WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

"I hate losing more than I love winning" - Billy Beane in Moneyball

Photo: Getty Images

And I really do. I hate the word "hate" but it's so true. I'm too competitive for my own good. In a lot of ways I think I identify with Billy Beane in Moneyball. We came so close. We were almost there, but sadly 'almost' only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades so as good as this ear was I am ready for 2018 to finish what we started. To come this close and not win it all hurts but the future is bright. As bright as it may be, there are still a lot of unknowns.

1) Are Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman coming back to the Yankees in 2018?

I think Cashman is a more obvious "YES" here. The Steinbrenner's trust him and believe in his judgment. If they didn't, we wouldn't have sold off our big assets at the end of last season. Not only that, what other GM is out there that can do what Cashman has done for this team? He has been the mastermind behind the "rebuild" phase that has paid off for us so far. I can't think of another GM that can so what Cashman has done and be as successful.

But what about Joe Girardi? Some fans really like him and some may think it is time for the Yankees to find someone new. No matter how the fans feel, the Yankees may go a different direction but not be their choice. Girardi is the third longest tenured manager since October of 2007 behind Mike Scioscia (1999, Los Angeles Angels) and Bruce Bochy (2006, San Francisco Giants). Who knows exactly what his plans are going forward but Girardi as much as he loves baseball, he is a family man. That comes first, read HERE and he may decide he is ready to be a family man. It's too soon to tell at this point but it is hard to imagine the Yankees without Girardi.

2) Should the Yankees bring CC Sabathia back?

Photo: New York Post

It seems like CC has been on the team forever now. Some fans may be ready to move on but he has been invaluable both on and off the field. He has been a consistent innings eater for the past two seasons and he has shown us he still has that competitive drive. I still think he has enough left in the tank. As the Yankees continue their rebuilding they are going to need a good veteran leader in the clubhouse and he can still be a good arm for the back of the rotation. CC says he still has unfinished business with this team. When I think about the current state of the rotation for 2018 he could still be a big asset and help guys like Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino and Sonny Gray out. If Chance Adams makes his way on the team he could be that veteran leader for another new group of young kids. CC says this is his home, and he wants to finish what he started. I am on board with giving him a one year deal, maybe an option for a second. We know he wants to stay here.

3) Will Masahiro Tanaka opt out of his deal?

Photo: MLB.com

Unlike CC, we don't know if Tanaka wants to stay he and be part of this team's future. He's been inconsistent this season but he really showed everyone that he is a postseason pitcher with a 2-1 record and a 0.90 ERA that can be trusted. Some people say his regular season stats like his wins and ERA would be a turn off for some teams. However, the free agent pitching class this season isn't very deep. Aside from Johnny Cueto, Jake Arrieta, and Yu Darvish there aren't many other attractive names out there. Who knows if another team wants to offer more money than we are paying him now or if he wants to stay with the Yankees who have a legitimate chance at winning a ring for years to come. If he wants to win he should stay but his answer was a little cold toward the media on Saturday. He sounded a little eager to find out if there were other options out there.

There is a lot to figure out now. As we move past the burn of just falling short it's time to start thinking about improving this team and making it stronger for seasons to come. Will any of these guys be a part of it going forward? I sure hope so.




--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