For the past few years, Brian Cashman has done a great job with getting the team younger while shedding payroll. The team hasn’t been in a complete rebuild like the Cubs or Mets went through when they finished near the bottom of their respective divisions for a few years. Instead, Cashman has reshaped this team on the fly, allowing them to still be competitive to keep fans interested.
The whole plan has been to achieve roster flexibility through young, talented and cheap homegrown players, while keeping an eye on the big free agent class of 2018-’19. That’s why Cashman must stay the course this offseason and not sign any big money free agent (not named Aroldis Chapman).
Signing a Cespedes, Encarnacion or Bautista would immediately help the offense, but the last thing the  Yankees need is a longterm contract that goes south around year three or four. We’ve seen this play out with Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and now CC Sabathia. A long term contract to any of these current free agents would set the team back and erase their progress over the past few years.
They’d also lose draft picks if they signed either one of them. The Yankees have coveted their picks over the last few years, and shouldn’t just throw two of them away. Carlos Beltran makes more sense – he’d be a one-year stopgap in the DH spot, and would be relatively cheaper than the other free agents.
Encarnacion, 33, is just about at the end of his prime. Although he’s one of the premier power hitters in the game, you can’t tell me his production now will be the same when he’s 38. He also is limited to two positions – first base and DH. The Yankees need to be all-in on versatility and flexibility – Enarnacion would create a logjam.
Cespedes, 31, is younger and more athletic but I still wouldn’t want him on the team. He’s proved he can play in New York, and his bat carried the Mets to a World Series, but he’s been on four teams since 2012 for a reason. Also, the Yankees have a plethora of outfield prospects that deserve a shot.
The Yankees need to throw the young kids into the fire and let them figure things out at the big league level in 2017. After they’ve gained some experience and proved they’re the real deal, THAT’S when the team should go out and get high-priced veteran talent. That time isn’t now. Cashman needs to get creative through trades this offseason before opening up the checkbook in a few years.
The organization needs to stay the course and see this plan through. They’ll be better off for it in the long run.
