Yankees farm system much improved
Before the trade deadline in 2004, the Yankees targeted a big-name player, a long-limbed lefthander being shopped by the Diamondbacks.
The Yankees, in so many words, told Arizona to look at their farm system and "take your pick."
The Diamondbacks passed.
The Yankees, still looking for a starter, traded Jose Contreras for Esteban Loaiza before that season's deadline.
The Yankees, of course, got Randy Johnson the next offseason, an acquisition that, while not the two-year disaster it sometimes gets portrayed as, didn't yield the high-end dividends for which they hoped.
But the above story isn't about past deals that did or didn't work out more than it is an illustration of the distance the Yankees' farm system has come since then.
While the system wasn't as barren as the Diamondbacks may have thought - Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang were among the players they passed on - it wasn't teeming with top prospects, either.
Make no mistake as next Friday's non-waivers trade deadline approaches: While everything indicates that the Yankees will stay on the sideline, or at the most will be bit players, general manager Brian Cashman has the prospects with which to make any deal he desires.
Including for Roy Halladay.
But the Yankees have altered the way they've done business in regard to their farm system, developing rather than dealing prospects to the point at which the system has gone from being seen as somewhat infertile to having high-level and desired prospects sprinkled throughout.
Jesus Montero, a 19-year-old catcher at Double-A Trenton, is considered one of the best hitting prospects anywhere. Centerfielder Austin Jackson is thriving for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Austin Romine, another highly regarded catching prospect, is playing well for Tampa in the Florida State League.
Among the handful of arms rapidly developing are Zach McAllister, an All-Star at Trenton recently put on the disabled list, and Ivan Nova, who has continued to shine after being promoted from Trenton to Scranton June 27. Ian Kennedy, who underwent surgery for an aneurysm in his throwing arm in May, won't be back this year, but he's still only 24.
"It wasn't too long ago that people complained we didn't have anything in our system, and I had talked about we were pitching-rich and we had position players who were young and further away," Cashman said earlier this week. "Well, those position players are starting to pop."
At both the minor-league and major-league levels.
Cashman has talked all season about his approach to first "look within" to fix roster problems, and that was never more evident than in early May when Jorge Posada and Jose Molina landed on the DL within days of each other.
In June, Cashman discussed being tempted to make a May deal for a veteran catcher who had "a little money attached," but after looking at the options, "the answer was right there in front of us.''
That was Francisco Cervelli. (Kevin Cash was called up as well.) Cervelli, hitting .190 for Trenton, won praise for his handling of the pitching staff and contributing more than expected offensively.
Besides Cervelli, homegrown talent such as Phil Hughes and Phil Coke have been bullpen stalwarts and two more homegrown players, Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner, have formed a solid centerfield platoon.
The big-money players - CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira - are always going to be in play with the Yankees, but Cashman clearly is presiding over a changing landscape.
Yes, the Yankees still will spend, but not without limits. And not at the expense of gutting the farm system.
"You've got a lot of good stuff that really can be of benefit over an extended period of time," Cashman said. "It's about trying to win now and trying to win in the future, and it's a balancing act you've got to do. So I'm not opposed to anything, but some things are more realistic than others."
With Ken Davidoff
