The New York Yankees need to make major moves this offseason. Getting rid of these five players would help Brian Cashman forge a roster capable of winning the title.
Brian Cashman and his front office will head into the offseason with a singular goal. They, better than any fan, understand that the New York Yankees must return to the World Series in 2020. In order to accomplish that goal, New York’s front office will have to part with some talented players currently on the club’s payroll.
Some players will need to be jettisoned due to age, while others have simply overstayed their welcome in pinstripes. For the record, this piece will not list CC Sabathia who has already announced his decision to retire. It also won’t list players like Giancarlo Stanton or Jacoby Ellsbury who are paid too much money to trade.
Instead, read on to discover five players who could theoretically help the Yankees next season, but still shouldn’t be retained.
5. Edwin Encarnacion
Walking the parrot was pretty fun for Yankees fans down the stretch of the regular season. Unfortunately, Encarnacion endured a horrific series against the Astros in the ALCS. Hitting .161 with no home runs in the postseason is bad enough to earn Encarnacion his walking papers this winter.
The bad news for Cashman is that he’ll need to pay the veteran slugger $5 million to play elsewhere. That’s still better than guaranteeing his full salary. The Yankees need to get younger and more dynamic in 2020. That means Encarnacion’s roster spot needs to go to a player who can do more things to help this team win. He’ll have no trouble finding work somewhere else next season, but his only at-bats in the Bronx should come as a visitor.