BRIAN CASHMAN HAS REGRETS

(Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)

It's only the first week of the 2017 season and it feels so much different then last year. This year is all about the excitement. The kids are up (finally!) and the veteran hitters are gone. We have a fresh new look compared to last year. It's nice, right? It's amazing to think about where we are right now compared to last year, and after reading some comments from Brian Cashman you can tell he feels the same way.

It's weird to think about the Yankees as being "sellers" and it sounds like it took Cashman a long time to convince ownership that really was the way to go, read some interesting information I found HERE. Think about it....I can just picture Hal Steinbrenner giving the answer "well, I’m not thinking the way you are at this moment in time, but keep making recommendations." It just wasn't the "Yankee way" to do things and now most of us are glad that Hal finally gave the green light.

(Sept. 22, 2016 - Source: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images North America)

So looking back at the Robinson Cano situation it would be easy to trade him away in retrospect especially if we could've just hit the fast-forward button to see that contract offer from the Mariners after all of the failed extension talks. If Cashman would've convinced Hal to sell off some veterans back in 2014 who else may have been let go and what would it have done for the Yankees? It's always easy to look back and go 'what if' but who knows if we would've been able to get the talent in our system that we have now. Or, who knows....maybe we would be that playoff contending team already, or the AL East favorite?

But we do know one thing for certain, and that is that Cashman had envisioned this youth movement back in 2014. If the team had restructured before Cano signed elsewhere this team could be in a completely different place. This is a stretch but maybe if the Yankees had traded Cano they wouldn't have jumped to sign Jacoby Ellsbury.

Sept. 12, 2016 - Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America

Before anyone misinterprets this I want to make this clear. NO, Ellsbury was not a "replacement" for Cano since they obviously play different positions but the Yankees signed Ellsbury in hopes that his production may make up for some of Cano's offense which never made sense to me. Both players signed huge deals in 2013 and while both of them have a long way to go before their contracts are up it looks like Ellsbury's contract will be a mistake that we will talk about for years to come. And meanwhile, as much as I hate to admit it Red Sox nation is pointing and laughing at us and feeling great about choosing Jackie Bradley Jr over Ellsbury, especially after his great Opening Day catch on Sunday.

(Sept. 9, 2016 - Source: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images North America)

Maybe the Yankees have learned a valuable lesson from not trading Cano when they could have. Sure, it would have brought us some amazing prospects in exchange for Cano who was at the top of his game. We may have gained some amazing prospects and Cashman may have regrets but I don't. Maybe we have another Robbie Cano on the team now. I don't want to look back and wonder.

I think the Yankees needed to learn their lesson the hard way. Now they realize they can't be stuck in their ways and the game is evolving with new young blood. It's like Mark Teixeira said "you can’t just win through free agency. That’s not the way it works anymore." See....even the veterans get it. The future is bright, these are the NEW New York Yankees.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