THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT

It's been well documented that Hal Steinbrenner and Brain Cashman are taking a road less traveled for the Bronx Bombers this off season and are avoiding (so far) the big name, big money free agents. It's not something all Yankees fans agree upon after being accustomed to George Steinbrenner opening up his check book and buying anything he wanted. The top brass is doing what needs to be done though; get younger and not inflate the already bloated payroll. The future of the organization depends on it.

Look, it sucks seeing the Red Sox sign David Price. It sucks seeing other big name players not rumored to be headed to the Bronx. We are used to the Yankees signing any and every one. But that simply can't keep happening. The club is kind of at a fork in the road and the smart road to take is to acquire younger players, keep the farm intact and allow the HUGE contracts to expire over the next year or two. It has to happen this way!

Look at the huge salaries the Yankees have on the payroll. They can't just keep adding hundreds of millions of dollars without first allowing millions in contracts to expire. In 2016, as of right now, according to Sportrac.com, just 11 players are slated to make over $184 million!! That's crazy! But at the end of the 2016 season, Mark Teixeira 's contract and his 2016 salary of $22.5 million and Carlos Beltran's contract and $15 million come off the books.

Following 2017, Alex Rodriguez's $20 million and CC Sabathia's $25 million contract come off the books. A side note here is that Sabathia's contract can be bought out after 2016 if several scenarios happen which can be found here.

So over the next two off seasons, $82.5 million come off the books for four players whose average age in 2016 is 38 friggin' years old!!! That's why these long term deals don't work for players over 31 or 32 years old! They are so back heavy they cause this to happen where they have to take the slow road and force a club to play the waiting game.

So Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner are being smart. Some people say they're giving up on 2016 or that Hal is cheap as hell or they don't want to win. That's completely false. They are doing what good business men do. If it means taking a few licks here in 2016, then so be it. They plan on winning but they are not going to pull out all the stops to win this season and give up on producing a more solid and much younger team for many years into the future.

They are doing exactly what needs to be done! Let the roster that better reflects an Old Timer's Day lineup turn over and acquire and develop young talent. Cashman could easily go trade away Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Jorge Mateo, Gary Sanchez and others or sign the top of the line free agents and be in a better position to win right away, but how the hell would that help the ball club win in 2018 and beyond? It would not at all!!

Just remember that this is a business and following some costly extra-long contracts, it is now time to think about the future. Look at what could be in 2017/2018: Severino at the top of the rotation with Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, Masahiro Tanaka, James Kaprielian or recent pickups Luis Cessa and Chad Green, or others, who are all relatively young, Greg Bird at first base, Aaron Judge manning a corner outfield spot, McCann being the primary DH with Gary Sanchez behind the dish, Jorge Mateo knocking on the big leagues door and Eric Jagielo at third once Chase Headley is gone.

And don't forget folks, Bryce Harper, who will be just 26, has always wanted to the don the pinstripes and is a free agent in 2018. Patience could very well be the biggest virtue the Yankees need could utilize right now!!

Of course we all would love to win this season but there is more to a ball club and business than throwing all your eggs in one basket at one time. The Yankees have to let the wounds of the ridiculous contracts heal before diving into new ones and at the same time let the next core of Yankee greats develop in the minors so they can hit the ground running in the big leagues when their time comes.

Some of you may be upset now, but this is the best scenario and we will look back at this slow, methodical, getting younger by trading and waiting as the best thing Cashman and Hal have done for the organization.

At least I sure hope so.



 --Dan Lucia
BYB Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia





You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub.