Yankees Brian Cashman will craft his final legacy today

Four: Should he do anything he can to win now and through the 2019 season, or should he let this year play out so that he can keep as much of the future as possible?

More from Yanks Go Yard

• Predicting Yankees-Diamondbacks LF trade package after Ken Rosenthal update
• Yankees add to championship core with Wilmer Difo signing
• Aaron Judge’s ‘breadcrumbs’ showed he was never leaving Yankees, has more moves in mind
• Creating a Yankees-Bryan Reynolds trade package after latest Pirates update
• Yankees analyst Cameron Maybin projects surprise landing spot for Gary Sánchez

That’s a tough one. What if Gary Sanchez gets hurt in 2020 and never fully recovers? Is Clint Frazier just having a great three weeks? How many pitchers currently on the roster will be lost to Tommy John, and in which years?

Perhaps the Yankees farm will produce enough pitching over the next two years that Cashman could afford two more bats in free agency in 2020. He did just that when he added Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher before the 2009 season. And it’s all completely unpredictable.

One thing is certain; there can be no run of championships without getting the first one. But at what cost? If the Yankees drained their system, even beyond what was predicted here, but won the next two World Series, would that be worth it? Or are the Yankees victims of their success and only three to five championships over the next ten years will be considered worth the cost?

And He Knows It

Only Brian Cashman knows. He will soon make his feelings and insights clear. And his actions will reverberate throughout the Yankees universe for years to come, affecting their payroll, farm system, his ability to make future trades, and the team’s competitive edge

This day will be the first day of Cashman’s final chapter as Yankees GM. I say final because, by the time this team is ready to be completely turned over again in ten to fifteen years, it is doubtful Cash will still be making the decisions.

Next: Let's Hope Cash and the Yankees have learned the Mateo Rule

So make no mistake about it: Today, Brian Cashman will either build an empire or compromise one. And it’s success now and over the next decade will decide the final verdict on Brian Cashman, Yankees GM. That’s a hell of a day.

It’s one that Cash has been looking forward to with great anticipation and great pleasure. Let’s hope he looks back on it in ten years with that same pleasure. And that the final chapter of his book reads, He Saved the Best for Last.

As always, I invite you to share your thoughts and comments about this story or anything Yankees on the Yanks Go Yard Facebook page.