A look at Blake Snell shows the messy fingerprints of Prince Hal Steinbrenner

Hooray for Blake Snell, the American League's 2018 Cy Young winner. Not only does he deserve it, but it's always refreshing - a bolt of Florida sunshine! - to see a Redsock get stiffed. And once again, Tampa's front office shows why it is the gold standard in the AL East. For all the loving ink bestowed upon Cooperstown Cashman by his Gammonitic supplicants, year after year, Tampa fields a surprisingly solid team at a fraction of the Yankee payroll. Amazing.

But how did they get Blake Snell, and what could it tell us about 2019?

Let's return to those thrilling days of yesteryear, the cold, cruel winter of 2011, soon after the Granderson/Teixeira/Cano-led Yanks had been bumped from the playoffs by the Tigers. Brian Cashman had just said publicly that he did not want to sign a top free agent, if it meant losing a first-round draft pick. Days later, Hal overruled him, signing Rays' closer Rafael Soriano to a three-year deal.

As a result, the Rays received the Yankee first-round pick, number 31. The Yanks wouldn't get a shot until the 51st selection, in the sandwich round. The Rays also received a sandwich round choice, number 52.

The draft began with Pittsburgh selecting Gerritt Cole, whom the Yanks had drafted three years earlier, out of high school, and failed to sign. Eight picks later, the Indians took Francisco Lindor, and the Cubs followed with Javier Baez. A few more picks, and the Astros grabbed George Springer, and Miami took Jose Fernandez. At No. 18, Oakland picked Sonny Gray. Jeez, you get the picture. A lot of talent off the board. With pick No. 31, the Rays took OF Mikie Mahtook, now of Detroit, whom they eventually converted into Lucas Duda. 

With the 51st selection, the Yankees chose... drum roll, please... third-baseman Dante Bichette Jr.

Okay, where do we start? You could blame bad scouting, bad luck and nepotism, as it soon came out that Joe Girardi was Bichette's godfather. The Yankees projected Dante - or DBJ - as a heart-of-the-order slugger, a premier talent who could have been a professional tennis player. DJB hit well in the rookie league, then - well - years upon years of struggling. (It's tempting to rip on draft picks that don't pan out, but what's the point? It's not as if the players themselves deserve blame. For every star, there must be ten whose dreams get obliterated. Last year, Bichette played for the Saint Paul Saints of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Dreams die hard.)

Oh, and with the next pick, at 52, the Rays chose Blake Snell.

Hopefully, Hal learned not to overrule the so-called experts. And maybe the Yanks learned not to draft nieces and nephews. But Hal might have had reason to prefer Soriano to the team's recent top picks. In recent years, they had included Andrew Brackman, the unsigned Cole, Slade Heathcott, Cito Culver, Bichette and Ty Hensley - choices that set the table for what might be the worst decade in Yankee history. 

So, here we are - back in a winter and looking to sign free agents. If they sign a Bryce or a Manny, the Yankees won't lose their first pick, but they would surrender a fourth rounder and international spending money. But there are some exceptions: Nathan Eovaldi, J.A. Happ, Zach Britton, David Robertson, and the lefty from Japan - Yusei Kikuchi - will cost us only money.

I have an idea: Let's ask ourselves, what would the Rays do? Would they trade Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield for a pitcher over 30? Would they empty the farm system for a reliever? Just askin'. Because in an alternative Yankiverse not far from here, we could have had Blake Snell.