It's too early to start rooting for a Yankee meltdown. Soon, though, that could change...

Lemme be clear: It would be awful to watch the '23 Yankees - the Edmund Fitzgerald of baseball teams - collapse. All that talent, all that potential, all that - um - inherited money - pitched overboard, while the orcas celebrate. (They hate us; who can blame them?) No matter how jaded we've become, we cannot want such an outcome. 

Not yet, anyway. 

Thus far, if these Yankees were a movie, they would rank on Rotten Tomatoes between the Children of the Corn remake and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the river of plasma slasher fest. We crapped the mattress in Boston, and we are not contenders for the AL East, where Tampa and Baltimore might dominate for years. 

Of course, if Aaron Judge returns and hits 50 HRs, the Yankees could snag a wild card slot and, from there, who knows? Ted Lasso, right? 

It is too early to root for an orchestrated Yankee collapse, the kind Boston and Houston have used to build championship teams, while the Death Barge has maintained its also-ran status.

But July 4 is two weeks away, and the MLB trade deadline just six. It's time to ponder what could happen if the Yanks continue their sorry slide, and if the front office finally faces reality. (Big "if" there.) Would we not be better served by trading valuable veterans for youngsters who might someday win something?

In particular, let's consider three players.

1. Gleyber Torres. It feels like he's 30, but he's 26 - younger than Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun and IKF - and his .256 batting average seems almost Ruthian in this banjo lineup. He's on course to hit 25 HRs, and you know what? He's not the next Jeter, or even the next Robbie, but he's not that bad. He's eligible for arbitration next winter. He could bring a few decent prospects, and Anthony Volpe - if he ever hits - might move to 2B anyway.

2. DJ LeMahieu. A respected veteran, a utility gold glove, a fine clutch hitter - he'd be perfect for a young team like Baltimore. The O's have a lush farm system, thanks to their 10-year institutional barf, and the Yankees could get younger. Any decent team should love to have LeMahieu. We have him for three more years. Where is he going to play?  

3. Luis Severino. He runs hot and cold. If by late July, he's on a roll, maybe the Yanks should drink some ice water and move him. He'll be a free agent this winter. Put him on the block and see what happens. Bidding war, maybe? It sure would be nice to get something before Setback Sevy's next tweak. And if we miss the guy, re-sign him in December!

Okay, before you get angry, let's mention the unmentionables: Jackie and Giancarlo. 

First, we'll get nuthin for neither. That's the reality. But but BUT... if a contender suddenly faced a hole at 3B, we might find a taker for Donaldson. It's obvious that he needs to get out of NY. A couple 18-year-olds, maybe? 

As for Stanton, you need hallucinogens to imagine anyone taking his contract, unless Hal Steinbrenner eats five years. But why not? Do the Yankees seriously expect him to be their everyday DH until 2031? Yikes. He already looks done. (He'll probably get hot soon; he can't be this bad, right?) At some point, Hal will be wolfing down Giancarlo's salary like Joey Chestnut at the Nathan's contest. Sooner the better.

But right now, it's too soon to root for a swoon. Save it for July.