While teams around them are getting better, the New York Yankees haven’t been as active (this off-season) as they were in the 2000’s.
By Israel Gonzalez
The New York Yankees are off to a fairly uneventful start to the off-season. This fact has been accentuated by the moves that other teams have been making.
David Price signed with the Boston Red Sox for seven years, $217 million.
Jeff Samardzija signed with the San Francisco Giants for five years, $90 million.
RELATED: Cashman Making All The Right Moves
Johnny Cueto signed with the San Francisco Giants for six years, $130 million.
Jason Heyward signed with the Chicago Cubs for eight years, $184 million.
The New York Yankees traded Justin Wilson to the Detroit Tigers for Luis Cessa and Chad Green.
If we were playing a game of find the outlier, no one, particularly fans of the Yankees, would have a problem differentiating between brilliant moves and ones that are groan-inducing.
Welcome to 2015 and beyond, Yankees fans.
When the Yankees traded Adam Warren for shortstop turned second baseman, Starlin Castro, they were mostly applauded. However, fans of the team weren’t overly happy about the move. Most claimed that while the move solidified second base, it also depleted the bullpen. The trade that sent Justin Wilson to Detroit is further evidence that perhaps the Yankees no longer know what they are doing, and that they are looking at the future through a child’s kaleidoscope.
The Starlin Castro trade made sense. Trading Justin Wilson? Not so much. To make matters worse, every team around the Yankees are getting better. By signing Price, the Red Sox are right back in the American League East race. By signing both Samardzija and Cueto, and adding them to a rotation that already includes Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy, and Matt Cain, the Giants are looking like they are going to continue their trend of winning a World Series every other year (they won in 2010, 2012, and 2014). By signing Greinke and Heyward, the Diamondbacks and Cubs, respectively, have shown the desire to contend immediately for a championship.
While the Yankees are moving at a pace that would make a snail proud, every team that was already a contender are moving at a pace that would make The Flash look like he is standing still. It’s not like this is a horrible move, though. After all, we did see the Kansas City Royals win a title with their own players, minus Johnny Cueto. However, with no experience (on that front) to base our opinions on, we are left to ponder the moves the team is making.
Whenever General Manager, Brian Cashman, is questioned about what the Yankees hope to accomplish either via free agency or the trade market, his responses are typically vague.
“We will see,’’ said Cashman to George A. King III of the New York Post. “It could come organically or it could be a combination [trade or from within], we will see.”
No offense to Mr. Cashman, but I take the “we will see” approach when I don’t plan on following through with what is requested of me. We will see should be relabeled, remains to be seen, or better yet, will probably not be seen.
Baseball, while part of everyday life, isn’t similar to how people approach everyday life. In life, one has no problem with mortgaging their present for a brighter future. In sports, particularly baseball, it’s about the here and now. No one cares if their team is built to win a title in 2021. They want to win a title this year. Sure that sounds cliché, but that is one instance in which sounding cliché isn’t a bad thing. The Yankees picked the wrong time to stand still and watch others spend; something that plenty of media members agree with.
“Clearly, the Yankees can’t afford to stand pat,” said Jacob Shafer of Bleacher Report. “Not with the Boston Red Sox nabbing Price and closer Craig Kimbrel and the defending American League East champion Toronto Blue Jays still equipped with their potent lineup and anticipating a full season from stud right-hander Marcus Stroman.”
The Yankees have placed themselves and their fans in a precarious position. There is no security for this season. It’s like they are expecting Alex Rodriguez to duplicate his miraculous 2015. It’s like they are expecting Mark Teixeira to play a full season; something he has failed to do in four straight seasons. While we are at it, what should be expected of the no longer ageless, Carlos Beltran? How long is Masahiro Tanaka’s elbow going to hold up? Who’s going to pitch in the seventh inning? Will Jacoby Ellsbury’s contract be another in the long line of terrible contracts handed out by the Yankees?
The answer to that is probably, we will see.
But rejoice in Yankees history, fans. Yesterday in Yankees history marked the 23rd anniversary of the Yankees signing Wade Boggs. Those were the days.
This day in history (1992): #Yankees sign @ChickenMan3010 to play 3B, win championships, and ride horses. pic.twitter.com/2BXIbBbndX
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) December 15, 2015
I wonder if the horse is available to pitch in the seventh.
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