Yankees front office disagree with business side about trade deadline approach

The New York Yankees have a tough decision to make.

With the non-waiver trade deadline coming in just over two weeks, the .500 (44-44) Yankees need to decide whether they’ll be sellers or buyers. According to Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com, New York’s baseball operations side believes the team should be sellers and trim some salary for future assets, while the business side is holding onto the slim hope that New York will contend.

Matthews reports owner Hal Steinbrenner and team president Randy Levine believe the underperforming Yankees can still make up ground in the AL East. General manager Brian Cashman meanwhile reportedly believes now is the time to hit the restart button going forward. It’s unsurprising that ownership wants short term gains, while management is thinking about the future.

It’s a tough position to be in. The Yankees haven’t thrived much this season outside of their bullpen. New York is chock full of veterans on big deals the team should look to move if possible. Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, and Mark Teixeira are all veterans on big contracts. It’s unknown how much real value they could get for them without eating a significant chunk of salary. New York does have assets, though. All-Star Carlos Beltran would bring in a nice haul from a contending team looking to bolster their offense. Dealing relievers Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller would also bolster the bullpens of any contenders out there. There are deals to be made – even if the Yankees need to eat salary.

For Cashman to get permission to deal players Steinbrenner and Levine invested deeply in to contend won’t be an easy task. The Yankees don’t rebuild. In times of struggle, they offer money to the best free agents and try to instantly jump back into contention. That method won’t work this time. The Yankees need to rebuild, even if it’s just a quick one, so the organization can restart and get building blocks for the future. Will that happen? We’ll see.

[ESPN]