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New York Yankees Hot Stove: Happy New Year You Cheapskates?

Posted by on 30 December 2011, 1:17 am

Cheapskates? Or Victims?

At the start of the 2012 off-season the New York Yankees brass turned reformed savvy shoppers?

The Yankee and cheapskates… it just sounded wrong. And guess what, it just might be.

In actuality, MLB’s new collective bargaining agreement could be a bigger influence behind this thrifty transformation in the Bronx.

See, the Yankees have to pay a 40% tax rate on any money that exceeds MLB’s payroll maximum, which now sits at $178 million. So for 2011, the Yankees will be writing a check for $13.9 million, a franchise low since 2003.

Under the new CBA any team that chooses to overspend year after year will be penalized.

This means the Yankees tax rate will jump to 42.5% in 2012, and 50% in 2013; but the kicker is when overspending teams manage to drop below the set payroll it cuts their respective tax rate by 17.5%.

The league-wide payroll most will stay at $178 million through 2013, but jumps to $189 million for the following three years.

This puts a damper on GM Brian Cashman’s offseason plans, as it seems the baby Stein’s will never be reckless as papa-Boss, but with a current payroll north of $215 million can you blame them?

So is this the post-Boss-era essentially a travesty or are Hank and Hal changing the mantra of winning first?

New Year = New Yankees?

The MLB offseason is baseball’s equivalent to a New Year, as it allows changes to be made, and with any luck for teams to get better.

Inevitably, rules and finances do force teams to look in all directions of how to make these improvements happen.

Certain teams rely on spending cash, others exploit trades and some cultivate the draft.

It is no secret that the Yankees are baseball’s shopaholics, but the new rules implemented even make a big spender, like New York pull in their spending reins.

This sort-of explains why the Yankees have done zilch this offseason, but it also doesn’t.

See, GM Brian Cashman has spent the last few years turning an almost obsolete farm system into one of baseball’s best, so why not dip into the honey jar? Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Hot Stove: Happy New Year You Cheapskates?’ »

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New York Yankees Trade Rumors: Truth About Pujols

Posted by on 1 December 2011, 11:03 pm

Could the New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman be pulling a Philly fast one by secretly going after the top free agent on the market, Albert Pujols?

The Yankees are one of the few, if not the only, team that could legitimately offer Pujols the money he wants; along with the stage and superstar teammates that will allow him to flourish.

Even though superstar Mark Teixeira now occupies first base, but where there is a will there is usually a way.

Maybe you did realize that Tex did make 11 starts at third base, logging 99 innings and committed seven errors back in 2003.

This leaves the Yankees with the two scenarios.

  1. Move Tex to third, A-rod to shortstop and Jeter to the outfield…and BAM now there is room for Prince Albert.
  2. Or keep the Captain at shortstop, Tex to third and A-rod can be the DH…and BAM another way to get Pujols in pinstripes.

Do you want to know the truth about where I heard this rumor?

Can you handle the truth? Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Trade Rumors: Truth About Pujols’ »

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New York Yankees: The Not So Evil Empire

Posted by on 2 April 2011, 4:30 am

The media has always made the New York Yankees payroll a focal point for criticizing the franchise for, in truth, their generous wallets.

So, after reading the recent article by Ronald Blum of the NY Post about how Yankees Alex Rodriguez is earning a paycheck that is just shy of the entire payroll of the Kansas City Royals, it got me thinking.…

This topic is not anything new for Yankee fans or anyone for that matter, but just as the media thrives on reminding people why to resent the Yankees, fans like myself need to let you know the truth.

The fact is the Yankees reputation is based on famously over-paying players, that are undeserving and overrated. The Yankee haters claim they grab the best of whatever the current baseball market has to offer, and unfairly presenting individuals with monster contracts that are impossible to match or to decline.

This way of thinking made me feel sorry for the literally poor Royals, as their lack of success was being hampered by their own abilities to offer only petty paychecks. This makes it seem that what is just one player to the Yankees could be new life for the Royals.

So, are the Yankees to blame for this and are they worthy of this reputation?

