New York Yankees 2021 Payroll Tracker

 I can't promise to keep it updated daily, but I will try and keep it updated as often as I can. This information all came via Spotrac, so send them their hate mail if your favorite site has a salary or option number different than what is show here. Thank you for reading. 

Do Not Be Worried About Stanton's Contract

Here we see Mr. Stanton looking up at his salary.

Professional athletes get a lot of flak over how much money they make. You've no doubt heard something along the lines of "it's ridiculous that so-and-so makes that much money". What those people fail to realize (or choose to ignore) is that professional sports rakes in billions of dollars, and that money is going to end up in somebody's pocket. Would you rather the owners take the majority of that money, while the guys people pay that money to see do all the work?

It's the exact opposite of the situation in college sports, where so many people are up in arms over the fact that while Ohio State University football is worth $1.5 billion the players see none of that. Well, you can say they get some of that through tuition and food per diems, but you get my point. Besides, I don't want to touch that subject with Daniel's finger. Heck, I'm probably going to regret bringing it up in the first place.

The point I wanted to make there is that pro athletes make the money, and people are pissed. But when college athletes don't get that money, people are still pissed. 

Talk about hypocrisy.

And that's not the only place where so many people lose perspective when it comes to the salaries of professional athletes. Back when Giancarlo Stanton signed that 13 year extension with the Marlins I heard so many people talk about the fact that Florida would be on the hook for $32 million in 2025 (assuming he didn't opt out, or... you know... get traded), when Giancarlo is 35 years old and has likely taken a step or two back.

On the surface that sounds like it could hurt. Even on a team like the Yankees, who have one of the highest payrolls in the league (I like not having to say they have the highest), you're talking about more than 15% of your team payroll for one player. But for a team like Miami, whose payroll is a little over $95 million, that player salary is crippling.

So what do the Yankees do if Stanton doesn't opt out, and they are on the hook for $96 million for his ages 35-37 seasons (he has a club option for another $25 million in 2028, with a $10 million buyout)? Well... nothing.

Am I being so nonchalant about this because it's not my money?

Well... sort of, yes. But the biggest reason I don't worry about that is because of inflation. In 2011 the highest paid player, Alex Rodriguez, made $32 million. The highest paid player this season, Clayton Kershaw, will make $35.5 million. That's an increase of about 11%.

So it's possible that the highest paid player in 2025 could be making over $39 million. That's why when people say Bryce Harper, and possibly Manny Machado, could make $40 million a year on their next contract, you shouldn't say they're out of their minds.

So going back to Stanton's $32 million, that means there's a chance he could be making 20% less than the highest paid player in 2025. To put that in perspective, Jason Heyward's salary of just under $28.2 million is about 20% less than Kershaw's. And that's for a guy that's been a below average hitter for the past two plus years. But you don't hear about how his contract is crippling the Chicago Cubs, are you?

Hell, back in February, Jon Heyman wrote that the Cubs have one of the best chances to sign Bryce Harper this offseason. There's all the proof you need that the Cubs will not be hampered by that Jason Heyward contract.

And neither will the Yankees when it comes to Giancarlo's deal.

I can't say with certainty whether or not I want Stanton to opt-out after the 2020 season. Chances are I will be hoping he does, because at that point he will be 30 years old and I can't imagine being okay with the Yankees signing a 30 year old to a seven year contract. But either way I'm not going to predict doom for the team based on what happens there. If the farm system is unable to produce like they are now, then I may be a bit worried. But I'm going to keep the faith.

SPECULATION: The Didi Gregorius Extension is Coming

The New York Yankees positioned themselves this winter to get under the luxury tax threshold for a few reasons. Obviously, the main reason is because Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner is a cheap bastard and a coupon clipper, but another reason is because of the financial gains the Yankees would enjoy if they are able to stay under the luxury tax threshold for the entirety of the 2018 season. The Yankees would no longer have a tax levied on every dollar they spent via trades and on the free agency market and the team would no longer be penalized for going over the cap if they were to sign a free agent who recently declined a qualifying offer. The final reason the team wanted to get under the luxury tax threshold, and maybe the most important reason for many Yankees fans, is so the team can go absolutely crazy spending money after the 2018 season, both on potential free agents like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, but also to keep a few of their own in the Bronx for the rest of their careers.

New York is going to spend their money in 2019 just like they do every single offseason, but this offseason we may see a few more players locked up that are currently employed by the team and less players being added via free agency. I am talking about players like Sonny Gray and specifically Didi Gregorius, who I think will receive a contract extension barring any production or health concerns that arise during the 2018 season. Didi is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career after his last arbitration eligible season in 2019, so New York has one year beyond the current 2018 campaign to get Didi locked up long-term.

Didi is possibly the best pure hitter on the team, yes, I realize what I just said and it wouldn’t be the first time I have been killed on the internet for saying so, and is also a stellar defender at shortstop. Didi is a key guy in the clubhouse and he probably owns the best Twitter account on the team, which shouldn’t count for anything but it does for me anyway. It shows his character and it shows his willingness and ability to relate to his fans, something that is not always so easy in a huge market like New York.

