Yesterday, the 2013 New York Yankee baseball season finally came to an end. By George Steinbrenner’s standard, not only is this season a failure since the Yanks will not win the World Series, but it is a total disaster as they are not even playing meaningful October baseball.
It was easy to see back in June that even if this team made the playoffs, they wouldn’t survive the Wild Card play-in game. There is no question that it was a miracle that they were in the wild card race going into the second week of September but it’s hard to determine if that was more about the Yankees or the bad play of the Rays, Orioles and Rangers. So the big question for 2014 is: now what?
Over the course of the next several articles I will examine the infield, outfield and pitching staff situation going into next year.
All indications from many is that 2014 is going to be a very difficult year for New York. With a self-imposed $189 million dollar salary cap, a farm system devoid of major league talent, the free agency of Robinson Cano and aging veterans such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki and Alfonso Soriano, the Yankees face one of the most unsettling off seasons in recent memory. Let’s also not forget that the great Mariano Rivera will not be coming out of the bullpen to close games out and stalwart Andy Pettitte will be gone from the starting rotation.
On top of who will make up the 2014 roster, it is going to be fascinating to see what will happen within Yankee management. Joe Girardi is no longer under contract with the Yankees. My hunch is that if he wants to manage next year it will be with New York. But what will be more interesting is if anybody is held accountable for the lack of major league talent in the farm system for 2014. Hal Steinbrenner’s plan to get under the $189 million dollar cap was to replenish the roster with home grown young talent. The reality is that positional prospects won’t be ready until arguably 2015 and there are no guarantees. Pitching possibilities are all question marks.
There is no telling what condition Michael Pineda will be in come next spring. The Yankees will be hoping against all hope that Pineda will be able to bounce back and fit into the rotation. Manny Banuelos is coming off Tommy John surgery so who knows if you can expect anything from him. Dellin Betances seems to be a bullpen possibility at best unless the Yanks are able to teach this kid how to reduce the number of walks he allows. Then there is Adam Warren, David Phelps and David Huff. Hardly awe inspiring.
There are rumors circulating that Damon Oppenheimer and Mark Newman could be let go for the failure of the farm system to produce young talent ready for the big leagues in 2014. Don’t forget it was in August when Hal Steinbrenner summoned Brian Cashman, Oppenheimer and Newman to Tampa to discuss the sad state of affairs of the Yankee farm system. I would not blame Steinbrenner if heads were to roll because the farm system is a joke. Yankee apologists will tell you that this is the price you pay for being on top every year. But how do the Cardinals do it? And then there are the Rays and to a lesser extent the Red Sox. The Yankees can’t compare to these three teams and they have had sustained success throughout the last ten years.
With Jeter being the last of the Core Four, the Yankee player development staff should have been preparing for the day when they all would be gone. I’m sure that they never banked on the Steinbrenner boys pulling back the purse strings and by doing so have exposed their ineptness. The Yankees are the richest organization in all of sports and it is a disgrace that their scouting and player development is a joke. I have a feeling that changes are coming and it is past due. And while Cashman has a year left on his current contract, attention needs to be paid to his work and where he has taken this team. You win some and you lose some, but missing the playoffs won’t sit well with the Steinbrenners or Yankee fans. The spotlight will ultimately be on the general manager and this off season may be the most important one in Brian Cashman’s tenure with the Yankees.