Most definitely, but why is this such an ‘evil’ thing? The Yankees aren’t stealing or asking for handouts, and the owners are beyond generous in their efforts to give New York the best team they possibly can.

Now, back to Blum’s article.

Blum was not openly criticizing A-rod or the Yankees, it is a mere comparison of actual numbers. It also reminded everyone, like we could forget, how rich A-rod is and how much the Yankees spend.

Blum is stating proven facts, and it makes the Royals out like abandoned orphans who are doing the best with what they have.

Conveniently, Blum omitted some important facts that made me change my whole original thoughts.

Here is what was left out:

Blum’s article states:

Kansas City’s payroll was cut in half from $72.3 million at the start of 2010. The Royals traded Zach Greinke and Gil Meche retired. The Yankees, as usual, had the top payroll but dropped to $201.7 million from $206.3 million at the start of last season.

This explains the Royals payroll, which currently stands at $36.1 million.

What Blum forgot to mention was that after the 2010 season, the Royals received a revenue check for $32 million (or more). This check comes out of the wealthy pockets of teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies, who each give up 34% profits so these lower market ball-clubs, like the Royals can have the funds to stay competitive.

According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, Forbes reported that the Royals are worth $351 million and that 2010 marked the seventh running year in a row the Royals have finished the season in the black (meaning the Royals were profitable). This was shocking, until I did some research on my own.

The Royals owner, David Glass the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc is worth billions of dollars. Translation is that Glass could spend $50 million on his team without blinking an eye, but instead Glass makes a profit at the expense of giving Royals fans a non-contending team.

While running Wal-Mart, Glass was the anchor behind the company’s expansion. The methods and ethics used to obtain the success with Wal-Mark are horrific. Glass boasted the fact that Wal-Mart products were made in the USA, when the truth is they were coming out of sweat-shops in Asia. You can read his reactions when asked about by Dateline in this blurb called NAILED in TIME MAGAZINE.

This makes me feel even worse for Kansas City and the Royals fans because their beloved ball-club is at the hands of a greedy billionaire, whose priority is to add more zeros onto his billions.

In turn, this makes Blum’s article lose its creditability, as it is pointless without giving us all the facts. Unless, Blum was just taking a subtle jab to remind people why they should hate A-rod and the Yankees.

All Yankee fans can do is thank their lucky stars that the Steinbrenner family is so overly unselfish. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: The Not So Evil Empire’ »

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New York Yankees: You Can’t Always Get What You Want, But You Can Win

Posted by on 10 January 2011, 2:28 pm

“No” is not a familiar word heard in the New York Yankees front office.

General manager Brian Cashman has the resources to woo players to come play in the Bronx, so what happened this offseason?

It has to be expected that the Yankees sans Mr. George Steinbrenner lost a little bit of their appeal.

Not many owners possess the passion and fire that the Boss displayed. Even the negative stories about how he was a tyrant with unreal expectations were equalized by his never-ending willingness to help.

So, what the heck happened to the Yankees missing out on Cliff Lee and not signing any top free agent? Why is Andy Pettitte so hesitant to commit?

In my opinion, the unmistakable absence of Mr. Steinbrenner is what is crippling the Yankees.

Imagine yourself as a player who the Yankees wanted in pinstripes while Mr. Steinbrenner was the principal owner. Hence, Mr. Steinbrenner thought that the Yankees needed to acquire you to win. Figuring out how to get a player was never the problem; it was just a matter of when, because the Boss would go to any extreme. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: You Can’t Always Get What You Want, But You Can Win’ »

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Carl Crawford: Boston Red Sox Think They’re the New York Yankees By Signing CC

Posted by on 9 December 2010, 1:42 am

The city of Boston must be ecstatic tonight with the announcement of the signing Carl Crawford

Crawford’s home has been Tropicana Field for the last nine seasons, as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2010, Crawford’s batting average was .307, with 30 doubles, 13 triples, 19 home-runs, 90 RBIs and 47 stolen bases.

