No reason to wait
Yank vets: We don’t need prospects to arrive to contend
As the Yankees trotted some of their prospects around the city this week, with talk of Clint Frazier taking over in left field in the not-too-distant future and Gleyber Torres somewhere in the infield, it was almost possible to forget that they will actually field a team in 2017.
And while fans wait — and cross their fingers — for those young players to develop and wait — and cross their fingers — that the Yankees do indeed become “big-game hunters” again in free agency in two years, as general manager Brian Cashman said, the current crop of older players isn’t ready to raise the white flag on 2017 just yet.
“I think we’ve got a great chance to compete in this division,’’ Chase Headley said Thursday at Yankee Stadium. “We certainly are younger, but they’re extremely talented and very, very good players. We have a lot of veteran guys still that have had a lot of success in this league. Our expectations don’t change.”
And those expectations are to integrate some inexperienced players into a team that can make the playoffs — despite improvements made elsewhere in the AL East.
Even Cashman said he wasn’t surprised observers consider the Red Sox the team to beat in the division, especially with Chris Sale in their rotation — with the Blue Jays not far behind.
“I understand why,” Cashman said. “Boston obviously has a tremendous foundation currently and they’ve added to it. Toronto’s had a hell a run and just signed [Jose] Bautista back. Until we push ourselves into [contention], there’s some uncertainties to declare in a positive way. … That’s gonna be with us playing the season out with some of these kids and some of those younger players. Until we declare those question marks in a positive way, then it’s understandable that people are gonna predict others to be ahead of us. That’s fine with us.”
For the Yankees to defy those predictions, they’re going to need just about everything to go right.
“When the Red Sox pick up a person like Chris Sale, you notice,” Headley said. “It’s a great division. We’ve got to worry about what we’re doing and if we play the way we’re capable of, I think we have a shot.”
And Headley — who was asked about in trades this offseason, but is now “expected” to be the third baseman on Opening Day, according to Cashman — knows he can’t afford another start like he had a year ago.
“I’ll try to get a couple of hits in April, that would be great,” Headley said of the upcoming season after his woeful first five weeks of 2016. “Honestly, it’s something I’ve looked at and will continue to look at to make sure there wasn’t anything I did or didn’t do in spring training.” But he’s not alone. The Yankees have unproven commodities at first base, right field and throughout the rotation. And they are relying on Gary Sanchez, with just two months in the majors under his belt, to help carry the lineup.
“If we stay healthy and perform to our capabilities, I think we can start writing a new chapter in Yankeeland with exciting futures ahead,” Cashman said. “[But it’s] the whole spectrum: We could be extremely good or obviously, with some injuries in key areas, we could be in a difficult situation at the same time.”
They haven’t won a playoff series since 2012 and made just two significant acquisitions this offseason, signing Matt Holliday and bringing back Aroldis Chapman.
Holliday said he’s healthy and is prepared to play first base or the outfield, but his primary role figures to be DH.
“The way these guys played last year after all the trades, the young players really stepped up,” Holliday said. “I don’t think anyone is coming into the season not expecting to have a lot of success. This organization expects to win a championship.”