The Yankees are rebuilding. This doesn't mean they can't be competitive soon, and it doesn't mean they can’t surprise and earn a playoff spot this year. Regardless, the team is retooling itself to focus more on its farm system and building a team that can win for years to come.
Teams like the Cubs and Dodgers have shown that this philosophy, of setting a foundation of young and exploitable cost-controlled players, supplementing it with the financial might that comes with playing in a huge market, can lead to seemingly indefinite runs of success.