SPANISH HARLEM – As this Yankees team continues to crumble late in games, the sense in New York is whether this team will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. I’m sure you will get different opinions on this subject depending on who you speak with. Whether you stand on one side or the other, there are good points to be made, so let’s investigate some of them now.
Buyers
I will assume that most diehard Yankees fans are not giving up on the season. They want to see the front office add players that will make them competitive and win more games. While I understand that Brian Cashman & Co. are always in win-now mode, this will probably be the route they decide to take.
What I can’t figure out is, if there is a player like that in this market, what would it take to get that player – or players – in a Yankees uniform. I don’t see Shohei Ohtani walking through that door any time soon or at all really and impact players like that aren’t available, even by the worst of teams. The odds are that spare parts will be moving but nothing major will move the needle.
Result: Buyer Beware
Sellers
This would be unfamiliar territory, as the Yankees are not usually an organization that is looking to sell at the trade deadline. There is always the belief that they have what they need to win games and make the playoffs and they might be right on that. They may have a team that makes the playoffs, but do they have a team that can win the World Series, which I don’t believe they have.
With that said, would it be smarter to sell off what they can and look to get younger. It seemed to work in 2016 and should be something that the organization looks back on to see if they can replicate the same outcome. The Yankees traded some important players for prospects and decided to turn to their own prospects to see what they had. It turned out well, as some of the players, like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez (don’t laugh!) were discovered and contributed to a fast rebuild.
What I am trying to say is, is it better to give the guys a chance and build around them? Is it time for change? My answer is to all that is… yes!
Result: Sell, Sell, Sell
