Kuzul

As the MLB regular season begins to enter its final stages, the teams that find themselves outside of playoff contention at least can look toward September call-ups as a chance to look at their future.

Following a sweep to the lowly Chicago White Sox, the New York Yankees have to consider the idea of seeing their top prospects in the big leagues.

Sadly, most of the Yankees top prospects are not only playing in low levels of the minors, but they are struggling while there.

Considering that the Yankees have several players still on long-term contracts this isn’t the worst possible situation to be in with their prospects, but a position-by-position breakdown shows that these kids are still years away from joining the big club.

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Most fans are well aware at this point of the New York Yankees‘ plan to cut payroll down to $189 million before the start of the 2014 season.

Entering the 2013, the Yankees have at least 10 significant players on their roster that can or will be free agents after the season.

Their budget plans will make it next to impossible to bring back everyone.

There are players the Yanks would like to bring back but won’t be given a chance to.

There are players the Yanks will have no interest in re-signing.

Then there are the players the Yanks absolutely want and need to bring back, but the price may dictate a different outcome.

The following is a list of players for whom a big 2013 season could mean a major contract in the future.

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It seems as though the Toronto Blue Jays will have plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. In what has developed very rapidly the Miami Marlins are reportedly trading Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and others to the Blue Jays in return for Yunel Escobar and several top level prospects.

The move gives the Blue Jays a speed threat in Reyes at the top of a lineup. Last season, Toronto already had plenty of pop with the always steady Jose Bautista and the arrival of Edwin Encarnacion. The addition of Buehrle and Johnson helps stabilize an underachieving but potentially devastating rotation. 

Theoretically, this move should significantly increase the Blue Jays’ chances in the always competitive AL East. However, Toronto should not begin making plans for a ticker tape parade just yet as each player will be bringing over more than just clothes in their baggage.

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It is easy to forget that the New York Yankees won 95 games, had the second best run differential in the majors and the top-seed heading into the AL playoffs.

That’s because their season came to a crashing halt in the ALCS after the Detroit Tigers embarrassingly swept them out of the playoffs. The Yankees have not been swept out of a seven-game series since the 1976 World Series.

The players on the field are rightfully getting the brunt of the verbal abuse in the media for their disappearing act. However, GM Brian Cashman is the man who put this collective unit together and has to take part of the blame for the postseason collapse. With the payroll the Yankees maintain, winning the division isn’t something to pat your back on.

The Yankees need to be set up to win in October and there has been several decisions made by Cashman over his tenure that culminated in their worst postseason performance in nearly four decades.

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