In life, sometimes it is okay to lose. It is okay to admit defeat. It provides perspective and insight that it might be time to rebuild. All these statements apply to the 2016 New York Yankees. The Yankees have been good for so long that this franchise does not know what losing is anymore. The last time the Yankees had a losing season was in 1992. This is the year that in “A League of Their Own,” Tom Hanks said “There’s no crying in baseball.” The Yankees stepped up after that season and have been dominating the AL East for the past 24 years.

However, the lack of a losing season record does not excuse that the last three seasons have not been typical Yankees’ seasons. In the final year of the old Yankees Stadium, the Yankees missed the postseason in 2008 for the first time in 13 years. Everything was wrong in the universe. Not to worry though, because in typical Yankees fashion, they went out and signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira to big contracts, spending like a crazed consumer on Black Friday. Their investments paid off big time, as the Yankees would win their 27th championship in franchise history in 2009. Order was restored in the world of baseball.

After missing the playoffs in 2013, the Yankees tried to replicate their 2008 offseason. They went out and signed Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Brian McCann. This time the moves did not have the same effect. They failed to make the playoffs for a second consecutive year. As a matter of fact, the Yankees continued to miss the playoffs until the 2015 season. And even then, they had the honor of playing in the one-game-play-in Wild Card game.

One of the biggest reasons why the Yankees have struggled over the past few years is because in the 2013 offseason, the Yankees signed players that just were not the same caliber as the players signed in 2008. Beltran is a much older player that is past his prime, even if his numbers this year would suggest otherwise. McCann is a pull-hitter that is struggling to hit for average in the Pinstripes. And Ellsbury just hasn’t lived up to his big contract, whether it be due to injury or just simply because of his poor performance.

For the past three seasons, the Yankees have been mediocre. Even this season, the Yankees have hovered around .500. They will win 5 in a row, but then lose 5 in a row. It has been that kind of a season for the once mighty Bronx Bombers. The Yankees are – gulp – mediocre. Those two words are never meant to be used in the same sentence.

Mediocrity is the worst place to be in sports. A mediocre team makes a franchise indecisive and there is no clear direction for the future. The Yankees are exactly there and the indecisiveness is the crux of their issue. They cannot decide if they’d be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Whether or not to throw in the towel for this season in order to build a team around the youngsters that can set them up for a better future.

The Yankees need to be sellers. It is okay to lose this season. It is time to take advantage of trade opportunities out there. A great opportunity would be to pull off a trade with the Cubs. The Cubs are a real contender. That’s right. Those lovable losers, are real contenders. They have a young, talented team that is poised to make a run at the World Series and win that coveted championship that has alluded that franchise for 116 years.

The young Cubbies need bullpen help. The Yankees greatest strength is the three-headed monster that lurks in that bullpen every night, giving their opponents nightmares when they look up at the scoreboard and see the start of the 7th inning. The Cubs are loaded with young talent. For anyone one of those bullpen arms, the Yankees can get a Kyle Schwarber or a Javier Baez. This would be exactly what the Yankees need. A new, young core to build the franchise around for years to come. This is just one example of a trade the Yankees can make to steer the Yankees into a winning future. Just like the Cubs, there are other teams out there who will love one of the back end bullpen asset the Yankees have for a young, top prospect (hello Giants).

Trading for young talent is one great way to build for the future. But the Yankees should also start looking within their own organization. As the great philosopher Socrates said, “Know Thyself”. Young talent like OF Aaron Judge, C Gary Sanchez, and SP Luis Severino are in the minor leagues. It is time to bring up these youngsters and see what they can do.

The Yankees have struggled in the past to develop young talent. This is because every season is championship-or-bust for this franchise. That leaves no time to focus on developing talent. Even earlier this year, instead of Severino being left up at the Majors and learning how to pitch through his struggles, he was sent down to Triple A to work on his stuff. But this year, there are no excuses. They need to let these players come up and work through the hardships. The Red Sox did it a couple of years ago with players like Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. It has paid off for the Red Sox this year, as these youngsters look like cornerstone players for them for years to come.

The Yankees should take advantage of this rare opportunity to finally have a rebuild year. They need to adapt to the new ways of Major League Baseball. Gone are the days where the Yankees would shell out countless amounts of money to obtain the best talent. Teams are now smarter. They develop their farm systems and lock up their homegrown players earlier to prevent them from hitting free agency in their prime. The Yankees need to have that same mentality. It is okay to lose this year, even in Yankee-land, in order to have a winning future.