The Yankees have not been to a World Series since 2009, or roughly 72 years in pinstripe time.
Their drought is now approaching the 17-year one from 1979-1995, which preceded sweeping changes and one of the greatest stretches of dominance in the history of American sports. The last championship run, a swan song for that gilded age in the Bronx, was largely the product of smart and aggressive practices by the front office. One trip to the free agent grocery store got them CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira, integral parts of the 2009 championship team.
Since then, trades have netted the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Chad Green and Curtis Granderson, but free agency has been more of an adventure. There have been some misses — aside from the Jacoby Ellsbury debacle, remember the Travis Hafner, Stephen Drew and Kevin Youkilis experiments? — but there have also been some moves that left Brian Cashman on the right side of history.
