Before we get into the state of the 2017 New York Yankees , let's take a look back at the state of the team the past few years.
Farewell Captain - 2014
Derek Jeter ended his illustrious Yankee career with a walk off single in his final home game. Jeter and the Yankees missed the playoffs and faced a lot of questions going into 2015.
A-Rod's Back - 2015
Suspended for a full year in 2014 , Alex Rodriguez was back in the Bronx. No one knew what to expect but Rodriguez delivered 33 home runs. Mark Teixeira also had a resurgence and the Yankees made the playoffs but went one and done.
End of an Era - 2016
Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira retired and the Yankees were sellers at the trade deadline. The Yankees were still competitive but missed the playoffs. The Yankees would shift the focus onto getting great players for the future. Gary Sanchez emerged.
The Rebuild (kind of ) - 2017
The Yankees are rebuilding for sure. However they are not giving up on the season with a full tear down like the Phillies or Braves. The Yankees are loaded with young talent and prospects. Gary Sanchez , Luis Severino , Aaron Judge and Greg Bird are some of the youngsters the Yankees love who saw big league games the past year or two. The Yankees also have elite prospects like Gleyber Torres , Clint Frazier , Jorge Mateo , James Kaprilean , Blake Rutherford and many others. The Yankees are not giving up on this year. They resigned Aroldis Chapman to an $86 million deal. They also made one year commitments to guys like Matt Holliday and Chris Carter. The Yankees may not be a playoff team but they will compete. They need some quality starts from a uncertain rotation outside of Masahiro Tanaka.
Best case scenario - Yankees sneak into playoffs
Worst case scenario - Yankees youngsters all fall flat , team wins in the 70s
Most likely - Yankees are competitive and stay around in the Wild Card hunt before falling out in September
