New York Yankees Editorial: Can The Yankees Improve In 2016?

The New York Yankees chances of bringing in their 28th championship in 2015 were shattered as quickly as they began, as the offense was unable to get anything going against Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel.  With every position except for second base, assuming the Yankees aren’t comfortable with Dustin Ackley and Rob Refsnyder holding down the position, filled for 2016, and seven capable starters under contract, will Brian Cashman be able to drastically improve the roster going forward?

Cashman has shown an ability to be creative as recent trades for Nathan Eovaldi and Didi Gregorius prove, but unless the Yankees are able to unload some contracts, it will be hard to make many moves.

One option would be to spend big in free agency, targeting pitchers such as David Price, Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann or outfielders such as  Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and Yoenis Cespedes.  These moves are rather unlikely as the organization seems to be learning of their mistakes of the past, and thus have become reluctant to give long-term contracts to stars over 30.

Another reason for the likeliness of these moves being low is that the rotation and outfield are two of the Yankees most crowded positions.  Signing one of these big names would surely require a followup trade.  It seems most likely that the Yankees would target Zimmermann, Heyward, or Upton as they are all under 30, and would likely cost the least in terms of dollars.

Making a move for one of the outfielders would surely require finding a team to take either Jacoby Ellsbury or Brett Gardner, something which could be difficult after both struggled mightily in the second half.  Signing Zimmermann would likely mean trading Ivan Nova or Adam Warren, or simply sending both to the bullpen.

Cashman’s other option also requires him to get creative, as he could search the trade market for upgrades.  One option would be to attempt to pry Sonny Gray away from the Oakland Athletics, something that Michael touched on last week.

While I believe that Aaron Judge, Jorge Mateo, and to a lesser extent even Gary Sanchez all should be unavailable for trade, if Billy Beane were willing to take a deal similar to the one he made for Josh Donaldson, and always seems to make, that agitates fans originally, only to excite them later, then Cashman should be all over it.

If Cashman can get Beane to accept a deal for two established veteran, such as Gardner, Nova, or Warren, combined with two or three of the Yankees second-tier prospects such as Refsnyder and possibly Sanchez, then by all means he should make the deal.

Acquiring a top-notch starter via trade, while also being able to move an outfielder, could turn out to be a great move for the Yankees, as a rotation headed by Gray, followed by Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Michael Pineda, and Eovaldi, could be one of the best in the AL.  This move would also free up the need for the Yankees to pursue one of the available outfielders previously mentioned.

While there are ways for Cashman to creatively improve the roster, what is most likely is that the 2016 Yankees will not be much different from the 2015 version.  The biggest factor of a 2016 improvement will likely be the health of the team, and if the older stars such as Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Beltran are able to build on the bounce back years they had in 2015.

What do you think Yankees fans?  Can the Yankees significantly improve in 2016?  Let us know in the comments below.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow