New York Yankees: Youth Movement Not All About 2016 Deadline Selloff

Jun 28, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Tyler Wade (39) reacts aftter hitting a double against the Chicago White Sox during the sixth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Yankees fans are seeing new young faces in the lineup every day. General Manager Brian Cashman deserves the credit, but it’s more about what he didn’t do at the 2016 trade deadline than what he did do.

Tyler Wade, Miguel Andújar, and Dustin Fowler all made their major league debuts this past week for the New York Yankees.

This comes after we’ve seen the major league debuts of Gary Sánchez, Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin, and Jordan Montgomery over the past season and a half.

The Yankees’ 2016 trade deadline selloff was the starting point of New York’s commitment to a youth movement. However, those deadline deals are not where these kids came from.

As Brian Cashman put together deadline deals, the Yankees already had all of the players who have contributed in 2017.

Aside from Andrew Miller, all of the veterans that New York traded away at the 2016 deadline were set to be free agents at the end of the year.

Therefore, keeping those players around for a playoff push would not have blocked prospects from getting playing time in 2017.

Jun 22, 2017; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a three run home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /

Trading Carlos Beltrán certainly gave Aaron Judge an opportunity to play in 2016, but the 6’7″ slugger would have gotten a chance to play right field in 2017 regardless.

I’m not saying that the 2016 trade deadline isn’t important to the Yankees’ future. It’s huge.

That trade deadline marked a change in the Bronx. It marked a commitment to developing from within and building a contender for years to come.

Deadline acquisitions Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Justus Sheffield, and Dillon Tate all have potential to be impactful players for future Yankee teams. They are not, however, the reason New York is battling the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

The reason the Yanks are playoff contenders in 2017 is the young players we mentioned earlier.

The best thing Brian Cashman did at the 2016 trade deadline was avoiding draining the farm system for a rental player to make a fool’s gold playoff run.

Cashman could have gone after Drew Pomeranz or Andrew Cashner or Rich Hill.

Those guys would have cost the Yankees valuable prospects. Even worse, none of those pitchers would have made New York a World Series contender in 2016.

Jun 21, 2017; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (47) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Maybe the Yankees would have had to trade Tyler Wade and Jordan Montgomery for one of those rental arms.

Where would this 2017 Yankees team be without Montgomery in their rotation?

With the recent bevy of injuries, a versatile guy like Wade is extremely valuable. Yankee fans should be glad to still have him.

The Yankees could have sacrificed the farm system for a shot at the Wildcard game. But if they lose that one game playoff, the season would be a complete waste.

With a bare farm system and aging roster, that version of the 2017 New York Yankees would not be nearly as exciting to watch as their current form.

Next: New York Yankees with All-Star Aspirations

Kudos to Brian Cashman for selling off his expiring contracts and turning them into one of baseball’s top farm systems. But his greatest achievement of the past few years is avoiding the urge to trade the farm for a chance at a one-game playoff.

The 2017 New York Yankees and their fans sure do appreciate it.

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