Contracts here! Get your contracts here! Trade for long term with lots of cash attached to them contracts!
As much as we would like to see the Yankees bring up all their young players, have them play well, and win with that group of young guys for years to come, the fact of the matter is that this is extremely rare to do. Most of us are still attached to the fantastic teams of the '90s, before the Yankees really started to hand out some big time contracts to players. You can probably say that after the 2001 season is when the Yankees started to become really enamored with spending a lot of cash. Because of that, this team is tied to millions upon millions of dollars in various contracts, but is there a chance that any of these big contracts are moved in the near future?
Let's start with some of the new guys. Jacoby Ellsbury just finished up year one of his seven-year contract worth $153 million with a $5 million buyout in 2021. You won't see Ellsbury moved anytime soon, and while his speed may diminish a bit, he will still bring great defense and he will still have the ability to get on base. It will also be tough to move a contract like Ellsbury unless it is in a Carl Crawford type deal. On the other hand, Carlos Beltran will begin 2015 with two years and $30 million left on his deal, and if the Yankees are looking to move him, they may have to eat a big chunk of his salary. Beltran will enter 2015 healthy, so maybe he is in line for a big year, but if not, I will not be surprised if the Yankees look to move him especially with Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin looking to make their big push towards the majors.
One guy that was called to be traded by everyone it seems at least at some point in this tough season is Brian McCann. McCann struggled most of the year before coming on strong offensively towards the end of the season. He did a fantastic job with the pitching staff and offered very good defense, so look for McCann to have a strong rebound season in 2015. McCann won't be traded anytime soon as it is more likely he will be moved to first base when Mark Teixeira's contract ends or when Teixeira finally disintegrates. The Yankees have some catching talent in the minors, so they have some room to be flexible with McCann, but unfortunately his contract isn't very flexible, and again, will be tough to move.
Speaking of Mark Teixeira, with two years and $45 million remaining on his contract, and about 50 million more injuries waiting to occur, the Yankees would love to move his contract but it might have to be one salary dump for another. Any takers? Teixeira still offers very good (although not as great as he used to be) defense, and he will run into one occasionally, but his constant injuries and rally killing have proved to be too much for the fanbase, and quite possibly the front office. In any possible deal the Yankees will have to eat most of the cash, but it wouldn't hurt the Yankees to at least shop Teixeira in the offseason.
Another contract I am sure this team would love to move but which might be almost impossible to do is CC Sabathia's contract. Sabathia still has two years and $48 million coming his way, with a $25 million vesting option. And with Sabathia's injuries and his awful 2014 season, the only thing the Yankees can hope for is that he is at least a productive fourth or fifth starter in 2015, because you can pretty much guarantee if he is healthy he will be in the rotation. If not, the Yankees might just have a very expensive left-handed reliever.
Which players, if any, do you think will be traded before their contract is up with the Yankees?