With deadline looming, Yankees at crossroads
As the New York NEW YORK Yankees move slowly along toward the trade deadline, caught publicly in their buy-or-sell purgatory, their biggest conundrums might not come over the next seven days but the months and even years following that.
These Yankees, much unchanged from their teams of years past, seem to be caught inbetween, relying on aging stars and big contracts while waiting for some kind of cavalry of youth to come in.
Of their top five hitters in the batting order Saturday, none was younger than 32. Only Carlos Beltran, 39, was an All-Star, and Brian McCann was the only other above-average offensive player this season.
Beltran, coincidentally, represents what the Yankees might hope to move away from. He is nearing the end of his career — he has said he wants to play two more years after this to reach 20 full seasons in the majors — and is paid handsomely. His contract is like the one the Yankees have doled out like candy over the last few years, except this one has not come back to bite them in 2016. Still, he’s in the final year of the three-year deal. When asked what has changed with the organization in those intervening years, he was succinct.
“Changed? Not much other than (Derek) Jeter retired,” he said. “That’s it. The organization is always trying to go out and sign players to help the players that we got. It hasn’t changed much.”
Beltran likely meant that as a sign of continuity and stability. It also could be an indication of a team that has grown stale. After winning 84 to 87 games in each of the last three seasons — making the playoffs only in 2015 during that span — the Yankees are 50-48, 71⁄ games out of first in 2 the American League East and 41⁄ games behind the Toronto 2 Blue Jays for the second wildcard spot. Only the Tampa Bay Rays are below them in the division standings.
The stars they hoped would propel them to the postseason are old and creaky and, worse, no longer productive. Mark Teixeira has been the third-worst position player in baseball this season, according to Fangraphs’ wins above replacement metric.
But at least his $23.125 million salary comes off the books after this season.
Alex Rodriguez is under contract for another $21 million next season. After hitting 33 home runs last season, Rodriguez, 40, is now a part-time player — a DH who can’t hit this year. It has put the Yankees in a bind. He is four home runs short of 700 and could be one of the few reasons for Yankees fans to keep watching the club this season if they fall further down the standings. But his chase for history comes at a cost. Do they keep him in the lineup for the marketing or take him out because he isn’t productive?
If there’s anything possibly nipping at that decision it’s that the Yankees — once the most bombastic organization in sports — have lost some luster and become, some think, boring. No Yankees players were in the top 20 in jersey sales on the list released this month — a list that included two Boston Red Sox players, three New York Mets and four Kansas City Royals. The team’s local TV ratings have fallen behind those of the Mets this season — hurt, in part, by a disagreement with the Comcast cable provider that has kept them off that platform.
The Yankees also have seen the ninth-largest dip in attendance from 2015, losing 2,183 fans a game — the second consecutive season they’ve seeing a drop-off from the previous year.
“I don’t think they’re boring,” Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “They’re a talented group that’s a week away from being right in the hunt. ... It’s all about in the eye of the beholder.”
All of it adds up to a club that perhaps should have its outlook on the future instead of the present, though that, too, is murky.
If they decide to trade some big names at the deadline — Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Beltran have been rumored as possible trade bait — it will not only give them payroll relief but also, depending on the return, bring much-needed talent into the organization’s pipeline. Their farm system is generally ranked as middle of the pack. Of their four top prospects, according to MLB.com, three have suffered significant injuries this season, while shortstop Jorge Mateo, their top prospect, just returned to Class A after a two-week team suspension. Their top young pitcher, Luis Severino, started the season with the Yankees before a demotion.
But the real haul could be several years from now, when a boffo free agent class could hit the market after the 2018 season. Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez and other stars could all hit the market at the same time. By then, the Yankees could be willing to spend again — they have only $57 million committed to that payroll right now — and in need of stars. And an organization in need of pizazz finally could buy some.