The Switch in the NY Yankees Philosophy that Has Greatly Improved Their Farm System

Judging from what I have read from the back pages of the New York sports sections, I still cannot believe that I am reading about the trades made by the New York Yankees. According to the trade stories, the Yankees are trading overpriced and injury ridden super stars for bright young and cheap prospects. I still cannot believe that the Yankees, a team that has the highest payroll in baseball year after year is finally starting to make some smart financial decisions. Let's take a look at some of their transactions this past off-season.

Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman got off to a quick start when he traded aging slugger Gary Sheffield for three emerging young prospects from the Detroit Tigers farm system. All three of those players are playing in at least AAA ball to start the season and could get many starts should starters in the Yankees rotation get injured. In a similar move, the Yankees traded aging and mediocre pitcher Jarret Wright to the Orioles for bullpen help and saved a couple million in the process. In the most recent trade, Brian Cashman got rid of Randy Johnson who just came off a back surgery and has been less than stellar while pitching for the Yankees. The Yankees saved more than ten million dollars in that deal to Arizona and they also got a great pitching prospect in the deal as well as Jose Vizcaino who is a solid backup infielder.

Ever since Brian Cashman has been given more control of the team by owner George Steinbrenner, the Yankees have started a trend toward a youth move and holding onto their prospects. The Yankee farm system produced Robinson Cano, one of the best second basemen in the league, and Chien Ming Wang, a solid pitcher for the Yankees who has pitched remarkably well. In addition, the Yankees have held onto pitching prospect Philip Hughes who figures to be a power pitcher and will be very good, very soon. According to baseball Prospect Magazine, the Yankees farm system was rated 24th less than five years ago. Today it is rated sixth in baseball after the Yankees made all of those trades in which they received good young stars still playing in the minors. Melky Cabrera has now gotten a starting job with the trade of Garry Sheffield and he has progressed very nicely. He can hit and his defense which was once terribly is now very sturdy.

All of these moves toward youth remind me of the championship Yankee teams of the 1990s that won with young players and veterans who played hard like Paul O'Neil. The Yankees might once again be back on the path toward a championship once again.