Yankees: Should they stay with the plan or go for number 28?

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The Yankees will shortly be facing the most crucial question of the 2017 season. Should they stick with the master plan drawn up by Brian Cashman, or go for World Championship #28?

The Yankees and their fans have to know that there’s no fence straddling in answering this question. And Monday morning quarterbacks, we have no use for you. Either get in the game now or stay home.

The Yankees have in no way reached the point of no return where decisions about players futures need to be made in May. And moves only become imminent when, and if, Cashman decides to
abandon the plan he outlined in the spring.

Most teams, as Buck Showalter has pointed out numerous times, look to Memorial Day as the time in the season when you can accurately see what you have and plan for the rest of the year.

Where are your holes and how do you intend, if you are going, to fill them. Do you have talent in the minor leagues to move someone in and what do you do with the player he is replacing on the 25-man squad?

Or, do you look outside the organization relying on your scouts and your baseball acumen to identify the player(s) you want to pursue via a trade?

Or, do you only say, Look, this guy’s really stinking up the joint right now but he has a tremendous upside, and we’re going to stick with him (Greg Bird), despite the fact that he’s been a detriment to the team thus far in the season.

Obviously, none of these questions have an easy answer as they pertain to the Yankees. But that is the task that Brian Cashman is signed up to do, and answer them, he will.

Gleyber Torres

What is the Yankees master plan?

Cashman’s plan, as he laid it out, is not complicated. He sees the wisdom in letting the 2017 season play itself out with the 25-man roster they have now while using the Scranton Express when the need arises to fortify the troops in the Bronx.

The thrust of his idea is that Baby Bombers like Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Jorge Mateo, Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams, and Clint Frazier will all benefit from making regular and playing every day in the minors.

His second thought, though, is more telling regarding the direction Cashman’s thinking is taking the Yankees. Because what he ultimately wants from this season is an opportunity at the end of the year to stand back and re-evaluate his entire farm system. Then, and only then will he have the knowledge and confidence to make the moves that no one is arguing are not necessary to put the Yankees on the precipice of making a “run” similar to the one they had in the late 1990’s.

Then, and only then will he have the knowledge and confidence to make the moves that no one is arguing are not necessary to put the Yankees on the precipice of making a “run” similar to the one they had in the late 1990’s.

Not all of the Baby Bombers will survive the purge when it is enacted for the simple reason that there is not enough room for everyone, and with the Rule 5 in play, sooner or later you have to decide on which players are keepers versus the ones you throw back in the pond.

Jose Quintana Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

The dealer is asking, are you good or do you want a hit?

In some ways, the question is like asking a child, do you want your piece of cake now, or do want to wait until after we have dinner. The child will hem and haw, acting like he’s totally distressed and try to bargain asking for a half-piece now and a half later. But the mindful parent will hold firm.

So far, Brian Cashman is playing it coy, as he should. He says two things, both of which again make sense. One, we’re good until we’re not good. Meaning that barring injuries or a player slipping into a horrific slump, he’s okay with the team he has.

Having said that, though, he also makes clear that someone could come along making an offer he can’t refuse. For instance and though it’s not likely if the White Sox drop the price tag on Jose Quintana to a reasonable level, well, why not then just go for it.

In other words, if something falls on my lap, I’m good. But at the same time, don’t expect me to be on the phone 24/7 trying to coax a deal or attempting to fit a square peg in a round hole, just for the sake of “doing something.”

Because those kinds of deals hardly ever work. Just ask the Mets what they gained last season when they were forced by Mets fans to “do something” and they ended up with Jay Bruce. Bruce has rebounded nicely this season, but he did nothing to help the Mets when they needed it last year, which is the whole purpose of making these mid-year deals.

Reggie Jackson

Why would the Yankees go for it?

Well, whenever you ask a question like that, you should first think of $$. We’ve all seen the empty seats at Yankee Stadium and the small vision the Yankees have in solving the problem. So, when in doubt, you do what Hal Steinbrenner’s dad did when he brought Reggie Jackson into New York so, according to The Boss, he could “put asses in the seats.”

That’s a cynical view, and it would appear that the Yankees have moved beyond that. But still, asses in the seats pay for those big salaries, as do the ratings for YES, which are also slumping. I can’t predict what will happen on that one, but it’s worthy of being in the conversation.

The easier one to predict is that other teams, like the Cubs, Astros, and (God forbid) the Red Sox are likely to be active at the deadline. This means that if the Yankees intend to keep up with the Joneses, they’ll also need to be in the game.

Theo Epstein, for example, is not going to sit by allowing the Cubs season to wither into oblivion for lack of another starting pitcher. Nor are the Astros, who are in their second season of “rebuilding” going to allow this season pass to pass by while the Texas Rangers are a train wreck and the Mariners figure out what to with Felix Hernandez (2-2, 4.73, 1.575 WHIP).

And maybe the Rangers will dangle Yu Darvish out there to see what the interest is.

Or perhaps, Paul Goldschmidt fills the hole at first base that is becoming a glaring embarrassment in the Yankees offense, with no timetable for Bird’s return and the square peg Chris Carter being asked to fill the round hole on a team he has no place in.

There’s no suspense in what Cashman will ultimately do

Bottom line, the Yankees belong to Brian Cashman, and he will make this decision solely on his own. If money becomes involved with cash being added to trades, then obviously he will consult with Hal Steinbrenner before pulling the plug on the deal.

Ditto if an agreement requires bringing in a player who has future on the contract he has with his current team.

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But otherwise, he is entrusted with the New York Yankees franchise. And judging by what he has accomplished in the last ten months or so, Yankees fans should be willing to give him the reins on this one.

So I’ve come this far, and it’s time not to be a fence sitter.

Brian Cashman will keep the Yankees intact for this season, letting it play out with what the teams currently is, which by most standards is a playoff bound team. And as we saw last night in the game facing a premier pitcher in Dallas Keuchel, they have their work cut out for them in a two out of three or three out of five playoff series.

But they do have, as was witnessed last night, a budding ace to back up Masahiro Tanaka in Michael Pineda. Plus, they have that bullpen that remains one of the most fearsome in baseball with Aroldis Chapman at the back end.

A field general in a war only changes his battle plan when it becomes evident to him that it was faulty, to begin with.

Derek Jeter Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees: Sorry Derek, but the 25 guys in the dugout own the night

The Yankees have 25 guys in the dugout right now who have a better fit to own Sunday night, instead of Derek Jeter. Nevertheless, the show will go on.

And until someone can convince me that the Master Plan drawn up by Cashman was flawed at its inception, I’m staying at ’17 and hoping the dealer draws a face card making the Yankees a winner.

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