Another MLB season is over halfway completed and the trade deadline has now officially passed. Teams have figured out their squads and seen what works and doesn't. GMs have seen their rosters and have decided whether or not they need to make significant changes. Those who see they don't have made the decision on whether to be buyers or sellers at this year's trade deadline and have completed deals accordingly. Now, it is time for us as writers to analyze those decisions and see both the good and the bad. I am going to narrow this viewpoint down to just the Yankees, a team that was in desperate need of change after multiple unsuccessful seasons.
Now I am sure General Manager Brian Cashman came into this season with high hopes for the team he had built, but still understanding that the team as it is might not be enough. All he could hope for was a chance to win the division at the trade deadline so that he could get the opportunity to make some moves in order for a shot at the playoffs. Unfortunately, Cashman did not quite get the result he had hoped for out of this Yankees team and was forced to change his game plan on deadline day. While the team is only about seven games out of first place in the division, it would have still been a tall task for the team they had with very little trading pieces to win now. So the Yankees and GM Brian Cashman had to become sellers, and as a fan, I could not have been happier with how it worked out.
The Yankees had to let go of the "M" and "C" in "No Runs DMC," the nickname given to the back end of their bullpen, but in return, they received some of the top prospects in the country. In the trade where they gave up closer Aroldis Chapman, the team received three of the Cubs' prospects including their top and more along with relief pitcher and former Yankee Adam Warren. It is also understood that when Chapman's deal is through in Chicago after this year, the closer would not be opposed to signing back with the Yankees next year. So in essence, the Yankees could have given up nothing for a few solid prospects and another reliable relief pitcher.
In the deal involving Andrew Miller, the Yanks were able to land a similar agreement, receiving four prospects from the Indians including highly regarded outfielder Clint Frazier. While they did lose Miller, who in my opinion was their best asset out of the bullpen, they gain a much brighter future with some more of the nation's top prospects.
Finally, as a Yankee fan, it is not hard to see that the starting pitching is average at best. Cashman was smart and able to use outfielder Carlos Beltran, a player who has been playing very well, to his advantage. He was able to trade him to the Rangers, a team that needed some players to help them win now, in exchange for one of the best pitching prospects in the nation in starting pitcher Dillon Tate. With all those deals done, the Yankees now have eight of the Top 100 prospects in the Major Leagues.
It may not seem like such a great thing now and as Yankee fans, it is hard to accept losing for too long. But the future is bright. Brian Cashman killed the deadline and made the Yankees monumentally better. Unfortunately, we may not see that result for a couple of years, but with all these players in their early 20s it could lead to another Yankees' dynasty. If you believe that at least Clint Frazier, Dillon Tate, and Gleyber Torres perform as they are expected, the Yankees have a terrific team. In my opinion, the Yankees have a World Series winning team by 2020 at the latest. The infield would consist of prospect Greg Bird at first base, Starlin Castro at 2B, Gleyber Torres at SS or 3B and, most likely Didi Gregorius at the other of those positions if prospect Jorge Mateo does not work out. At catcher, the Yanks will have Gary Sanchez, a recently called-up promising minor league player. The outfield will consist of 6-foot-7-inch Aaron Judge, newly acquired Clint Frazier, and if everything works out the way they are expected to, Nationals' All-Star Bryce Harper. The power in that lineup will be unprecedented in a few years, especially in a stadium that is smaller than most. The relief pitchers will still be talented, and if the Yankees can figure out how to turn around Severino, the Yankees will have three fairly young pitchers in Dillon Tate, Luis Severino, and Masahiro Tanaka.
It seems unreal, but with solely the addition of Bryce Harper, the Yankees could have another team similar to the one they had in the '90s, and it would seem that they are poised for multiple World Series runs in the very near future. So the next time you are watching a Yankee game and are getting annoyed with the constant poor performances, just think of what Cashman did this year and how the future looks. It is hard not to smile even a little at that thought.
