Thursday, February 26, 2015

Steinbrenner denies notion Yankees have gone cheap


Have the Yankees gone cheap? Not according to Hal Steinbrenner.

The 45-year-old principal owner of the team denied such a notion during a recent sit-down with the New York Post -- pointing to the Yankees' rather large payroll as evidence for his argument.

"Our payroll is at $235 [million]," Steinbrenner said. "That is about as high as it has ever been."

That number also ranks tops in the American League, second overall behind the Dodgers'. It is enough to pay six annual salaries of $15+ million, and allowed the Yankees to dish out $36 million to Andrew Miller -- a set-up man -- in December.

But after watching free agent arms Max Scherzer and Jon Lester as well as Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada sign elsewhere this winter, some in New York's fanbase have begun to get frustrated -- despite the fact the Yankees did spend pretty notably on the international stage last summer. 

"On top of [our payroll] add the roughly $30 million we spent last [July] when we saw a pretty good foreign market, one of the best there has been, and we got six or seven of the top 10 or 11 guys," Steinbrenner said. "So there is money spent for not just now, but the future."

The Yankees indeed seem content with the current state of their farm system, but still expect to compete in 2015. At one point in the conversation, Steinbrenner said the Yankees will be "embarrassed" if they miss the playoffs again this season -- a statement that certainly appears to represent a hope to contend. 

To take it a step further, though, Steinbrenner says he also has something that most followers of the Yankees probably don't -- World Series aspirations.

"People might laugh at me," he said, "but I do think we can win a championship if we stay healthy."

15 comments:

  1. Anybody think he's being serious about the whole world series thing? I want to think he is

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    1. This team has a tremendous amount of talent, it does. It all depends on health and execution though. It depends on Tanaka, Pineda and CC making 35 starts and Eovaldi improving. It depends on bounce back seasons from McCann, Beltran and others while Teixeira goes against the shift.

      It's not likely, I'm a realist, but the talent is there and sometimes talent can bail you out of a lot of stupid decisions.

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    2. I can't see Beltran struggling again this year the way he did last year since he bounced back nicely after a bad 2010, but you're right, it's not likely.

      Still, I do think this team has a chance at a wild card with health

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    3. That elbow had to hamper Beltran somewhat in 2014. I'm not saying it's a good signing and I'm not saying I want him but he almost HAS to be better in 2015, which will help.

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    4. Don't forget McCann was starting to hit against the grain near the end of the season, with more work he just might make it happen this year. Tex, is a different can of worms, his style of hitting would have to change drastically and I do mean big time drastically! Sitting on your back leg with an uppercut swing is not very easy to change, and leads to another point, SO's because everyone knows of his weakness on pitches down and in...on his left-hitting side! Upper-cut swings take time off the bat in the zone, therefore the timing has to be perfect.

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  2. NATHAN EOVALDI.....I really think that Larry Rothschild can fine tune this player. I loved Prado,
    but this type of arm is rare. ( See what I found below.)
    This was the best get of the off season. Hands down.

    " Eovaldi :.......look deeper into Eovaldi's basic stats, and wonder what the Yankees see in the young righty. However, what you may not see is that his fastball velocity was one of the highest in major-league baseball, his K/BB ratio improved tremendously despite the seemingly-low strikeout total, he saw two runs or less of support in 16 of his 33 starts, and he had a 1.36 ERA in the six starts he actually won.

    The translation is that numbers aren't always what they seem, and with an offense that should be better than that of the 2014 Marlins behind him, Eovaldi will be able to pitch to a little less pressure. You can't teach velocity, and he's still just 25, so Eovaldi has the chance under Larry Rothschild to blossom into a very good starting pitcher for the Yankees."

    This is not Kyle Farnsworth....a whole career of straight 95-96 fastballs. Never altered his course.

    Eovaldi, I feel is different, and will allow himself to be put back on track.

