Yankees make long overdue front office decision that could signal meaningful change

The New York Yankees' front office and top decision makers have been a major part of the team's problem dating back to 2002. Since then, the Yanks have three World Series appearances and just one title. They got too high off of the late-90s supply, it would seem.

Brian Cashman, while a top executive, has his hands all over problematic personnel moves. But perhaps the bigger issue is the crew he surrounds himself with. It's all very outdated, and few changes have been made over the last two decades, despite the same shortcomings.

What are those shortcomings? Scouting, for one, both domestic and international. The Yankees might've finally turned a corner after the emergence of Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler, but that's not enough when your top three WAR performers among homegrown players dating back to 2000 are Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner and ... Anthony Volpe. Anthony. Volpe.

The Yankees have not yet made sweeping changes on the domestic front, but they've finally made a decision on their international approach. About a week and a half ago, it was reported the Yankees were parting ways with their director of international scouting, Donny Rowland, a move that was confirmed by The Athletic this week.

Of course, though, the Yankees did not "fire" him, as the reports suggest. They let his contract run out because they never fire anybody. They let the awful processes continue as long as they possibly can before pulling the trigger.

The 62-year-old Rowland spent FIFTEEN YEARS as the organization's director of international scouting (despite little-to-no results) and an overall 23 years working for the Yankees in some capacity. If that doesn't tell you how relying on longevity to this degree can be toxic, we don't know what will.

The Athletic did a tremendous job outlining all of the big money Rowland dished out during his time calling the shots. As you can see, every year the Yankees are "in the running" for the top international prospects and consistently choose the wrong ones. Though the jury is still out on Jasson Dominguez, the fact that he remains the record-setting acquisition is a bit troubling, given all his shortcomings we've witnessed over the last year.

Not to mention, the only notable hits from Rowland include Luis Severino and Miguel Andújar, both of which ended up becoming problematic relationships before their eventual departures.

Better late than never, they say. But once again, the Yankees are way late while the rest of the league has either fully narrowed the gap or completely lapped them. According to The Athletic, the Yankees are still searching to fill the position, so stay tuned for updates as they look to revamp their international scouting.