Some owner will happily offer crazy, stupid money to sign Judge. Presumably, that Viagra-drunken billionaire will also surround Judge with other high-priced stars - creating a make-or-break season in San Francisco, or Anaheim, or even Queens.
Yank fans face a different dilemma:
If Hal Steinbrenner rouses the money to keep Judge, will it come at the expense of - say - Anthony Rizzo, who yesterday opted out of his contract and is now a free agent? Would signing Judge mean cutbacks elsewhere, as Hal self-imposes a payroll cap austerity?
Could the Yankees become one-man show - a la Rickie Henderson in the 1980s - with Judge batting leadoff on a team that perpetually chases wild cards?
In that regard, Hal has won. In the 14 years since he took over the Yankees, he has sobered the hopes of their fanbase, so that we now rate players by their contracts. Twenty years ago, Yank fans never worried about how much a player was paid. That was for Royals fans. Today, thanks to the team-owned media, you'd think Hal or his family will miss meals from paying such excessive salaries. In fact, they are billionaires, several times over.
According to Cots Baseball Contracts, a website devoted to MLB payrolls, the Yankees' 2023 opening day roster would put them sixth in MLB spending - behind Toronto, Atlanta, San Diego, Los Angeles and the Mets. In each case, there is a billionaire owner who'll stop at nothing to win. (You might add Philadelphia to that list, as the payroll is rising.)
If you add the franchises who are simply better managed - Houston, Tampa, San Francisco, perhaps Seattle and Boston -for the Yankees to reach the world series, they must have a near perfect season of acquisitions and trades. Last August's trade deadline proved a disaster. They never recovered.
We all want the Yankees to keep Judge. To watch him play for another team would be a blight upon our hearts for the next decade. But if Hal uses Judge's contract as a cudgel, to pinch pennies elsewhere, what does it matter? We will be doomed to chasing second place. And that's not the New York Yankees we once knew.
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I'm not a Hal fan, but I don't see how you can say the guy doesn't spend money, now how it is spent is a different story and that leads us to HOF Cashman. This team spent 30m on Chapman & Britton this year. What other team is spending that much on 2 relievers, not to mention who are old and useless. They are spending 30M on Stanton, who shows up for 2-3 months during the season and is a no show for the other months. They are spending 35m on Nat King Cole, who goes 6 innings and people think he's as gutty as those who stormed Normandy. $16m for Rizzo, good player, but you can get the same production from some younger and more versatile. $23 for Jackie Donaldson, do I need to say more? $10m for "No Hit Hicks". The fact that this team has spent billions of dollars over the last 12 years, just discredits the whole money thing and takes the onus off Cashman.
HAL needs to be put in a cage fight with these two 'ladies':
https://twitter.com/ballinandy24/status/1589740708428419075
I looked quickly at "for the Yankees to reach the world series, they must have a near perfect season of acquisitions and trades" and thought it said "antiquities" instead of "acquisitions."
More accurate, I think.
Nice tweet there, Rufus. Those gals came to play.
What sucked is about that video was the only one who jumped in when the one girl was getting pummeled was some tiny girl. Everyone else was OK with just watching the loser take on real damage.
It really makes me sad for humanity. Then again, it was Texas so I guess it's just par for the course.
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Celerino is right. It's Brian. He really does stink.
That said, Hal could easily spend another 30-40M if he wanted to win. Which as we all say here in so many different ways... he doesn't.
Doug you are right about spending extra, but do want Cashman spending that money?
@Celerino...
That's the problem though. Hal has his "budget" and he allows Cashstrapped to spend it as he wishes. So we end up with $23M going to Donaldson, who isn't worth a single fuck, but Hal doesn't care. Just send me the bill Brain, and make sure it fits within the budget. Hal obviously doesn't care about the Yankees team, he cares about the Yankees business. If he cared about baseball results he'd look at the shit-show on the field and direct his underlings to find him a GM to put the organization back together, knowing full well Cashstrapped's an idiot. Instead Hal puts on his little sailor suit and takes the yacht for a spin. So he's not cheap relative to other MLB owners, he just doesn't give a hot shit about baseball.
