In order to return to relevancy in 2017, the New York Yankees will have to execute certain bold and strategical moves in the offseason.
Despite a promising second half, featuring an even more promising peek into the future, the New York Yankees fell short of their ultimate goal in 2016. Whether that was simply making the playoffs by way of the Wild Card Game or adding a 28th title to their incredible collection, 84 wins was an accurate representation of a slightly above average ballclub.With that said, a second half which saw the Bronx Bombers actively pursue a playoff spot featured numerous positives. Ultimately, the emergence of rookie Gary Sanchez into a superstar led the team to heights they never could have imagined following an August 1 trade deadline fire sale.
Those heights brought about hope. Hope as to the 2017 landscape, potentially bringing about the team’s first real postseason endeavor since 2012. However, if the Yanks want to turn that hope into pure results, fulfilling an inevitable goal, changes will have to be made.
Evidently, youth and improved pitching paved way to an unforeseen second half run. That will be the name of the game next year.
Which aging, merely unproductive, or sneakily valuable pieces must be contributing elsewhere come opening day of the next calendar year? Rather than the where, or the what, let’s focus on the who.