Chad Jennings

cjennings@lohud.com

The Yankees are still above .500, but after back-to-back losses, they're still having trouble gaining any meaningful traction toward a playoff run. Gary Sanchez has become the regular catcher, Aaron Judge is the everyday right fielder, two call-ups are in the rotation, and the Yankees are clearly trying to prepare themselves for whatever's next. They're not waving a white flag necessarily, but they're clearly looking toward the future.

With that in mind, let's start this off day with a look toward the 2017 roster, and what it might look like after the Yankees continue making some adjustments this winter.

Lineup

Jacoby Ellsbury/Brett Gardner CF Didi Gregorius SS Aaron Judge RF Brian McCann DH Gary Sanchez C Greg Bird 1B Starlin Castro 2B Chase Headley 3B Ben Gamel LF

One or the other -- Given all of the outfield depth in Triple-A, it's time for the Yankees to trade either Gardner or Ellsbury. Gardner is cheaper and has been better than Ellsbury this season -- according to the Baseball Reference version of WAR, Gardner's been the Yankees' most valuable position player -- which means he probably has the most trade value. Might be worth getting less in return, though, if some team will pick up a large portion of Ellsbury's contract. Ideally, the Yankees will be able to trade one of those two and put the other in center field.

Something new -- The Yankees could try to trade McCann this winter, but I don't think it's necessary. He's had a brutal second half, but his first half was good, and he would give the Yankees some options going forward. If Bird isn't ready to start the season, McCann could be the regular first baseman for a while. If Sanchez gets hurt, McCann still should be more productive than most catchers in the league. If both Bird and Sanchez are available, there are still DH at-bats for a left-handed power hitter who had an .809 OPS before the break. Could trade him, but don't have to.

Limited alternatives -- Third base has become a position of tremendous depth in the big leagues, but it's still a relatively thin position in the Yankees' system. Miguel Andujar is maybe a year away, and Headley still has two years left on his contract. For the year, he's been one the game's worst-hitting third basemen, but since May 1 he's been basically middle of the pack. An ugly 2015 season and rough start to this season made him incredibly unpopular with the fan base, but there's little reason to think he's going anywhere. He's been pretty solid most of the year, and the Yankees don't really have an alternative in place.

Eventually: Clint Frazier -- For now, I've listed Gamel as a starting left fielder (assuming a right-handed starting pitcher). But there are plenty of alternatives including Tyler Austin, Aaron Hicks, Mason Williams, Jake Cave, Rob Refsnyder, etc. Plug that gap however you'd like in the short term, it seems the Yankees would like to put Frazier in left field eventually. That's been his primary position since coming over in the Andrew Miller trade. Even if he doesn't make the Opening Day roster, he could be a mid-season boost. Of course, that's assuming the Yankees don't trade him to get a starting pitcher.

Bench

Austin Romine C

Aaron Hicks OF

Rob Refsnyder/Tyler Austin UT

Backup shortstop

One or the other -- If the Yankees do end up carrying three catchers and sticking with Hicks, it might be difficult to carry both Refsnyder and Austin on the bench. Only way to do it would be to Castro as the team's only backup shortstop. That seems possible, but it would require trusting either Refsnyder or Austin to play third base, which the Yankees seem hesitant to do in the big leagues (Refsnyder is presumably more likely to play there than Austin). If the Yankees end up trading McCann, though, they could pretty easily find room for both Refsnyder and Austin.

Something new -- Brutal season for Hicks, and the Yankees have suggested some of that might be due to his new role as a bench player, and the team seems ready to give him more at-bats down the stretch in an attempt to get him going. But what does that mean for Hicks next season. If the Yankees do trade either Ellsbury or Gardner, would he be the favorite to start in left field? Seems possible, especially if he finishes strong and has a good spring. The Yankees have stuck with him this year, which leaves little reason to think they'll abandon him next year.

Limited alternatives -- Right now, the Yankees are carrying Ronald Torreyes as their true utility man, and it looks like he'll be on the roster from wire to wire (which is kind of amazing). If the Yankees still want a true utility man next season -- meaning one who can play shortstop -- they could very well end up with Torreyes again. There may be alternatives in the near future, but for now, there aren't many alternatives. Maybe Cito Culver, who's finally put up some decent offensive numbers and can still provide a slick glove all over the infield?

