I really don't think I'm alone, at least among Yankees fans, in saying that I don't want the Yankees to lose. If somebody could make it so the Yankees went the entire season, including the postseason, without losing a game I'd say "HECK YEAH!" Even if that meant that watching each game may not be as fun, since I know the Yankees are going to win.
I just can't stand losing. Right now I have a really hard time watching the Yankees, not just because they aren't playing well, but because more often than not they're losing. Anybody that knows me would agree that when the Yankees, or any of my favorite teams for that matter, lose I'm not in a good mood the rest of the day/night.
I guess that's why I tend to be optimistic.
I know that Alex Rodriguez is old, and will likely hurt the team until his contract ends. I know that signing Jacoby Ellsbury through 2020 was stupid, and like Alex he'll likely hurt the team for four more years after this season. But why spend my time watching an ARod or Ellsbury at bat thinking they're going to fail? If I wanted to be miserable while watching something I'd turn on the latest episode of Fuller House instead of the Yankees game.
The point is I can not, in any way, root against the Yankees. Which makes things extremely difficult for me this season.
Like with ARod and Jacoby, I know that the 2016 Yankees are not a World Series Championship caliber team. Sure, they aren't the last place team in the division, but nobody is going to convince me that a team with the third worst run differential in the American League is going to win the pennant.
I also know that the Yanks need to make moves to help build themselves for the future. Yes, they have some nice prospects such as Aaron Judge, James Kaprielian, and Jorge Mateo. Unfortunately, even if those three become successful Major Leaguers, the Yankees will need to do more to contend for another title.
And how can they do that?
Well, fewer and fewer good players are making it to free agency, so the team's financial advantage is worth less than it ever has. And even if their player development was incredible, waiting on future draft picks to get to the big leagues and contribute won't get the job done. So Brian Cashman is going to have to find some good pieces through trade.
Okay, so when is the best time to make a trade? How about after the season is over with?
No. On the one hand, teams could hold onto their young players and just sign a free agent. On the other hand, Cash would have lost the opportunity to get a nice haul for Aroldis Chapman. Not to mention possibly getting a decent return for somebody like Carlos Beltran, or maybe even Ivan Nova... two more free agents at the end of this season.
So a significant trade will have to happen before the trade deadline.
But for that to happen the Yankees would have to clearly be out of the running for a postseason spot. With all the money at stake, there's just no way Brian Cashman would deal away a key player like Aroldis, or even Carlos or Ivan, if the team has a shot at the playoffs.
That brings us back to what I was saying at the beginning of this post... the Yankees have to keep losing. And I can not bring myself to root for that to happen.
So here I am. I'm not delighted about this season, and how the rest of it will likely play out. I'm not yet miserable about this season, either. I'm just... here.
To be frank... this sucks.
Even worse that this abomination.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)