The New York Yankees became sellers last season, but general manager Brian Cashman wanted to do it a few years earlier.
It was very strange to see the New York Yankees as sellers last season. With the playoffs being unlikely at the time, the Yankees made the decision to trade some key veterans to acquire young players.
The Yankees ended up doing very well at the trade deadline, as they restocked their farm system. Getting young talent back in the organization was something that the Yankees needed to do for a few years, and general manager Brian Cashman was well aware of that.
A few years ago, Cashman realized that the Yankees needed to get some young prospects in their farm system. For years the Yankees somewhat neglected this, and it became a weakness of the organization.
For Cashman, one of the players he regrets not trying to trade was Robinson Cano. Cano was an elite player for the Yankees, and he eventually walked in free agency. Recently, Cashman talked with Travis Sawchik of Fangraphs.com about Cano.
"“Turning the clock back with Robby Cano, it looked like he was going to stay with us. We pursued an extension with him ,and it wasn’t even close with what he wanted,” Cashman said to Sawchik. “He was, to me, someone we ultimately should have moved at the deadline but didn’t. So he left us as a free agent.”"
Cano ended up signing a massive deal with the Seattle Mariners after that season. At the time, trading Cano would have certainly brought back a lot of talent for the Yankees.
In addition to not signing or trading Cano, the Yankees also made a poor decision to sign Jacoby Ellsbury as somewhat of his replacement that offseason. The Ellsbury signing has turned out to be an awful one.
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Even though it took the Yankees a little longer to embrace going into a rebuild, they are in good position now. Cashman has done a good job getting young talent in trades. Also, they have avoided spending big money in free agency. With a lot of young talent on the way, the future should be bright in the Bronx.