Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has revealed that personnel changes are on the horizon after a series of meetings held last week.
The discussions followed the team’s worst season in three decades, which saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“We’re going to be making some changes. Some may be more subtle than others, but I think we’ve uncovered certainly things we can do better,” Steinbrenner said on Wednesday during a panel discussion at Sportico’s Invest in Sports conference, alongside team president Randy Levine.
When asked what specific changes could be made, Steinbrenner responded: “Anything’s possible. There’s a lot more discussions to be had.”
Based on his track record, some Yankees fans need to see it before they believe it…
Hal Steinbrenner can talk til he’s blue in the face… we need to SEE big change. Otherwise 🥱 pic.twitter.com/SaosJak35N
— Gina Muscato (@GinaMuscato) October 11, 2023
The Bombers finished the season with an 82-80 record, their worst performance since 1992.
Despite a projected payroll of $281 million and an estimated $31 million luxury tax bill, the team fell massively short of expectations.
Steinbrenner disclosed that a group of 15 team officials gathered last week in Tampa, Florida, to scrutinize various aspects of the team’s operations.
“I want you to challenge everything, all of our philosophies, all of our practices, but more importantly, in a respectful way, I want you to challenge each other. I want you to critique each other. Check your egos at the door,” Steinbrenner emphasized.
“At times it got a little dicey, but it was respectful the entire time,” he added. “And there wasn’t one stone we left unturned, from the health of the team, what we’re doing in the clubhouse, clubhouse culture, what we do in the weight room, analytics, pro scouting, biomechanics, is there enough communication between everybody.”
General Manager Brian Cashman agreed to a four-year contract extension in December, and manager Aaron Boone has one more guaranteed season left on his three-year deal, including a team option for 2025.
— 700R (@700R____) October 12, 2023
Steinbrenner met with team captain Aaron Judge during a meeting at Yankee Stadium and intended to speak with ace pitcher Gerrit Cole to discuss the potential changes.
When asked about the nature of the changes he is contemplating, Steinbrenner said: “Possibly personnel, but not necessarily personnel.”
“It could be practices. It could be the way people communicate when we bring a young minor leaguer up to the major league level, are the major league coaches talking enough to player development and vice versa,” he explained.
Sitting alongside Steinbrenner, Levine criticized the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays for receiving revenue sharing from large-market teams while failing to boost attendance. He stressed the need for individual teams to do better and not rely solely on revenue sharing.
“You can’t have two Florida teams averaging 15,000 fans. You don’t go into an NFL stadium or an NBA arena and see that. There’s been a dependency issue that’s got to get better,” Levine argued.
Steinbrenner also announced plans to renovate the Yankees’ clubhouse during the offseason, adding sleep rooms and improving the dining area with new technologies, including red light therapy.
“This truly is a family business … I will not be doing this forever,” Steinbrenner concluded.
This… Hal Steinbrenner. This is why @Yankees fans are pissed. You ain’t your old man. pic.twitter.com/u680F6nfLj
— TStaff 🐬 (@tonystaffiere) October 10, 2023
Steinbrenner said all the right things.
Now he has to actually DO them.
If you were Steinbrenner and Cashman, what changes would you make this offseason?
What needs to be done to get the Yankees back to the World Series?