The Yankees will extend Didi after the season once the financial restrictions are gone and the resets have begun, just be patient. It doesn’t matter if Manny Machado is about to hit free agency and it doesn’t matter if he grew up idolizing the Yankees, it is not a given that he will sign here and honestly, I’d prefer Didi anyway. Sue me, unbookmark the site and burn me at the stake. I stand by my words and I stand by my feelings. I’d rather see the Yankees allocate that money into their starting staff while keeping Didi rather than having another surplus and luxury of infielders. Sorry, not sorry.

Arbitration Could Make or Break the Yankees Offseason

Photo Credit to New York Daily News

Good morning Yankees family and welcome to another slow offseason day here in the Bronx and around Major League Baseball. What do we know? We know the Yankees made the biggest splash this offseason, to date anyway, with the acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton. We know the Yankees unloaded salary with the Chase Headley and Starlin Castro trades, and continue to look to unload salary, with the hopes of getting under the luxury tax threshold of $197 million. We also know that the Yankees still need or want at least one of a second baseman, third baseman and a pitcher, either a reliever or starter. The Yankees look stacked right now, but it could all be for nothing if the team cannot get under the luxury tax threshold keeping them out of the Manny Machado, Bryce Harper and possibly the Clayton Kershaw sweepstakes among others before the 2019 season. While many see the Yankees payroll as it stands today and thinks the team has X amount of dollars available to spend one must remember a few things when calculating payroll including one such event that happens here in about a week, arbitration.

Arbitration could make or break the Yankees offseason and it could be a huge indicator of what is to come for the club as far as their offseason spending goes. If the Yankees can’t come to terms with their players and/or the team gets hit with a number bigger than expected through the arbitration process the team may begin scrambling trying to unload more salary, see David Robertson as possibly the first one to go. If the team comes out better than expected than you may see the team dip their toes into the free agent market while also trying to unload more salary, just maybe this time with a Jacoby Ellsbury while eating salary.

The Yankees have eight arbitration-eligible players this offseason, seen below with MLB Trade Rumors projected salaries in parenthesis, that the Yankees will either have to sign or will go through the arbitration process with on January 12.

Adam Warren ($3.1 million)

Didi Gregorius ($9 million)

Dellin Betances ($4.4 million)

Sonny Gray ($6.6 million)

Austin Romine ($1.2 million)

Aaron Hicks ($2.9 million)

Tommy Kahnle ($1.3 million)

Chasen Shreve ($900K)

Now the Yankees reportedly have $30 million set aside and budgeted for the arbitration process this offseason and a quick add up of those numbers from MLB Trade Rumors above comes up to just $29.4 million. That gives the Yankees about $600K to play with, a scary thought when you consider that MLBTR is generally close with their predictions, but not always 100% accurate. If just one player, Didi Gregorius or Dellin Betances for example, goes and gets more money than expected the Yankees offseason is thrown into a complete loop upside down.

So many Yankees fans are wondering why the team has been slow to acquire Gerrit Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Yu Darvish off the free agent market or any infielder to speak of but you may just have your answer right there. The team is possibly waiting for these numbers to be exchanged before pulling the trigger on anything, and that’s smart if the team still wants to get under the $197 million luxury tax threshold. Patience and being patient sucks Yankees family, but remember that in Brian Cashman we trust. The “Ninja” always has a plan. 

Article Revisit: Donald Trump Wants to Own the Yankees

Written and reported on back on this day in 2015, oh what could have been. Enjoy.




Yes, please!


According to recent reports Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman and Republican Party Presidential hopeful, wants to own the New York Yankees. Trump grew up in New York City and made his millions in the greatest state, in my humble opinion, in the United States and would like to return there if he could land an ownership role in any sports team.


George Steinbrenner and Trump were known associates, business partners and friends and the similarities don’t stop there. Heads would roll when the team didn’t make the postseason in two consecutive years and player contracts would be eaten when they were no longer useful. Trump would own, run and manage the team like the $3.5 billion powerhouse that it is.


Trump would do is smart though, in my opinion. He wouldn’t be a tyrant, he would just do whatever was necessary to turn a profit. Trump understands the added revenue, attendance, merchandise sales and the growth to the brand that comes with the playoffs and would basically demand that the team make it there every season. He would also give Brian Cashman the power he had from 1998-2009 along with a blank check.


Trump was just asked a question and he answered it, he isn’t seriously considering making a run at buying the team and there is no speculation that the Steinbrenner family is interested in selling. This is the offseason and it’s time to dream and that’s what I did with this article, hopefully it’s taken that way by the reader. Enjoy as we dream about the return of the GREEDY Pinstripes.

Why is getting under the Luxury Tax threshold an issue?

While I was once big into the team's payroll I shied away from it the past couple of years. I just couldn't spend any more time thinking about money after years in which the team didn't seem to care about it at all. At least while the team still had large contracts such as those for Alex Rodriguez around.

