Should We Stop Sleeping on the 2017 New York Yankees?

(Photo Courtesy of New York Yankees Instagram)

It’s a late rebuild, but we’ll take it. This whole “rebuilding” stage that the New York Yankees have taken probably should’ve started back in 2013, when we saw probably the worst (and most injury-prone) team the Yankees have put on a field since 1991. And even then, we got to see the emergence of Kevin Maas (and the short-lived Maas top girls...look it up). Back when Robinson Cano signed with the Mariners in 2013, I was a sad Yankee fan.

Rebuilding was nothing that I had known about this team in my thirteen years on Earth. This was only the second time the Yankees had missed the playoffs since 1995. People that had been around to see the dynasty from 1995 to 2000 had to be in awe about what this team had become. But when I look back in hindsight, I think: What could this team had gotten in prospects if they had traded Cano at the trade deadline. There was zero guarantee that

they were going to resign him, and things were slipping away when Cano commented on wanting a $305M deal. With Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay, and others production slipping away from what we saw in April and May, it was clear that playoff chances were dwindling. That probably would’ve been a great time to trade Cano to the Rangers or another contending team for some top prospects—maybe a Rougned Odor or Jurickson Profar or some prospects to get this team back to glory.

Then you have the team trying to buy their way back to the playoffs. They signed Masahiro Tanaka for $155 million and Brian McCann for $85 million. Considering the status of the starting rotation and the fact that good but injury prone Francisco Cervelli was set to be our starting catcher, these two aren’t terrible. Even signing Carlos Beltran to a $45 million deal wasn’t bad, considering his impact on the 2015 and 2016 teams. But then you have the signing of Jacoby Ellsbury for $153 million after a good, but not great, 2013 with the rival Red Sox. Yankees fans have trashed the move since then,

because his stats after that:

For comparison’s sake, Brett Gardner (who is at this point is a mirror image of Ellsbury) signed a $52 million extension before the 2014 season. Curtis Grandson, who had hit 84 homers in two years before an injury-mired 2013, signed a $60 million deal with theMets.

Then, before the trade deadline that year, they traded breakout star Yangervis Solarte (who had begun to slump) and prospect Rafael De Paula for Chase Headley. Would it be shocking if you knew that Solarte has been a better hitter AND more versatile (and,apparently cheaper) than Headley in all of the two and a half years since the trade?

Then you got the Yankees missing out on top international prospect Yoan Moncada, who signed with the Red Sox to a $31.5 million signing bonus. The reason why they missed out on him: they weren’t willing to go over $32 million (which was doubled because the Red Sox went over their international budget). In my opinion, you’re worth all the money in the world when you’re 19 and you got arms like this:

And in case I didn’t mention it: They signed an average Ellsbury for $153 million and Headley for $52 million. That’s just a basis of moves this team could’ve made from 2013-2015 instead of trying to improve on already lost seasons...but they didn’t.

In 2016, to make a long story short, the Yankees get big time prospects for rentals (besides Ivan Nova), A-Rod gets released, Mark Teixeira’s gone, the new and younger Yankees begin winning in August and September before Dellin Betances forgets how to throw to first, and the season essentially goes into ruins with a four game sweep to the Red Sox (three of those games should’ve been won), and Gary Sanchez shows that he

can hit anything...literally.

Getting back to the present day, the Yankees have declared a stage of rebuilding. They signed Matt Holliday and Chris Carter to one year deals to provide some veteran knowledge on this team. At the same time, you can’t say that the Yankees aren’t secretly trying to compete.

Think about it: this organization has never been on the notion of selling for the future. When the team were on that long playoff drought from 1981 to 1994, there wasn’t much selling going on. The Yankees haven’t been in a position to sell ever since George Steinbrenner brought the Yankees from CBS, so why should it be any different this year?

Let’s look at this year’s spring training. They are currently 17-6, which is the best in baseball. They lead in HRs, batting average, and literally every other offensive category imaginable. And that’s with shortstop Didi Gregorious tearing up a storm in the World Baseball Classic for the Netherlands (more on that in another article). Is it spring training? Yes, but guys being thrown out there in the spring are guys that have chances, while slim, to make a big league team.

When the Yanks signed the aforementioned Solarte to a minor league deal, no one expected that he would nudge out Eduardo Nunez for the utility infielder spot on the roster, continue to hit the living tar out the ball, and earn himself a starting spot on the team a couple of weeks later. That same Yangervis Solarte has made a name for himself in San Diego as an above average third baseman.

Spring training games don’t count for the guys that you know will be penciled in on that Opening Day lineup, it counts for the guys that are either fighting for that final roster spot or competing for jobs elsewhere in the organization. You cannot count out the Yankees just because “its spring training”. We have seen the re-emergence of Greg Bird after shoulder surgery last year, andshould be the Yankees’ starting first baseman this year. Gleyber Torres, who no matter what will start the season in Double-A, has shown that he can hit major league pitching at 20 years old while having the maturity of a 28-year old. Clint Frazier, minus the luxurious locks, has shown great bat speed. And Billy McKinney is doing pretty good.

That list doesn’t even include Justice Sheffield, James Kaprielian, Jorge Mateo, Chance Adams, Miguel Andujar, Kyle Higashioka, and others who could make an impact as quick as this year. Most of these guys have been assigned to minor league camp because there is just no room for all of these guys. To the present Yankees: Sanchez doesn't look fazed from his September slump, and actually was tied with Bryce Harper at one point for the most homers in the spring. If Major League pitchers adjust to him, he'll adjust faster. Ellsbury is running much more than he did in his first three years as a Yankee. He just needs to fix his bat, which looks promising.

In fact, every returning Yankee position player looks great this spring (except Brett Gardner). The real problem lies within the pitching staff. It's obvious that Masahiro Tanaka is the ace, and Tyler Clippard, Dellin Betances, and

Aroldis Chapman are the backend of the bullpen. The remainder of the rotation is a huge question mark. Michael Pineda can go from great to terrible within a day, Luis Severino hasn't shown the ace type of starter he was in 2015, and CC Sabathia has a lot of question marks about velocity and if he can repeat his 2016.

The last rotation spot looks like it's gonna go to Bryan Mitchell. He looked great in his few starts in 2016, and has looked amazing in spring training. If that can carry over to the regular season, that'll be great. As of now though, the rotation has question marks. But you know who else in the AL East made the playoffs (albeit as a Wild Card team) with a great offense and a lackluster rotation? Last years Orioles. And unlike Zach Britton, Chapman will be in the game in the 11th inning. This team without a rotation and all the youth in the world will not only make the playoffs, but be a real threat for the World Series.

You know who else thinks the Yankees could be a real threat? Red Sox President Dave Dombrowski: “I sure do think of them [Yankees] as a legitimate threat. Brian [Cashman] wants you to think they’re not a legitimate threat. But they are a legitimate threat and they want to sneak up on you.” Dombrowski doesn't have much competition for his team this year either. The Blue Jays have lost some of their offensive power and Jose Bautista continues to age, the O's still don't have much of a rotation, and the Rays are banking on a Chris Archer resurgence. Just about the only competition for the Red Sox is the New York Yankees.And apparently, the Red Sox are scared out of their minds. That alone should say something about this team.

Final point: This team is prepared for the future, there's no doubt there. This team will be unstoppable if and when they get Shohei Otani, Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado. But we should not count out the 2017 Baby Bombers on making a huge run this postseason.Maybe Rougned Odor and Yoan Moncada should be a part of it, but we will definitely take this as well.

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