Brian Cashman,Ryan Ruocco

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, left, speaks to YES network broadcaster Ryan Ruocco onTuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, in New York.

(Kathy Willens/AP Photo)

This would be unprecedented--at least in modern Yankees history.

While last year's trade deadline sell off was met with (mostly) positive reviews from fans, doing it in back-to-back years could be a different story. As the team gets set for spring training next month, the future of the franchise is clearly brighter than the immediate present.

So what happens if the Yankees reach July with a slim chance to make the playoffs once again this summer? At least one MLB insider thinks the result could be very much like last year--albeit without as many high-end stars to deal.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal wrote about why the 2017 trade deadline could be epic, and had the Yankees among the reasons. His take: New York could fall out of contention and move impending free agents like Matt Holliday, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia and Tyler Clippard.

While there's no Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller in that group, don't discount the idea of Holliday bouncing back (like Carlos Beltran did in pinstripes) or Pineda putting together a good contract year (like Ivan Nova eventually did) or Sabathia and Clippard showing enough to intrigue contenders.

The Yankees have shown a willingness and dedication to the future. If the current team doesn't overachieve and truly give the front office a reason to dream on a pennant chase this season, the Yankees could be sellers for the second consecutive year.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.