The New York Yankees are notorious for being buyers come the trade deadline, but everything about this team seems a little bit different this year.For starters, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, Mark Texeira and others have gone down with injuries and have produced practically nothing so far this year.
Even with a lineup filled with subpar-level players, the Yankees have managed to stay alive in the playoff hunt with a 51-44 record, putting them just six games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox.
Even though New York is in striking distance, it’s time to flip the switch and become sellers at the deadline.
One of the biggest problems with the Yanks this season is that their farm system lacks top-level prospects. Just about all of the Yankees top prospects are at least a year or two away from being able to compete in the majors. The Yanks don’t have many trade assets, but they should do whatever they can to acquire some young talent.
If Brian Cashman can turn Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain into some young talent, it would turn this unsuccessful season into a building block for the future.
Let’s face the facts.
Jeter is past his prime and it looks like father time is starting to get to him. Who knows what A-Rod will do when he comes back? Also, when Major League Baseball dishes out the suspensions from the Biogenesis scandal, Rodriguez could be gone for good. Tex and Grandy are still relatively young, but how much more do they have in their tanks?
At the end of the day, this core of players is old and past their prime at the same time that younger teams like the Red Sox and the Orioles are hitting their stride. Even with all of these players healthy, who knows if it’d be enough to compete in the very tough AL East.
It hurts me to say this -- I’m a huge Yankees fan -- but this era is over. It’s time to start looking towards the future and rebuilding the team, and that starts with stockpiling talent in the minors.
This core of players have had a great run in New York City, but it’s time for a new core to take center stage.
[Mike Lucas Sports]
