James Shields is headed to San Diego, and it didn’t take a mountain of cash to get him. Instead, the right hander signed a very reasonable four-year contract at a price commensurate with the value he has consistently provided during his career. So, why weren’t the Yankees interested in a player who would have fit well into their immediate plans?
At about $18 million per year, the Yankees could have essentially replaced Hiroki Kuroda with the much younger Shields at a very similar cost, albeit with a longer-term commitment. Adding that kind of stability would have helped mitigate the heightened risk that exists in the team’s rotation. As things stand, all five potential members of the Yankees’ opening day rotation come with substantial injury and/or performance risk, which means the Bronx Bombers are basically rolling the dice on 2015. That’s a part of the risk equation that often gets ignored. Signing any pitcher, much less one entering his age-33 season, to multiple years comes with potential peril, but so does entering a season without a starter who has a track record of both durability and success.
Signing Shields would have given the Yankees a chance to hedge the gamble they are taking in 2015. Instead, other priorities, like cutting payroll to below recent norms and accumulating drafts picks, have seemingly taken precedence. That doesn’t mean the Yankees are throwing in the towel, but they’re certainly not making every effort to win now.
Reasonable arguments can be made for and against the Yankees’ signing James Shields, but what’s beyond debate is the team has taken a much more laid back approach to setting goals. As Brian Cashman recently noted, “if a lot of guys stay healthy and live up to their potential”, the Yankees “could very well contend for a championship”. For a team that used to pride itself on demanding excellence, that’s a lot of ifs and buts.
If the Yankees are no longer committed to spending their resources to ensure success, they’d better have an alternate plan. Presumably, that blueprint involves stockpiling prospects and cutting payroll until several big contracts come off the books in 2017. However, in order to avoid alienating its season ticket base, the team is attempting to make this transformation while still maintaining an air of competiveness. To some, this approach might seem like a reasonable compromise, but by serving two masters, the Yankees could end up pleasing none.
If the Yankees are good enough to approach competitiveness without any significant additions to the team, it stands to reason that by not spending up to its capability, the team has been forfeiting a chance to be a more legitimate contender. Considering how much money the Yankees make, and the favorable business arrangements (e.g., protected New York market, tax free Stadium financing, favorable YES carriage deal) that make their profitability possible, it’s hard to defend the team’s refusal to supplement the roster on purely financial grounds. On the other hand, if the front office doesn’t think the team is a potential contender, it shouldn’t waste money on stop gap veterans, nor should it shy away from trading its own pending free agents to accumulate even more prospects. Otherwise, the team is doing little more than keeping up appearances, and, in the process, limiting future potential resources that could be the foundation of a new dynasty.
Over the last three years, Brian Cashman has been selling a winner more than building one. The GM, along with owner Hal Steinbrenner, has been trying to convince fans that the franchise’s commitment to winning has not wavered, but what they’ve really been doing is crossing their fingers and buying time. Instead of committing fully to either fielding a winner or conducting a rebuild, the Yankees have tip toed down the middle, and by doing so, become mired in mediocrity. Maybe the Bronx Bombers will be able to break free with their middle-ground approach, but by continuing on that path, they are making the future that much more uncertain. After all, building from within and targeting future free agent classes sound good on paper, but if prospects don’t pan out and enough premium veterans don’t reach the open market, such future plans have little value.
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