The Yankees have become a mediocre exhibition team

Eleven days ago, the Yankees stood on the precipice of exhibition dominance: Their 10-2 record led all of baseball in the vagaries of meaninglessness, suggesting their great, unforgettable-but-forgotten grapefruit league of 2017 - they went 24-9 - could reproduce itself into another summer. Last March, electrified by competition at several key positions, the Yankees were the best team in nothingness. 

But the last two weeks have exposed a glitch in the Meaningless Matrix. Lately, the Yankees look once again like a ho-hum, Twittering cavalcade of cover-boy celebrities, who happen to also play baseball. Since March 7, they are 2-7, losing in ever-creative manners, such as getting only two base hits, or watching late-inning games collapse like a Florida footbridge (sorry, too soon) with a bullpen made of paper machete. Yesterday, it was the starter: Masahiro Tanaka gave up 4 runs in two innings, leaving with a 11.25 ERA and a game that would never be close. 

Listen: Nobody is suggesting that we start sweating spring training records. But there is a decidedly different attitude this season, inflated with hubris and expectation. The addition of Giancarlo Stanton and the elevation of Aaron Judge to deity status seem to have created a team of Instagram rock stars. Everyone expects the 2018 Yankees to battle Boston and Houston - and crush the rest of the AL without a blip. Last year, the Yankees fielded a team of hustling nobodies. This year, aside from Tyler Wade - who likely will be relegated to the bench - and Gary Sanchez - who looks newly rededicated - the team does not appear to be inspired by an impending season.

Maybe this is good. Maybe the Yankees needed to step back, lose a few meaningless games, and keep everyone healthy. (Thus far, no critical starter has tweaked anything.) But the Yankees look like a team with a few world championships under its belt, when in fact, all that came from 2017 was a one-game wild card flag. Greg Bird is hitting .158. Stanton is at .212. Judge is .240. Yes, it's a small sample size. Yes, the numbers mean nothing. Yes, a big day tomorrow could change everything. Yes, yes, yes...

Of course, this is simply what happens when you seek meaning in a pointless universe, which may or may not be a computer simulation. This is no time to sound an alarm, or to suggest unwarranted changes. But Houston, Boston and Baltimore are cracking. At some point, Aaron Boone will need to change the focus from deck chairs to wind sprints. In 11 days, the meaningless ends. Right now, we are not ready.