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Yankees' youth movement has them close to postseason contention

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees, a franchise known for postseason dominance, have been on the outside looking with regards to the past several seasons, with their last playoff win coming in 2012. A 2009 World Series championship salvaged an otherwise mediocre stretch as the club has advanced past the League Division Series only three times since 2005.

The storied organization has built a reputation as one of the biggest-spending teams in sports. Utilizing deep pockets to add to its roster, the only homegrown holdover to remain with the club is Brett Gardner as the Yankees move on from the halcyon days of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. The shift in focus is clear, with the prodigal Yankees exquisitely devoted to grooming young talent to build their strongest minor-league system in years.

As the club heads into the season with an abundance of exceptionally talented young players, here's how the Yankees' youth movement has them close to playoff contention in 2017:

Infusion of top young talent

To shed a light on how deep the Yankees' prospect pool is, consider this: ESPN's Keith Law ranked the club's prospects as the second-best group in the league. When MLB Pipeline released its annual list, the Yankees possessed six prospects in the top 100. Even better, most of them are relatively close to producing at the major-league level. When Cashman got the green light to trade Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman (who later re-signed), Carlos Beltran, and eventually Brian McCann, not even he could have predicted the terrific returns obtained in the separate deals. It quickly transformed the Yankees' prospect pool from decent to elite with the best group of talent the organization has seen in years.

Money to spend

The Yankees are projected to enter the season with a payroll just under $191 million, according to Cots Contracts. That would be the lowest total since 2004, a time when player salaries differed greatly.

The club's current salary figures signify the Yankees' focus on drafting, development, and shedding contracts in exchange for youth, which is saving a substantial amount of money for the future. Spending $102 million combined on Matt Holliday (one-year, $13 million), Chris Carter (one-year, $3.5 million), and Chapman (five years, $86 million) this offseason seems like a ton, but for the Yankees, it's a much different approach than in years past.

Holliday, Carter, and Chapman provide the current group some security, and it helps that they can still provide above-average value - specifically Chapman. Additionally, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez stepping away from baseball freed up a significant amount of salary that could be used down the road. The big spending may come in the offseasons to follow when the bountiful free-agent classes could include Jose Quintana, Madison Bumgarner, Chris Sale, Paul Goldschmidt, Jose Altuve, Bryce Harper, and Manny Machado.

I am Gary

In case you didn't know, Gary Sanchez had a historic rookie season in 2016. The immensely talented 24-year-old catcher hit an astonishing 20 home runs in only 201 at-bats, putting himself in baseball's record books. He won't maintain that pace, but the performance is a good indication that he's a star in the making.

Although Sanchez stole the show, the Yankees should enter 2017 with some talented young players ready to contribute. The powerful Aaron Judge is expected to be the starting right fielder while Greg Bird returns from injury to take Teixeira's place at first.

As the Yankees continue to reshape the team, Cashman may look to trade veterans Gardner, Chase Headley, and Starlin Castro to make room for younger players. If and when these moves happen, expect some other prospects waiting in the wings to get the call - specifically top outfield prospect Clint Frazier and second-ranked infield prospect Gleyber Torres.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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