No matter how you slice it, the Yankee future will hinge on the next three games

It's been a long, weird, twisted, short season, 2020. I'm glad it's over.

The Yankees were great, then awful, then great again, then miserable. They backed into the playoffs and, frankly, deserved to be the AL's lowest seed. (Toronto, you blew it.) When you think of the breakout seasons from DJ LeMahieu, Luke Voit, Gerrit Cole, Clint Frazier and Gio Urshela, the depth of this year's Yankee malaise becomes breathtaking. 

Our "Twin Towers" - Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton - fizzled from muscle strains. Even today, neither sprints to first base without Aaron Boone clutching his Rosary. After Cole, the rotation imploded, and our bullpen - originally touted - became a horror show. We have no second or third starter, no lights-out relievers, and - after DJ - nobody who can drive in a run from second. If the Indians score three in the first, we are more likely to be blown out than to mount a comeback. We have been a team of passed balls, stranded runners, embarrassing batting averages and failed instant replay reviews. In simple terms, we sucked.

I believe the Yankee future hinges upon this week in Cleveland. If the Yankees advance, their talent and depth might coalesce in sets of longer series. But the three-game crucible has haunted this team since August. If we go out quickly, the Yankees, as we know them, might be shredded this winter. And, to be honest, that might be a good thing. 

We've talked so much about shedding Gary Sanchez that it's barely worth mentioning anymore. But several other areas cannot be ignored. The team has six outfielders - a plane with three wings and no propeller. The 2021 Yankees will need pitching, pitching, pitching. Cole is just one starter. Paxton will be gone. Tanaka and Happ are old. Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt are unrefined. Severino is a roll of the dice. German will still miss a month or two. The Yankees will need at least one top starter, and the only means to that end might be to trade their hottest properties. Yes, I am stating the unthinkable: Aaron Judge and/or Gleyber Torres.

Keep in mind that a) the devil is always in the details, and b) I'm not saying the Yankees trade somebody for the sake of jettisoning them. But neither Clint Frazier nor Miguel Andujar will fetch a top starter - do we always want Michael Pinedas? - and nobody will take Giancarlo Stanton off our hands, unless we add a great talent to the mix. Put Stanton in with Gleyber, and you've got a package that most GM's would love to take to their bosses.

The Yankees next year will face a newly competitive Mets and an AL East with at least three ascending teams - (Rays, Jays and O's). If we collapse this week, this year will be remembered most for its crushing disappointments. And if we're lucky, it might just signify the end of an era - and the dividing line for a better future.