All baseball seasons are shaped to some degree by what a team does in the previous winter, and this winter is a crucial one for the Yankees. They must figure out what they want to be -- not only in 2016, but beyond. Will they once again plunge into the free-agent market and go for the quick fix, or will they show the patience other successful franchises have -- the Kansas City Royals, anyone? -- and begin to build a team for the future from the developing players in their farm system?
The Yankees were just good enough to squeak into the playoffs as a wild card in 2015 but, as currently constituted, probably can't expect a whole lot more in 2016.