New York Yankees 2017 Team Preview
By Tim Haberin
Most view the Yankees as still a year or two away from legitimate contention, but could their youth movement make an improbable playoff push in 2017?
By now, the New York Yankees‘ 2016 trade deadline strategy has been analyzed and dissected countless times over. For the first time since the late-90s dynasty days, the Yanks approached midseason as sellers, unloading several key players in exchange for prospects. Bullpen dynamos Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, along with veteran slugger Carlos Beltran, landed a crop of young talent headlined by Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier, among others.
General manager Brian Cashman continued the process during the offseason, trading catcher Brian McCann to the Astros for a pair of minor league pitchers. While the Yankees’ farm system has been revitalized by these moves, it would be inaccurate to call this an all-out rebuild. A handful of veterans like Brett Gardner are still here, and the club also added a couple of known commodities on one-year deals in an effort to field a competitive lineup in 2017.
The goal is clear: build for the future while remaining a factor in the present. That plan rarely works out for franchises, but the Yanks have experienced surprising success trying to have it both ways. Even after last July’s sell-off, they remained in the playoff picture until the final month and finished over .500 for the 24th consecutive year.
As a rule, the Yankees will always claim that the World Series is their objective heading into a new season, but management would probably be satisfied with a similar scenario as last year. They’ll hope the young players already on the roster – led by last season’s late-summer sensation Gary Sanchez – will provide a jolt, while some of the vets bounce back from lackluster campaigns. If things break right, perhaps they can sneak in with a postseason spot.
To get a better sense of the Bronx Bombers’ chances in 2017, let’s review the prominent offseason personnel moves and examine how the team will look this year.
Next: Additions