Yankees Front Office at Odds Over Team’s Direction

In a Yankees season full of uncertainty, new information has come to light as to why the club is stuck in a holding pattern of mediocrity.

ESPN’s Wallace Matthews cited a source close to the Yankees front office, that General Manager Brian Cashman and the operations department want to do a clean-sweep of the roster (or as much as they possibly can), but are getting major push-back from owner Hal Steinbrenner, President Randy Levine, and other members of the business side of the organization.

“There’re only two people in the tri-state area who think this team is still a contender,” a source told Matthews. 

It appears Cashman is looking to cash in (pun intended) on a number of players currently on the 25-man Yankees roster, whether they have maximum or dwindling value. Those names include four free agents to be, Aroldis Chapman, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, and Ivan Nova. Of the four, Chapman and Beltran would bring back rather large returns on their own, while Nova and Texeira would most likely be add-on pieces in any transaction. 

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Starting pitcher turned long reliever Nathan Eovaldi, who is arbitration-eligible this winter before becoming a free agent in 2018 is another name on the docket; as is Jacoby Ellsbury and his $153 million monstrosity of a contract that runs through 2020; in addition to Brian McCann who is owed $17 million per season through 2018.

In June, with the Yankees sitting at a 31-31 record, Brian Cashman first sounded off, trying as he might, to push his agenda, but warned there could be hurdles:

"We’re not going to be a seller unless ownership green-lights that. I’ll have an honest dialogue with ownership every step of the way as I always do. If we feel at a date in the future that that’s a necessity, then trust me, I’ll recommend it, and they’ll make a decision based on their comfort level. I’m always a brutally honest person."

To further prove the battle for supremacy amongst the Yankees’ power-players, reports circulated Thursday afternoon that Cashman was working on a deal that would have potentially sent eighth inning specialist Andrew Miller, along with Nova to the Texas Rangers for super slugger Joey Gallo.

Yet moments later, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal spoke with Levine who reiterated his stance:

As fans of the club, it’s only natural that we want the Yankees to put the very best team on the field day in and day out. And while that usually, includes the highest paid players on the roster, this is the old-guards way of thinking, aka the great George Steinbrenner and his cronies.

While Cashman has been GM of the Yankees since 1998, he’s a smart enough baseball mind to know that the game has evolved, even since the team’s last title back in 2009.

Developing a farm system, signing international prospects, and an implementing an analytical approach are the new norm. Gone are the days of wild free agent spending and/or gutting the minor leagues for a one-year rental.

So even if Cashman is 100% correct in his assessment that the Yankees need to rebuild, yet ownership refuses to sign off on any potential deals because they feel this team can contend in 2016 (or worried a complete rebuild would cause a precipitous drop in team value), Cashman, as well as manager Joe Girardi could very well be in jeopardy of losing their jobs at season’s end.

With two and a half weeks to go until the August 1st non-waiver trade deadline, only time will tell who’s right and who’s wrong. In the event nothing is done to improve this team for now or later, I’d just like to ask the Yankees brass, why do you employ people who know the game itself way more than you, but fail to heed their advice?

Next: Yankees Brian McCann Not as Bad as You Think

While I’d love this Yankees team to kick the tires and light the fires, blasting their way up the AL East standings, I’d also be OK with a rebuild that puts the Yankees in prime position to sign Bryce Harper in 2019.