"The Yankees have two really high-end shortstop prospects, a big group of arms who are probably starters and then the system drops off pretty quickly..."

So says The Athletic - (aka the Gray Lady) - in its new rankings of MLB farm systems, a demeaning appraisal that puts the Yankees at 20th (out of 30), behind the Dodgers, Orioles, Redsocks, Rays, Phillies, Guardians and Mets - all our rivals, who will likely own us through another dead decade debacle.

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Jeeze, Duke, what happened to you? Everybody knows these lists are crapolatta. Remember when Jeeze Montero was our future lord and savior? Remember Ruben Rivera, Brien Taylor, Drew Henson, Jackson Melian, Anthony Volpe? 

You're right. Nobody hyped Ben Rice when he was a single A catcher at Tampa. (It was 2021; he hit .210.) Now, he's our breakout hope. Both the O's and Redsocks took turns atop these lists, and neither has anything to show for it. Besides, who cares? The Dodgers (#2, on the rankings) will win it all, anyway, and in 2027, baseball is going to bid us farewell.  

Yeah, you're right, reader. As always. But chickens do come home to roost, and Cooperstown Cashman's sudden new willingness to trade youth for age - the kind of deals he once renounced - has resulted in a one-way drain flow of Yankee prospects. It started two winters ago, with the Michael King package for Juan Soto, and it ramped up full tilt last August, with the garage sales of young talent. It has continued this winter, and I believe it is setting up the Yankees for a collapse year, one of those seasons when everything goes rotten. 

All this talk about the team returning one year older and one year stronger? It belies the last 20 postseasons. If you're not getting younger, you are sinking into the mud. In this case, you might as well grab your tickets for the Melania movie, because it's all downhill from here.  

For me, one of the saddest parts about this ranking is that it seems to ignore our one true rookie candidate, the intriguing Spencer Jones. You'd think he'd get at least a mention. Yes, he looks the Second Coming of Joey Gallo, but keep in mind that old Googly Eyes enjoyed two 40-HR seasons in Texas, before he came to Gotham and crapped out in a HR-K-BB haze. The Yankees claim that Jones can play CF. If so, he'd be a low budget version of Trent Grisham. If they hadn't given Grisham that qualifying offer... 

Ah, but they did. So Jones is, what, soon to be traded? 

Donno. I suspect they'll deal Jones, probably for a bullpen lug nut. And if you're scoring at home, the Yankees will drop a notch lower on these bullshit farm system rankings. This elevator is going down. Ride it at your own peril.