Add that to the other new Red Sox, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, who’s 2010 average at the plate was .298, with 31 home-runs, and 101 RBIs.

It would be hard to find anyone who doesn’t agree that the Red Sox are by far the AL East, if not baseball’s favorite heading into 2011. Continue reading ‘Carl Crawford: Boston Red Sox Think They’re the New York Yankees By Signing CC’ »

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MLB Hot Stove: New York Yankees Playing a Game of Texas Hold’em

Posted by on 9 December 2010, 1:35 am

Free-agent ace Cliff Lee is burning his talents right through the MLB winter meetings this week.

Just a week ago Lee was on his way to New York, unless the Rangers could convince the southpaw he had good reasons to stay in Texas.

Well things have certainly changed, as rumors that the Nationals, Angels, Phillies and two unknown suitors want a piece of Lee.

Is the New York motto, what the Yankees want, the Yankees usually can bankroll still in tact?

Yankee fans sure hope so, but the hourly Lee updates are starting to cause some concern.

Especially now with the Boston Red Sox, who finally acquired their version of Teixeira in Adrian Gonzalez.

Add that fact to the seeming retirement of Andy Pettitte and the possibility Carl Crawford heads west to the Halos.

Yankee Universe doesn’t just want Cliff Lee—they need him—at least for next season. That would be plenty enough if the Boss was still in charge.

Now, the question remains does GM Cashman and Baby Hal Steinbrenner want to win in 2011, enough so that Lee can stay six years after that?

Yankee fans sure hope things haven’t changed this much.

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2010 MLB Winter Meeting: Donde Estas New York Yankees?

Posted by on 7 December 2010, 12:25 pm

Hasn’t the New York Yankees brass put us fans through enough already?

So far, the 2010 offseason has been emotionally draining for those loyal to the pinstripes.

To be fair, we were warned the moment owner Hal Steinbrenner uttered the word “messy” pre-captain Derek Jeter’s negotiations.

After weeks of vandalizing Jeter, one of the most luminous Yankees ever, and seemingly giving Mariano Rivera the silent treatment, Yankee fans have had about 24 hours of peace.

That was Saturday, today is Tuesday and the Winter Meetings are in full swing.

The MLB Network has around-the-clock coverage, filled with interviews and introductions. The first 24 hours a majority of teams’ GMs and owners sat down to give their respective clubs plan for 2011. I learned a lot:

  • The West Coast, NL version of Yankees Mark Teixeira has left San Diego for Beantown, as Adrian Gonzalez is now with the Boston Red Sox. During his press conference, Gonzalez said he couldn’t wait to beat the Yankees. Boston gave up three coveted prospects and one player to be named later to the Padres for the All-Star. GM Theo Epstein said Kevin Youkilis would move to third-base, so Gonzalez can play at first. Gonzalez is described as a left-handed Manny Ramirez and hit .337 in 2010. Merry Christmas Red Sox fans!
  • Jayson Werth signed a monster contract for seven years and $126 million with the Washington Nationals. So, now you know Scott Boras is in attendance. As for Werth, he better hope rolling around in dollar bills will ease the pain of losing. Not to worry as no one watched the Nationals games and Stephen Strasburg won’t be back till 2012 so stash some of the green in your locker, too.
  • My love affair continues to grow stronger with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, as he once again told it like it is and it is so refreshing. Ozzie was elated about his team’s new addition of Adam Dunn from the Nationals. Ozzie said his White Sox are AL Central’s team to beat. Ozzie ended his talk by stating he wished he was Jayson Werth’s wife.
  • Also, heard from higher-ups of the Rangers, Mets, Braves, Padres, Phillies, Angels and others who took the time to inform us what they are up too. Also, the Red Sox have officially been labeled the favorites to win the 2011 World Series.

So, what news came out of Yankees camp?

Well, we were told that Andy Pettitte is leaning towards retiring, according to a friend of a friend. That is very reliable reporting.

Has anyone found the guy who heard this news from Pettitte’s buddy? Continue reading ‘2010 MLB Winter Meeting: Donde Estas New York Yankees?’ »

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