8 moves in the last 2 years that could return the Yankees to glory

In the city that never sleeps, it's never easy to concede a season.

But, as the aging New York Yankees played just .500 baseball through the first four months of the 2016 schedule, general manager Brian Cashman knew it was time to set a new course. Going against typical Yankee fashion, the front office opted to sell at the deadline and develop the farm system in hopes of future success.

What transpired was a remarkable turnaround, as the Yankees' "rebuild" lasted less than a full calendar year, and Cashman watched his revamped roster advance to the 2017 American League Championship Series. The Yankees wouldn't have been able to turn things around so quickly if it wasn't for Cashman recognizing his window to win.

These are the eight moves that elevated the club from sellers to World Series favorites:

July 25, 2016

After just a half season in the Bronx, Aroldis Chapman was flipped to the Chicago Cubs for reliever Adam Warren, top prospect Gleyber Torres, and a pair of other future pieces in Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford. The ability to land Torres - now the second-best prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, behind Shohei Ohtani - was a major win for the Yankees. Torres underwent Tommy John surgery last season, but is expected to be healthy heading into the spring, and could be the club's starting second baseman come Opening Day.

July 31, 2016

Less than two seasons into Andrew Miller's four-year, $36-million deal, Cashman traded the left-handed reliever to the Cleveland Indians as the Yankees bullpen was almost completely stripped down. Cashman opted to once again take a return of prospects, acquiring two of Cleveland's top young players in Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield. Frazier is now the Yankees' top outfield prospect, while Sheffield is the club's top lefty in the system. The addition of seven prospects for the pair of relievers gave New York's minor-league system a major boost and handed Cashman the pieces needed to land some major-league talent in the coming months.

August 7, 2016

After struggling through the season, Alex Rodriguez announced that he and the club had mutually agreed to end his 22-year playing career. A-Rod played in three more games before the Yankees released him from his contract. Rodriguez stayed on as an adviser and would still be paid through the 2017 season. The decision to part ways with Rodriguez opened up a roster spot for the new wave of young players coming through the system, while also eliminating a distraction for then-manager Joe Girardi.

November 17, 2016

Following the emergence of Gary Sanchez behind the plate, Cashman dealt veteran catcher Brian McCann in order to clear out some salary. The Yankees shipped McCann to the Houston Astros in exchange for a pair of right-handed pitching prospects. Cashman included $11 million to cover the remaining $34 million left on McCann's deal but still benefited from the additional money that was freed up. Neither Abreu or Guzman reached the majors, though the latter played a role in an important transaction later on.

December 15, 2016

It didn't take long for Cashman to spend some of those additional savings. Less than a month after dealing McCann and four months after trading Chapman, Cashman reunited with the fireballer on a record five-year, $86-million deal. The left-hander wasn't his typical self throughout the bulk of the season due to a heavy workload during the Cubs' World Series run, but Chapman dominated down the stretch when it was most important. As the Yankees pushed toward the postseason, Chapman didn't allow a run in September, while holding opponents to a .077/.122/.103 slash line.

July 19, 2017

While everyone thought Todd Frazier would be on his way to the Boston Red Sox, Cashman shocked the baseball world, making an extremely aggressive move with his club 4 1/2 games back of first place. With his recently acquired stable of prospects in the system, Cashman had the pieces needed to land not only Frazier but a pair of top relievers in David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox. Though Frazier was a rental, Robertson and Kahnle are under contract through 2018, giving the Yankees arguably the best bullpen in the AL when combined with Chapman, Warren, Dellin Betances, and Chad Green.

July 31, 2017

With third base and the bullpen taken care of, it was time for another game-changer from Cashman. In exchange for the Yankees' fourth-, eighth-, and 12th-best prospects, the club landed Sonny Gray from the Oakland Athletics. Not only did Gray give the pinstripes a top of the rotation starter, he's under team control through the next two seasons. Despite the Athletics wanting either Clint Frazier or Torres in the deal, Cashman was able to pull off the trade while keeping his two most prized prospects. Instead, he traded pieces that were buried on the depth chart.

December 12, 2017

After rebuilding the farm system, clearing up the club's finances, and adding some elite-level talent, Cashman was able to afford the ultimate luxury: reigning National League MVP, Giancarlo Stanton. The potential final piece of the puzzle came gift wrapped from the Miami Marlins, at little cost to Cashman. Castro was coming off an All-Star season, but with Torres ready to make the jump to the majors, Cashman was able to shed Castro's salary in the deal, which helped the organization absorb Stanton's contract. Now, the Yankees have the most feared middle of the order in baseball, with the reigning NL and AL home run champions both in the same lineup.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)