New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner admitted that competing financially with the Los Angeles Dodgers is a challenge for most MLB teams but remains optimistic about his team’s trajectory heading into the 2025 season.
“It’s difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kinds of things that they’re doing,” Steinbrenner said. “We’ll see if it pays off.”
While Steinbrenner’s statement may ring true for some MLB franchises, the Yankees sure aren’t one of them – So, needless to say, the comment has angered many Bombers fans…
The Dodgers, who enter spring training with an estimated payroll of $379 million per FanGraphs, have spent aggressively over the past two off-seasons, securing stars like Shohei Ohtani ($700M), Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($325M), and Blake Snell ($182M).
Their total commitments exceed $500 million in guaranteed contracts this off-season alone.
Despite their massive spending, Steinbrenner noted that money doesn’t guarantee success (which is true – although it certainly doesn’t hurt).
“(The Dodgers) still have to have a season relatively injury-free for it to work out for them,” he said. “It’s a long season as you know, and once you get to the postseason anything can happen. We’ve seen that time and time again.”
The Yankees, whose $284 million payroll ranks fourth behind the Dodgers, Mets ($297M), and Phillies ($288M), have taken a more calculated approach.
After losing star outfielder Juan Soto and reliever Clay Holmes in free agency, the Yankees pivoted, bringing in veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Max Fried while trading for Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams.
Despite falling to the Dodgers in five games in the 2024 World Series, Steinbrenner believes the Yankees were the better team overall.
“The Dodgers were not better than us, they played better than us,” he confidently stated.
The Yankees, who led the American League with 94 wins last season, will begin their pursuit of redemption when pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Feb. 11 in Tampa, Florida.
What are your thoughts on Steinbrenner’s controversial comments?
If that’s going to be his mindset and approach, should he think about selling the team???
