Yankees: Time for a breakup in the Bronx

Carlos Beltran (Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

Assuming the Yankees don’t win the World Series this year (they won’t), that will make seven full seasons since the team’s last title in 2009. A drought that would make most under-30 Yankee fans cringe, but as the saying goes, “you’ve made your bed, now you have to sleep in it.”

That metaphorical bed was metaphorically made during the 2008 offseason, just weeks after an aging core of Yankees finished 89-73 and missed the playoffs for the first time 1993. (There were no playoffs in ’94 because of the strike).

In a span of 13 days (December 11-23), the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira ($180 million), C.C. Sabathia ($161 million), and A.J. Burnett ($82.5 million) in what could go down as the most luxurious spending spree in baseball history.

It resulted in a championship the following season, for that Yankee fans should be thankful, but it also marked the last time Brian Cashman would ever get away with over-spending for talent and having it pay off with a trophy in October.

Over the last decade the game has changed drastically. More teams are signing their big name free agents before they hit free agency (i.e. Giancarlo Stanton, Stephen Strasburg).

Thanks to revenue sharing and regional sports networks, small market teams are willing to spend more money then ever before, and see it pay immediate dividends (i.e. Kansas City Royals).

Plus other big-market teams with fertile farm systems (i.e. St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets) continue to churn out top prospects at an impressive rate.

That’s probably why for the first time in recent memory the Yankees didn’t spend one dime on a major free agent this past offseason.

Cashman is finally starting to get his way. Being allowed to hang onto his top prospects, and avoid the bloated long-term contracts.

But the Yankees must take it a step further, to a place they haven’t been to in decades.

It all starts with the trade deadline next month. The Yankees need to be sellers. Shocker I know. But for the first time in a while, they actually have something other contenders need, and will give up good prospects for.

Productive players with expiring/cheap contracts:

Carlos Beltran. A switch-hitting machine with a reputation of postseason success. He can help an American League contender right now and bring back a mid to high level prospect (think one notch below what the Tigers got for Cespedes last year – Michael Fulmer).

Andrew Miller. Surprisingly more tradeable then his closer counterpart, and has received more interest on the market so far. He’s only owed $9 million over the next two years, a cheap price to pay for a closer of his caliber. The Pirates, Rangers or Tigers are the teams I could see needing bullpen help at the deadline.

Aroldis Chapman. I’m actually against trading the Cuban Missile, because I think he fits in perfectly to what the Yankees are trying to build towards. However, if a team is desperate for bullpen help and makes an enticing offer, Brian needs to answer the phone.

With six weeks to go until the trade deadline, a lot of pieces still need to fall into place, but expect the Yankees to be sellers next month.