Eventually: Tyler Wade -- Once he gets some Triple-A experience next season, Wade could be a nice fit on the Yankees bench as a left-handed hitting shortstop who can play second base and could probably get used to third base as well. He has some speed, he gets on base and he has a good glove. Guys like Mason Williams and Kyle Higashioka could also be bench players next year depend on injuries and opportunity. Wade stands out because he could hit his way into being a go-to Torreyes alternative.

Rotation

Masahiro Tanaka

New starter

Michael Pineda

Luis Severino

CC Sabathia

Adam Warren

One or the other -- Listed six starters because we all know the team is going to need more than five at some point. Now that the Yankees have lost Nathan Eovaldi, there might be more reason than ever to give Warren another look as a starter. He needs to be a part of the bullpen picture or a part of the rotation's depth; one or the other. He's basically the setup man right now, but there will be free agent relievers available this winter. The rotation spot might be harder to fill, and some of Warren's value comes in his ability to start if necessary. It might be necessary next year.

Something new -- Not so much new role. More like, new name. With the farm system restocked with significant depth, the Yankees could be in the market to make a significant trade for a high-end starting pitcher. They have a decent amount of rotation depth as it is, but they don't have much dependability, and it would be hard to feel good about this rotation without adding a significant arm. Losing Eovaldi surely increased the chances of a deal being made. What would it take to get Chris Sale?

Limited alternatives -- My list of six starters does not include Chad Green or Luis Cessa, two guys currently in the rotation. It does, however, including Severino, who's currently in Triple-A. He remains more of a high-end talent than any other rotation alternative, which makes Severino difficult to dismiss as a part of the Opening Day rotation. If he's still erratic, the Yankees have alternatives to replace him -- Green, Cessa, Jordan Montgomery, Dietrich Enns -- but those alternatives don't have the same raw stuff. Decent depth for this rotation, but not many proven alternatives.

Eventually: Chance Adams -- Probably the best pitcher in the Yankees' minor league system this year, Adams was drafted in 2015 and has already reached Double-A with dominant numbers. Montgomery and Enns are ahead of him in terms of Triple-A experience, but Adams is a fast-rising prospect who could pitch his way into a rotation opportunity at some point next season. If he's able to maintain this year's success, Adams could be a guy who provides a legitimate boost after a month or two with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Bullpen

Dellin Betances

Free agent reliever

Tyler Clippard

Some lefty

Bryan Mitchell

Chad Green (or Adam Warren if he's not starting)

Nick Goody/Ben Heller/Jonathan Holder

One or the other -- The Yankees tore apart their bullpen at the trade deadline, but this offseason will give them an opportunity to put it back together. Aroldis Chapman will be a free agent, and he's talked about wanting to come back. Kenley Jansen will be available as well. So will Mark Melancon. The Yankees could very well pick one to sign as a big-money free agent to pair with Betances at the back of the bullpen, with Clippard or perhaps Warren rounding out the new top three.

Something new -- There were times this season when the Yankees were carrying four left-handed relievers, but they're now down to one, and that's recent addition Tommy Layne. Looking ahead, the Yankees will need someone to pitch from the left side out of the pen. Chasen Shreve's had a brutal year, James Pazos and Jacob Lindgren have been hurt, and Richard Bleier doesn't have much of a track record. Tyler Webb stands out as a versatile lefty with good splits in Triple-A this season. Enns and Montgomery are left-handed starters who could break into the big leagues as relievers.

(Un)limited alternatives -- As we've seen the past few seasons, the Yankees have a lot of possibilities for rounding out their bullpen. That's both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because it provides options. It's bad because these options are unproven. Goody could step back onto the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre shuttle along with a new guy like Heller or an emerging prospect like Holder, who's been as good as any relief pitcher in the system this year. There are also all of the fifth/sixth starter candidates to consider as bullpen options. Green has pitched well in a relief role, but the Yankees might need him as a starter instead.

Eventually: Nick Rumbelow -- Let's not forget that, at some point next season, the Yankees should get some of their key bullpen depth back. Rumbelow and Branden Pinder had Tommy John surgery early this year, which means they should be pitching again at some point next season. Those two have shown some promise in the past and might have carved out a lasting role this year if they hadn't been hurt. Trade addition J.P. Feyereisen is currently in Double-A and could also pitch his way onto the big league radar next year.