Can the New York Yankees become a dynastic team once again? Of course they can, but it feels the Yankees archaic style of managing a team has come to bite them over and over again. The Yankees are not a terrible team now, and they haven’t had a truly terrible team in over twenty years, but lately average is the new normal. In the time of George Steinbrenner, the Yankees would not stand for average; he demanded excellence. Say what you will about the man, but he was fiercely competitive. Currently, the apathy of the team has been troubling.
Is the Yankees Former Glory Within Reach?
The Yankees aren’t just another team; their history and prestige transcend the sport. People come to see the Yankees play, to see the history and the stars they produce. The fans root them on passionately when they are good and others love to hate them when they are great. They are both the greatest villain and hero in the sport for millions.
The Yankees of today are bland and predictable. Sometimes they show us they have that spark left in them, but it is often short lived. Currently, they are in fourth place with a 49-47 record, though they are 7-3 in their last ten games, perhaps the hottest they’ve been all year. The Yankees should rise above their current form. Make a few daring big moves, or perhaps take a year or two to rebuild properly and take the sport by storm again. Be the legendary team they once were.
Look at the best teams in baseball right now. The Chicago Cubs may be struggling a bit lately, but they are still among the finest teams out there. The San Francisco Giants seem to win a championship ever other year now, and even the Kansas City Royals, who have been in the last two World Series, have at least a fair chance to return this year. These teams were built largely from the ground up, adding free agents to fill in holes. Of course it took some painful years, but they have all been rewarded with success.
The Yankees are trying not to do more with free agents and mercenary players because they are such a marquee name in the sport. Their games are among the most expensive to attend, and they need to justify their prices with a quality team. Yet, having a .500-level team with little-to-no chance of even making the playoffs doesn’t seem worth it as of this moment. The trade deadline can change things. We will see what the Yankees do next week.
Right now, however, his team simply doesn’t have the youth and energy for a long term winning streak. Sure, they can win a few games back-to-back and beat the good teams, but when it is time for crucial inter-divisional match-ups, their odds down the September stretch aren’t great. By that time each season, it often seems their best leaders are slowing down and or injured. This team will not function at the level it must to win a championship. There has already been talk of cutting or trading away older, former star players.
The New York Yankees can be a feared and respected team again. They will have to admit this current path of signing big time free agents hasn’t produced the desired results. They need to pull something like what most other teams are trying. The days of winning the market and the World Series are over. The Yankees have only one championship since they started this new campaign strategy in earnest back after their loss to the Diamondbacks in 2001. They need to build a team from within. Evidence of their attempts exists in the form of players like Aaron Judge, Rob Refsnyder, Luis Severino, and Greg Bird, to name a few, but there simply needs to be more.
The Yankees should scrap this season and trade away what they can. They aren’t defeating the Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles to overtake the AL East. The best thing they can do is sell what they can and then rebuild with talented prospects. They must create a team that doesn’t just win for one season, but is capable of delivering a dynastic team back to New York.
Main Photo:
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 25: Carlos Beltran #36 of the New York Yankees in action against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on June 25, 2016 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Twins 2-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
