The Yankees faced another Max Scherzer moment, coincidentally with the man, David Price, who replaced Scherzer as the Tigers’ ace.

Scherzer was available in free agency last offseason, and the Yankees knew what every team in the majors knew — he would be a great help in 2015.

But the Yankees were weighing other matters. You don’t just get Scherzer for 2015. Ultimately, he signed for seven years at $210 million, and — with CC Sabathia — the Yankees are seeing what the back years of that kind of deal could look like. Heck, with Masahiro Tanaka they are seeing there are no guarantees on the front years, either.

Scherzer also would have cost the Yankees their highest first-round draft pick in 18 years.

And whether you believe it or not, under Hal Steinbrenner, these Yankees care about payrolls now and into the future — and about getting younger.

Which brings us to Price. The Yankees are not deluding themselves. They recognize an innings-eating ace such as Price would have all but guaranteed the playoffs and then given the Yankees a chance to win when they get there. Like Scherzer, he would be ideal for 2015.

Instead, Price is going to Toronto, pending medical reviews, just like Troy Tulowitzki did. The Yankees did not get Price, and their last big threat in the AL East did.

Even still, the Yankees decided to stick with their program — trying to win now without infringing on the future too much.

The money wasn’t the issue. Price is owed roughly $8 million the rest of this year, and the Yankees could handle that. It was the player return.

Brian Cashman and his baseball ops people have slowly convinced ownership that being top-heavy in payroll and age and short in youth and prospects is a crisis waiting to happen, regardless of how thick your wallet is. Check out the Phillies as an example. Heck, the Tigers — with the DNA of a contender and the second wild card within reach — sold Price and are not stopping there.

The Yankees are seeing the benefits of patience with Didi Gregorius and Nate Eovaldi. For the first time in years, they have a group at Triple-A the industry sees as having real value. And their system is generally richer in worthwhile pieces than it has been for years.

The Yankees were faced with the question of how much to strip of that for 12 starts of Price, plus the postseason. Steinbrenner has quarantined Aaron Judge, Greg Bird and Luis Severino at Triple-A and A-ball shortstop Jorge Mateo — who just might be the Yankees’ best prospects. And executives from other teams say Cashman is being protective of even more than that. Various Yankees officials have told me Gary Sanchez, Bryan Mitchell and Adam Warren are off-limits, too — particularly for a rental in return

The idea is not to be so gung-ho for a title now that you damage your near future.

Even the Dodgers, with a $280 million payroll, are obsessed with making sure they do not strip their future while being pretty much all-in for 2015.

The Blue Jays have shown no such restrictions in moving prospects — for Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and now Price. Once Toronto agreed to put top pitching prospect Daniel Norris into the package and the Yankees refused on Severino, it was really game over.

The Yankees showed where they are now by acquiring Dustin Ackley from the Mariners on Thursday. He is just 27 years old and was once the second pick in the draft. The Yankees think he needs a change of scenery from Seattle’s big park and big expectations. The Yankees’ analytics wing thought he has hit without luck and his pull lefty swing fits the short right-field porch, so there is a chance to regenerate a player in his prime.

The Yankees will not stop there. Michael Pineda went on the disabled list for at least a month and so they would love to add starting depth or upgrade the bullpen even more. You bet San Diego’s Craig Kimbrel is of interest to them.

But he will cost what the Yankees have been hesitant to deal — quality young chips. Lots of them. A bullpen piece would allow them to more easily slip Warren back into the rotation and protect these dubious, delicate starters even more by solidifying the end game. Imagine a baton pass of Dellin Betances to Andrew Miller to Kimbrel.

You can only imagine it, however, if you can envision Steinbrenner and this version of the Yankees doing what they wouldn’t do for Scherzer and Price — emphasize today over tomorrow.