“You do realize, don’t you, that this Yankees’ team was primarily built from the farm system.”
No, I don’t. They have been packing their farm system with major league level players for this year since early 2015. Here are a few:
Chris Carter,, Ruben Tejada, Nick Swisher, Chris Parmelee, Carlos Corporan, Kirby Yates, Jonathan Diaz, Donovan Solano, Tyler Jones, Vinnie Pestano, Cesar Puello, Sebastian Valle, Richard Bleier, Pete Kozma, and Chris Denorfia, And this is a tack on as they signed 15 international free agents in mid 2015 for the future basically from their school/camp in the Islands.
But their main vision is what they can sign for next year, 2018. The following have been openly discussed in the club’s Bleacher Report, given by a unanimous source within the NY Yankee front office as they are not allowed to openly talk yet.
Three MVPs: Bryce Harper, Josh Donaldson and Andrew McCutchen. One Cy Young: Dallas Keuchel. Chris Carter,, Ruben Tejada, Nick Swisher, Chris Parmelee, Carlos Corporan, Kirby Yates, Jonathan Diaz, Donovan Solano, Tyler Jones, Vinnie Pestano, Cesar Puello, Sebastian Valle, Richard Bleier, Pete Kozma, and Chris Denorfia.
Tack that on to already looking at David Price, Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann, Johnny Cueto, Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Gordon and Chris Davis. These were the cream of the position-player crop. Additional Bats: Manny Machado, A.J. Pollock, Michael Brantley, Dee Gordon, Adam Jones, Nelson Cruz, Hunter Pence and Adrian Gonzalez. Additional Aces: Jose Fernandez, Matt Harvey, Shelby Miller, Garrett Richards, Jose Quintana and Adam Wainwright. Relievers: Craig Kimbrel, Trevor Rosenthal, Zach Britton, Andrew Miller, Jeurys Familia, Kelvin Herrera and David Robertson.
So as you can see, they have not been sitting on their pocket book over the last two seasons and they are prepared to break the bank for next year, all free agent crop. And the sale of YES network is what got them there cash wise along with the residual payments from national networks contracted in 2012.
Rwood
How many of those guys are in the organization? Not many. How many got to The Bronx. Not many.
http://www.milb.com/roster/index.jsp?sid=t531
Of the current Yankees 25-man roster, nine are homegrown: Betances, Severino, Smith, Warren, Romine, Sanchez, Austin, Gardner, and Judge. With Castro’s activation, Tyler Wade, another homegrown player, was just sent down today.
Greg Bird, who will be back from rehab any day, is a homegrown Yankee product.
Ronald Torreyes was acquired in a minor league deal for Rob Segedin, another homegrown player. Chasen Shreve was acquired in a minor-league deal for homegrown Manny Banuelos. Starlin Castro was acquired for a homgrown player and a utility man. Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, Jaime Garcia, Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson (himself a product of the Yankee farm system), Todd Frazier, Didi Gregorius, and Aaron Hicks are all players acquired in trade for homegrown Yankee players.
That gets us to 20 out of 25. Chad Green was acquired (along with Luis Cessa, now back in AAA) for Justin Wilson, who was acquired for homegrown catcher Francisco Cervelli. That’s 21. Chase Headley was acquired for a player the Yankees had signed as a minor-league free agent. That’s 22 of 25.
CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, and Jacoby Ellsbury are the only free-agent signees on the current roster. And Tanaka was a posting-system win from Japan.
Matt Holliday, currently on rehab, was also a free agent signing.
Remember, in the winter of 2015-2016, the Yankees spent exactly $0 on major league free agents. Zero. Zip. Nada. Nothing. And many in the baseball media seemed annoyed at them for it. Then at the trade deadline in 2016, they traded Chapman, Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran, and Ivan Nova (who was homegrown) away for young players. (Clint Frazier was one of those, coming in the Miller deal.) They followed that up this past winter by dealing away Brian McCann for more young talent. Then they found themselves in contention a year earlier than anticipated.
Because the Yankees (among other teams, including the Dodgers, Red Sox, Tigers, and Nationals) are over the luxury tax threshold, they are looking to cut payroll. So don’t expect them to make a big splash in free agency. They’re trying to get under the cap (and maybe make room for a bid for Shohei Otani.) Signing players such as the ones you’ve named would undermine that. I don’t think they’re after those guys. And I’m not buying some “anonymous source” article in a Yankee blog (especially when most of the Yankee media says just the opposite.)
Breaking the bank is not in the plans. They have reason not to, and they can afford not to.
Sitting on their pocketbooks is the plan, at least for a year or two. Let the kids develop, then get what is needed to go around them. They’re engaging in the delicate balance of trying to contend and retool at the same time, and so far, Cashman is doing a very good job of it.
The rest of teh baseball world will get annoyed at that, but let tehm. The Yankees are in fine shape.