Yankees: Are These Statements About The Team True Or False

The Yankees exist in a fishbowl. Peering in, are these statements about the team true or false?

The Yankees are a media magnet. They are written about, talked about, trashed, and exalted on a daily basis. See what you think about the following statements that are commonly made about the team and the organization. I’m playing too.

1) Deep down, everyone wants to play for the Yankees.

True. Every professional athlete who participates in a team sport wants to play in the spotlight and be part of a winning tradition. Reggie Jackson, buried in Oakland, didn’t become a household name until he put on the Pinstripes. Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Matt Harvey have all put feelers out at one time or another that, if the stars were to line up just right, they wouldn’t mind playing for the Yankees at all.

2) The Yankees are playing 2017 for 2018.

False. The franchise can’t afford to give up on the 2017 season. Tomorrow means nothing to Yankees fans who have been spoiled over the years by the organization putting a competitive team on the field every year. Financially, to support their payroll, which is still one of the highest in baseball, attendance needs to stay at its current level of 3-4 million a season.

3) The Yankees have moved away from their free-spending days.

False. The organization has only temporarily moved away from their free-spending days of trying to buy a Championship. As soon as the franchise rids itself of the remaining back-ended contracts they have with players like Chase Headley, Brett Gardner, and Jacoby Ellsbury, the floodgates will open again. The only difference is that next time, they’ll go more for quality as opposed to quantity. We’ll see the first phase of that this winter when they pursue an ace to lead their rotation. (See #2)

4) The Yankees will have a new manager next season.

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True. Joe Girardi is already proving that he is more than capable of managing this team. But there comes a time, especially in baseball, when change for the sake of change is needed. After all, even Joe Torre didn’t last forever and was nudged aside for Girardi.

Overall, the team will be younger and more athletic, and their manager needs to reflect that. It’s not necessarily a question of age; it’s one more of style. The team started the trend in baseball with Torre in having a “player’s manager” that has produced the likes of Joe Maddon and Terry Francona.

And they will probably move in that direction again, and Girardi will be eased out with a promotion, or he may move on elsewhere and quickly find a new job.

5) Gary Sanchez will be the next Team Captain.

True. The Yankees seem bent on pushing Sanchez into this role, whether he wants it or not. They may be thinking of him as a Thurman Munson type to lead the team. But they need to be extra careful with this as it takes two to tango. Sanchez already has enough on his plate, including (now) having to deal with an injury.

The organization is well aware of the fact that, in the absence of Derek Jeter, they need a new “face” of the team. But assuming those duties can almost be like having a second job. And if you ask Jeter to give an honest answer, he would probably say that he would just as played his days out with the Yankees removed from the spotlight they chose to shine on him.

6) The Yankees don’t have enough starting pitching.

True. This one’s a no-brainer, and we won’t waste any time on it. The only intrigue surrounds the question of whether or not Brian Cashman will do anything about it.

7) Jose Quintana is the answer to all the Yankees prayers.

True. See #6. And if he isn’t, he’s a darn good beginning towards remaking the starting rotation.

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