The New York Yankees have money to spend whenever they want to: if they don’t invest heavily on their roster, or at least keep up with other teams, it’s because they don’t want to.
There is no other way around it: they are one of the most valuable sport franchises in the world and make tons of money.
That’s precisely why fans are so disappointed to see the Toronto Blue Jays sign Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi, and bring in Matt Chapman via trade, and their front office and ownership being frustratingly passive at the time of making additions to the roster.
That’s why fans didn’t like to see the Tampa Bay Rays extend Wander Franco, sign Corey Kluber, and even entertain the possibility of inking Freddie Freeman.
That’s why Yankees fans hated it when the Boston Red Sox signed Trevor Story, which would have been a perfect fit for the shortstop-needy Bombers.
The fact remains that the rest of the AL East is getting stronger, and while the Yankees did make some moves (basically re-signing Anthony Rizzo and trading for Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa), they look like the third or fourth-best team in the East.
Cashman Defends Yankees’ Offseason
General manager Brian Cashman, however, reminds fans that the Yankees have a high payroll.
“Brian Cashman: ‘We feel like we’ve got a good team, and we’re running out the highest payroll we’ve ever had in our history’,” the GM said per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Brian Cashman: "We feel like we’ve got a good team, and we’re running out the highest payroll we’ve ever had in our history.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 21, 2022
Fans, however, are calling Cashman’s bluff.
1. The payroll, adjusted for inflation, is considerably lower than years past. Inflation adjusted:
2007: $299MM
2008: $293MM
2009: $291MM
2010: $280MM2. Team revenue is skyrocketing since
3. The fact that the Yankees have a $240m payroll and the roster they do is embarrassing
— Mike (@Mike_Mineo) March 21, 2022
The Yankees needed pitching, a shortstop, a first baseman, and at least a capable center fielder.
They only addressed the first base need with Rizzo, and are fielding a utilityman (Kiner-Falefa) as their starting shortstop.
They didn’t bring in any starters, which is a mistake.
The season will tell if Cashman, or most fans, were right, but the Yankees don’t look better than the Rays and Jays and are awfully similar to the Red Sox.
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