its-time-for-the-yankees-to-overhaul-their-current-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/?p=2629","title":{"rendered":"Start Spreading the News: It’s Time for the Yankees to Overhaul Their Current Roster"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo Credit: Kathy Willens\/Associated Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout their history, the New York Yankees have not exactly been associated with patience and prolonged\u00a0rebuilding\u00a0processes. That may be about to change, and for a franchise that has had its fair share of recent success in recent years, it may not be such bad news.<\/p>\n

With the team currently sitting at 44-45 and 5.5 games back of the Blue Jays for the AL’s second Wild Card spot, it doesn’t appear as though they’ll be going anywhere this year. \u00a0While the Yanks only rank 11th in baseball in average age (29), there are aging veterans on the team who could reasonably be dealt by GM Brian Cashman before the month ends.<\/p>\n

That is, if president Randy Levine and owner Hal Steinbrenner allow him to do so.<\/p>\n

ESPN’s Wallace Matthews reported Thursday<\/a> that the higher-ups in management\u00a0are internally at odds over how\u00a0to counteract\u00a0the team’s struggles. \u00a0This is exactly what he wrote about the specific disagreement between two very different factions of the New York front office:<\/p>\n

According to a baseball source who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity, the opposing factions are composed of the baseball operations people, led by general manager Brian Cashman, who believe the team should sell off its assets and plan for the future, and the business side, which is led by owner Hal Steinbrenner and team president Randy Levine, who hold to the belief that the club is still in contention.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here’s the thing: Steinbrenner and Levine genuinely believe that the ballclub will come back in the standings and make a deep playoff run. They want Cashman, who answers to them,\u00a0to make a deal at the trade deadline to improve the roster this season while potentially compromising it for years to come. \u00a0The Cashman camp\u00a0would like to move older, more experienced players such as Carlos Beltran (39 years old), closer Aroldis Chapman, set-up man Andrew Miller, and outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the Levine and Steinbrenner group really think that the team with the fourth-worst record in the American League is capable of making moves to win another championship. \u00a0The problem is that the Yankees, in their current state, are the the definition of mediocre. \u00a0In terms of results, that means many different things but very little consistency.<\/p>\n

For example, a 6-5 stretch from June 14 to June 26 against the Twins and Rockies was followed by a split of a four-game series against the Texas Rangers, the best team in the American League. \u00a0Those outcomes would be followed by series defeats at the hands of the Padres and White Sox, not exactly teams you equate with serious contenders. \u00a0Up next on the schedule was a four-game weekend series against baseball’s hottest team, the Cleveland Indians. \u00a0What would the Yankees do? \u00a0Win three out of four (in Cleveland, no less). \u00a0They’re doing what mediocre teams do: showing flashes of brilliance while lacking the consistency of an elite squad.<\/p>\n

Here is another problem the Yankees have: their pitching. \u00a0This does not pertain to their bullpen of Miller, Chapman, and Dellin Betances, but it relates to the starting pitching that has been incapable of consistently getting the ball to those three\u00a0with a lead. \u00a0The team has used a combination of starters this season and is currently shuffling Ivan Nova and Nathan Eovaldi back and forth between the bullpen and the starting rotation; both have struggled and pitched to ERAs over 5.00 this season. \u00a0The Yanks’ two\u00a0best starters this season are staff ace\u00a0Masahiro Tanaka and… C.C. Sabathia, who has not pitched a full season since 2013. \u00a0No bueno.<\/p>\n

The Yankees’ lineup has also struggled this season, as Rodriguez, Starlin Castro, Gardner, and others have struggled<\/a>. \u00a0When you combine this with their lackluster pitching, you realize that there are no signs that point to any type of deep run in the playoffs. \u00a0So why are Levine and Steinbrenner so hellbent on the Yanks’ being buyers at the trade deadline?<\/p>\n

The simple answer: they are, after all, power brokers for the\u00a0Yankees<\/em>, the most successful franchise in the history of sports. \u00a0When have the Dallas Cowboys, Manchester United, or FC Barcelona ever been in “rebuilding mode”? \u00a0Yeah, never; at least they won’t admit that. \u00a0The Yankees fall in the same category: they expect to win, win, win, no matter what. \u00a0Their fans expect that too, as it’s most of what they’ve known\u00a0no matter how long they’ve been rooting for the Yanks. \u00a0The problem is that the Yankee mystique invariably clouds the fans and, apparently, the team’s decision-makers from the franchise’s ultimate reality: the Yankees aren’t that good of a team and don’t have a great future, either. \u00a0Those things can change.<\/p>\n

And\u00a0with August 1 (this year’s trade deadline) quickly approaching, Cashman has the opportunity to do just that. \u00a0For example, Beltran is having something of a renaissance year, hitting nearly .300 and coming off an appearance in his ninth career All-Star game. Translated: he has a lot of value right now and Cashman could deal him to a contender for a solid\u00a0return. \u00a0More importantly, Beltran has stayed healthy to this point in the season. \u00a0This is something he really hasn’t done<\/a> over the past few seasons and is important to note when considering his trade value. \u00a0The clock is ticking on Cashman and the front office to find a trade partner for Beltran’s services because he is suffering from a\u00a0hamstring injury<\/a>\u00a0that has forced him exclusively into the team’s Designated Hitter role. \u00a0The hamstring injury could reoccur on any given day; an injury to the Yankees’ best hitter would make him a full-time DH, drastically reducing his trade value and thinning out the trade market for his talents.<\/p>\n

And then there’s the obvious benefit to a Yankee fire sale: the opportunity to receive prospects in return for star players in their prime. \u00a0While the Yankees have some very intriguing prospects (Aaron Judge, Jorge Mateo, Gary Sanchez, among others), there is room for improvement and added depth in the farm system. \u00a0While these prospects have very bright futures, here’s something to remember when building a farm system: you can\u00a0never<\/em> have too many prospects in your organization. \u00a0The prospects you receive today could be used as trade chips for star players tomorrow; they could also become cornerstones for your franchise. \u00a0Just ask the Cubs about this. \u00a0Who wouldn’t want one of those two outcomes, even if it meant biting the bullet and going into a full-blown rebuild?<\/p>\n

The Yankees have a multitude of reasons to blow up their current roster and start fresh without their stars of today. \u00a0Doing this would enable the team to realize a future that is available to them if they decide that’s what they want\u00a0for the long-term betterment of their franchise.<\/p>\n

They must make that decision soon. \u00a0We all know what the right move is.<\/p>\n

Let’s see if Levine and Steinbrenner allow it to be made.<\/p>\n