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    1. I think you could be right patrick. With a good defense behind you, and when you know it, you can pitch to contact more and try less to hit that perfect spot. Yankee Stadium is pretty home run friendly, and he's going to give up home runs, but I think he can adjust and keep the ball down with the breaking stuff he has been working on this offseason.

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    2. I will be the Debbie Downer here as you guys put to much greatness on Larry R. I think this kid has a fastball that is straight like Farnsworth and major league hitters can turn straight fast ball around. His curve is suspect as is his other secondary pitches, hence his Marlins pitching coach trying to get him to throw a split. You have a 15 win career and a 4 plus era because that is who you are. I think the trade was a terrible move as Prado could've been penciled in at 2B for the next 5 years. Time will only tell

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    3. Well I believe Prado was only under contract for one or two more seasons but I def. don't like the fact we downgraded from Prado to Drew so I will give you that. Eovaldi is 25 years old. It's not like he's 30, set in his ways and a finished product. I'm cautious but I am cautiously optimistic. Come June I may not be, but it's February.

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  3. There are exceptions, but most hard throwers have been depending on the fastball and leaving everything else for a later date. He changes his grip on his fastball just a bit and it has a wrinkle in it. As Daniel said, he is a young kid yet and can adapt to whatever LR tries to teach him. Another thing to think about is sometimes a FB pitcher falls into a cutter, I say falls because that is the way it happens many times! A pitcher is searching for something (anything) and will try different finger positions and something clicks. I know I moved my ring finger tight under the ball and it forced my hand to turn (More) as I released the ball.
    Larry seems able to read a pitcher's way of doing things and suggests a small little change and it works...most/some of the time. Also, he may be trying to throw a breaking ball that doesn't fit in with his motion etc. With pitchers, there are so many things to train your body to do time and again as with hitters, one gets a bit tired and falls back into the old way and boom you are done for the day.

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  4. Here are my points. First everyone says the guy has no movement on his fastball. I think we all agree a ML hitter no matter how fast one throws will turn a fastball around. Second you have a guy who came from the NL facing only 8 batters and still had a 4 plus era. Third he also gave up the most hits and fourth his strikeout ratio was terrible. Yes he is young, however the guy has 15 entire wins in the NL and you're asking Larry R to get him to double digits to be respectable and contribute. This is the AL baby and he is facing dominate hitting line-ups like the Sux, and the Tigers to name two.

    I'm sorry guys I don't buy it. I hope I'm wrong but strongly feel that in the end when all is said and done I will be correct on this one. I want to make the playoffs and we need this guy, I just don't think he is that good.

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    1. I don't think anyone is necessarily disagreeing with you as much as you think Hans. We all know he was basically terrible in the NL and should add a full run of ERA with the switch to the American League. I think most of us are just trying to remain optimistic since he is so young.

      You can get away with a flat fastball if it's placed right and set up right. That's why I mentioned his breaking stuff that him and Rothschild are working on. Larry isn't going to give him Mo's cutter, we all know that, but you can teach a changeup and a curve ball and the slider that the Yankees love so much that can at least keep them guessing at the plate instead of sitting on the fastball.

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  5. I don't think anyone said he is a good pitcher. I and others have said he has the tools and age factor on his side. Talent to throw a fastball (straight or otherwise) can't be taught, but a curve or changeup can be. Also, as I pointed out before, one can learn to put a little wrinkle on a FB (most can) it may take a tick off his FB but it can be done! Also, if he could throw a sinker it would make him one of the better pitchers in either league.
    Of course, all this is supposition, I don't know much about him but, I bet Larry knows everything about him and his mechanics.

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  6. DAVID CARPENTER....on meeting Mariano.
    I flagged this quote as I was reading when I came home from work today.
    Hope it puts a smile on your face.

    • " Last thing I saw as the Yankees clubhouse closed to media was Mariano Rivera sitting near his old locker, talking to new reliever David Carpenter and Justin Wilson. Carpenter said earlier in the morning that he has so much respect for Rivera, he feels like he should get dressed up just to have a conversation with him."

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)