Celerino - Obviously not. If anyone had any lingering doubts about Cashman's inability to GM, his moves last year were so bad as to be almost comical.
Almost.
Hal Wilpon likes to pocket the cash.
@JonHeyman
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14m
Yankees are expected to give Anthony Rizzo the $19.65M qualifying offer. Of course. Terrific two-way player.
Rickey was a one-man show in the 1980s? Sorry, Duque. I loved Henderson, and thought he made the team go. But that Yankees' squad also had guys named Mattingly, Winfield, Randolph, Baylor, etc. The trouble? No pitching!!! Or at least, not enough.
So what does the "qualifying offer" mean, JM? That they get a draft pick if he goes away?
Yanks should've signed Freddie Freeman instead. But not having done so, I think they have to bring Rizzo back, if only to make sure that Judge returns.
As to the money...yep, the Yankees SHOULD be a winner with the amount of money HAL currently spends.
But this only leaves the bigger question: Why, why, why does he keep on Cashie and his Gang of Incompetents?
The longer this nonsense goes on, the more it confirms that our theory regarding finances is correct. That HAL's goal is NOT to win but to achieve his financial goals. The specifics of those financial goals, only HAL and his accountants know.
When they keep Donaldson around for another year, it will be confirmation of our theory. When they bring in a few more over-the-hill losers just to keep the payroll stable, it will confirm the theory. When they fail to re-sign Judge but instead replace his salary with more dead weight, it will confirm the theory. When they barely make the playoffs next year, only to get knocked off in the first round, it will confirm the theory. When Cashman & Boone are applauded in October 2023 for doing "a very good job", it will confirm the theory.
As Celerino said above, this franchise ain't cheap. HAL does spend money. Just not in the top 2 or 3 anymore. And they're only crunching numbers for financial reasons. None of the guys they bring in will be the kinds of players who will make this a championship caliber team.
Completely agree, Hammer...except, they've sort of boxed themselves in a corner now.
Over the past 4-5 years they've passed on a boatload of free agents. Now they're all gone. There's no depth in the farm system, no subs chafing at the bit they can trade.
They can't sign Correa, because there goes their whole, "We got these super-rookie shortstops coming up" line. Same with Trea Turner.
Signing Carlos Rodon, or even de Grom, is not going to have the same impact as Judge.
And Cashman certainly doesn't have the skills to completely transform this team with a couple quick, counterintuitive trades, the way that Gabe Paul did after 1975.
Nope. If they don't sign Judge they're screwed.
Yanks are interested in Masataka Yoshida...
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10055036-yankees-rumors-japanese-star-masataka-yoshida-interests-ny-if-posted-for-free-agency
@Hoss, Indeed, they appear to have boxed themselves into a corner. I think they should go for broke and try to re-sign Judge. With several useless contracts coming off the books, they should have enough to get it done. But if Judge has had enough here and just runs away without looking back, what can they do? Plan B doesn't look too good.
And to look back on it now, word is that during the spring negotiations, Judge wanted 36 mill per year. So a 10 year 360 mill contract would have done it. Seems like a mighty big bargain now, don't it? I suppose that you could accuse HAL of being a cheapskate for failing to get it done before this season. That's going to turn out to be a 10 or 15 million dollar a year mistake. Pinch pennies too much and sometimes you end up paying through your nose.
@ranger_lp, But it looks like he wants to play for the Phillies. 29 years old, so not that young. I'd be very surprised if he ends up coming here.
Yoshida sounds as if he would be a useful addition. Stick him in LF and at the top of the lineup—supposedly he's an on-base machine. And not that long ago, the Yankees liked signing Japanese stars for the added dollars it brought them from over there.
I don't think that's how they think anymore, though. They might sign Judge, if he and Rizzo want to return. But that's all they'll do. And if I were Judge, I'd think twice about that.
Yoshida is the guy who idolizes Bryce Harper. Philly is supposed to have the inside track on signing him, if they want him. If he's available.
Hal is a Cheapskate, even if the Yankees payroll is in the top six. He won't go the extra yard and that is why the Yankees won't see a World Series.
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