Probably the best source of information (as it has been for years) on the Yankees is the LoHud Yankees blog. Here's their piece on the Yankees punting the next few years, while trying to put the best face on a bad situation.
Transition is supposed to be rocky. It’s a shift from one thing to the next, and there’s an inevitable sense of uncertainty.
This winter, we’re learning what transition in the Bronx looks like.
The Yankees are stuck in a bit of a dead zone, somewhere between the dynasty they used to be and the dynasty they’d like to become. Past icons are aging toward retirement, and so the roster is in a state of flux. Baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement is about to take effect, and so the front office is adjusting its approach.*The winter has been rocky, the future is uncertain, and*the Yankees have responded with a series of one-year contracts to veteran players who have no future in the organization.
It’s their attempt to*maintain*success*at a time of inevitable instability.
When a smaller market team gets to this point, it might react differently. If the Yankees were the Pirates, maybe we’d see Ronnier Mustelier or Melky Mesa penciled into right field. Maybe David Adams or Eduardo Nunez would be projected to play third. Maybe David Phelps would be guaranteed a rotation spot. But the Yankees are the Yankees, and things are different here.
For now, the Yankees have a ton of money tied to a handful of players, some of whom are paid like superstars without performing that way. Their best all-around player is about to reach free agency and sure to demand a massive contract. The franchise is fundamentally attached to a bunch of older players whose only real negative is that they’re old (there’s no reason to turn away from Andy Pettitte except that he’s 40 and clearly can’t help with the rebuilding effort).
And so the Yankees are stuck between yesterday and tomorrow, using today to bridge the gap.
The Yankees want to cut payroll going forward, and even if you disagree with the strategy, you can surely understand it. There are benefits to going above the luxury tax — better roster, better chance at the playoffs, easier to draw fans — but the new CBA made sure that there were also significant benefits to staying below $189 million, and the Yankees are choosing to take advantage of those cost-cutting rewards.
And so, they transition.
They transition to a new way of spending; not so reckless, but also not so overpowering.
They transition to a new way of roster building; without a big name at every position, but still hesitant to trust unproven players.
They transition to a new way of speaking; all about patience without conceding temporary*defeat.
Of course it’s rocky, and of course it’s uncertain* but this is what transition feels like. We’re learning what*transition looks like in the Bronx.
It could be called building a bridge to nowhere. Imagine what they're going to be like the year after this one when they're still paying the shards of Jeter, A-Rod, Sabathia and Teixeira, after Kuroda, Pettitte, and Cano are gone.
Transition is supposed to be rocky. It’s a shift from one thing to the next, and there’s an inevitable sense of uncertainty.
This winter, we’re learning what transition in the Bronx looks like.
The Yankees are stuck in a bit of a dead zone, somewhere between the dynasty they used to be and the dynasty they’d like to become. Past icons are aging toward retirement, and so the roster is in a state of flux. Baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement is about to take effect, and so the front office is adjusting its approach.*The winter has been rocky, the future is uncertain, and*the Yankees have responded with a series of one-year contracts to veteran players who have no future in the organization.
It’s their attempt to*maintain*success*at a time of inevitable instability.
When a smaller market team gets to this point, it might react differently. If the Yankees were the Pirates, maybe we’d see Ronnier Mustelier or Melky Mesa penciled into right field. Maybe David Adams or Eduardo Nunez would be projected to play third. Maybe David Phelps would be guaranteed a rotation spot. But the Yankees are the Yankees, and things are different here.
For now, the Yankees have a ton of money tied to a handful of players, some of whom are paid like superstars without performing that way. Their best all-around player is about to reach free agency and sure to demand a massive contract. The franchise is fundamentally attached to a bunch of older players whose only real negative is that they’re old (there’s no reason to turn away from Andy Pettitte except that he’s 40 and clearly can’t help with the rebuilding effort).
And so the Yankees are stuck between yesterday and tomorrow, using today to bridge the gap.
The Yankees want to cut payroll going forward, and even if you disagree with the strategy, you can surely understand it. There are benefits to going above the luxury tax — better roster, better chance at the playoffs, easier to draw fans — but the new CBA made sure that there were also significant benefits to staying below $189 million, and the Yankees are choosing to take advantage of those cost-cutting rewards.
And so, they transition.
They transition to a new way of spending; not so reckless, but also not so overpowering.
They transition to a new way of roster building; without a big name at every position, but still hesitant to trust unproven players.
They transition to a new way of speaking; all about patience without conceding temporary*defeat.
Of course it’s rocky, and of course it’s uncertain* but this is what transition feels like. We’re learning what*transition looks like in the Bronx.
It could be called building a bridge to nowhere. Imagine what they're going to be like the year after this one when they're still paying the shards of Jeter, A-Rod, Sabathia and Teixeira, after Kuroda, Pettitte, and Cano are gone.
