It’s never particularly fun to watch teams in transition. At the end of the 2012 campaign, the Yankees had missed the playoffs precisely once since 1993. Four seasons onward, and they have appeared in just one postseason contest in that time. It’s unfortunate that it had to happen, but it was inevitable. Every club declines eventually and every club breaks down—it just took the Yankees a little longer than most.
The past five Yankees seasons have been different in particular because I’ve been writing about them the entire time. Yes, it’s only been for a blog that I do as a part-time job, but I definitely have a different perspective on the team than I did back then.