by Paul Semendinger
July 21, 2023
***
I have believed that the Yankees should be sellers, big time, at the trade deadline. The Yankees need to start selling right now. In fact, the sell-off should have started already.
I believe there are teams (many teams) that feel they are a player or two away who also believe that even the struggling players on the Yankees would thrive in "their system." We see teams believe in those things every year (and in every sport).
For those reasons, I believe that any (all) of the Yankees have trade value.
There is, absolutely, a team out there that would be willing to take Giancarlo Stanton. Would the Yankees have to eat some salary? Sure. But wouldn't paying only part of his salary (even for the remaining years) be better than paying the whole thing? Moving Stanton also opens the DH spot and allows the team more flexibility. The way the Yankees are currently constructed, they're not going to win with Giancarlo Stanton as part of the team. It's not going to happen.
Whenever I mention trading Stanton, people say, "He has a no-trade clause." Here is a simple response - If you could play for a contending team, rather than the Yankees of now (going nowhere, probably for years), wouldn't you? As Yankees fans, we get this idea that every player wants to play for the Yankees. Is that true? I don't believe it. Note the frustration of the fans. Do you think the players are having fun? Stanton might be thrilled to be sent to a contender. This, "He Only Wants to Play for the Yankees" idea is silly. It's not true.
Also, of note - we often see former Yankees, players that seemed washed up in the Bronx, go to other teams and do much better - even if only for a short-term. We saw this with Joey Gallo to an extent. We saw this with Aaron Hicks. Aroldis Chapman is doing well in 2023. In his first 7 starts as a Cardinal last year, Jordan Montgomery went 5-0 (the team went 7-0) and he had a 1.45 ERA.
That is the kind of spark that teams hope for when they acquire a player at the deadline.
As fans, we want to think that all of the players love being Yankees, but maybe... they don't.
There are contending teams that would want so many of the 2023 Yankees. There is value in each:
Along those lines, a team might want:
Anthony Rizzo for his glove and leadership. "He's a winner."
DJ LeMahieu for his positional flexibility, great defense, and hitting smarts
Jose Trevino for his defense
Harrison Bader for his athleticism
Luis Severino for his potential
Any of the relief pitchers...
On and on...
Teams that are in contention are almost always willing to give up their tomorrows for a better chance today. We see this every year. Championship windows do not stay open for long. The Yankees have tons of players with tons of value that contenders would want.
It's time to sell. I've been saying it for a long time.
The next great Yankees team will not include most of the current players on the roster. I have to wonder if Judge and Cole will even be around when it happens. (As I have also said, if the Yankees rush Judge back this year, they're being extremely foolish. Judge's long-term health is much more important than trying to see how he can respond in 2023. He shouldn't be "testing it out." He should be healing.)
Also of note, the young promised stars of tomorrow (except for Pereira) aren't doing so great so far. Here are their quick 2023 numbers to date:
(Top 5 Yankees Prospects - https://www.mlb.com/prospects/yankees/)
Dominguez = .216
Wells = .233
Jones = .267
Pereira = .308
Sweeney = .247
These guys aren't screaming, "I'm ready for the big leagues" or "Ill be there soon."
They're not tearing up the minors.
The Yankees need to retool the entire system, from top to bottom. They can do that with a smart sell-off, but if they keep the players they have, 2024 will not be a good year. It will be more of the same - and worse. This is not an ascending team, it's one that is crumbling. Since July 9 of last year, just in the regular season, the Yankees are 58-58. They have been a .500 team for a long time now.
And, if done right, the sell-off could have immediate positive effects - even for 2024. (I also think watching a new group of younger, more enthusiastic, fun players would create more interest in the 2023 Yankees.)
The Yankees have reached the turning point. That time is now. It's been that time for a while.
Sell!