Sorry, Alex. No more Yankee money for you.

Once the contracts for ARod and CC Sabathia finish up, to go along with the emergence of guys like Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, and Luis Severino, it seemed inevitable that the Yankees were going to get under the Luxury Tax threshold for 2018. With that, their luxury tax percentage would reset, allowing them to sign future free agents such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, or Clayton Kershaw without having to worry about the tax hit they would take.

Earlier this season I was thinking about all of this and took a quick look to see if it would really happen. Hell, the Yankees have been talking about getting under the Luxury Tax threshold for years with no success. Would that change this time? Especially seeing as how the team is not at all in "rebuilding mode"?

Let's start by looking at the projected active roster, along with the player's salaries, for 2018......
Note: I'm not good with projecting arbitration salaries, but I feel my numbers are not that far off.

C- Gary Sanchez ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
1B- Greg Bird ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
2B- Starlin Castro $10.857m
SS- Didi Gregorius ~$8m (made $5.1m in his second year of arbitration this season)
3B- Chase Headley $13m
LF- Brett Gardner $11.5m
CF- Jacoby Ellsbury $21.143m
RF- Aaron Judge ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
DH- Clint Frazier ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

BE- Aaron Hicks ~$3m (made $1.35m in his first year of arbitration this season)
BE- Austin Romine ~$1.5m (made $.805m in his first year of arbitration this season)
BE- Ronald Torreyes ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
BE- Garrett Cooper ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

SP1- Luis Severino ~$.7 (pre-arbitration)
SP2- Sonny Gray ~$6m (made $3.575m in his first year of arbitration this season)
SP3- Jordan Montgomery ~$.7 (pre-arbitration)
SP4-
SP5-

CL- Aroldis Chapman $17.2m
RP- Dellin Betances ~$5m (made $3m in his first year of arbitration this season)
RP- David Robertson $13m
RP- Tommy Kahnle ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
RP- Chad Green ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
RP- Adam Warren ~$3.5m (made $2.29m in his second year of arbitration this season)
RP- Bryan Mitchell ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

Before adding those numbers up there are a couple of more things to add. One is that the Yankees will still owe the Houston Astros $5.5 million as part of the trade that sent Brian McCann their way. The second thing is that the team payroll for luxury tax purposes is based on the 40-man roster, therefore you need to add about $9 million (assuming the final 15 spots are filled by players making the league minimum).

Therefore, at this point, the Yankees are on the hook for around $137.9 million next season. I should note that any team will want to have some money set aside for mid-season pickups, which most often occur via trades (see the trade for Sonny Gray as an example).

Now for some questions about this projected roster...

1. How will the Yankees fill the last two starting spots? 

I believe one of them will be filled from within. One man that I can see getting the call is Chance Adams, who has started 21 games in AAA and ERA of 2.89. Or we could see Caleb Smith or Domingo German. Maybe even Domingo Acevedo. As for the other spot... more on that later.

2. Can Greg Bird stay healthy? 

I'm not ready to give up on Bird being able to stay healthy, but after missing all of 2016 and a large chunk of this season, I wouldn't feel totally comfortable relying on him to take over first base regularly next season. However, I can see him platooning with Garrett Cooper, which should help Greg stay healthy.

And don't forget that should Bird get injured, and Cooper can not be relied upon to play regularly, the Yankees could move Chase Headley to first base and call up Miguel Andujar to take over third. Not to mention that Ronald Torreyes did a good job filling in for Starlin Castro while he was on the DL this season.

3. Will the Yankees trade away Brett Gardner and/or Jacoby Ellsbury?

This seems like a certainty... at least for one of those two. Clint Frazier is more than ready to play regularly, and to get that done I believe at least one of those two players needs to go. While I lean towards Gardner getting dealt, I can't say for sure as dealing away Ellsbury should be something the team really wants to get done, and doing that after his solid season in 2017 would probably be the best bet.

A trade of Gardy or Ells would also open up more playing time for Aaron Hicks, who I believe deserves more than being a 4th outfielder.

4. Will Masahiro Tanaka opt-out?

Remember how I left the first question? Yeah, this is where the rest of the answer to that question lies.

This will probably be the biggest question the Yankees will face heading into the off-season. However, I don't think the answer will negatively effect the Yankees at all.

Either 'Hiro (why am I the only person that calls him this?) opts out, leaving the team to find his replacement to go along with  the aforementioned starter from the first question, or Tanaka stays and rounds out what would be a very nice starting rotation (Severino, Gray, Tanaka, Montgomery, and ?). No matter what, though, I believe the Yankees will spend big on Tanaka, or a free agent like Jake Arrieta or Yu Darvish (mind you, the free agents would likely cost more than the $22 million the team would have to pay Tanaka if he doesn't opt-out).

That's right, Hal... somebody's getting paid.

That's the thing! The Yankees should be able to spend big on that rotation spot without having to worry about the Luxury Tax threshold. Let's take a look at that roster again, only this time I'll include those pitchers...

C- Gary Sanchez ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
1B- Greg Bird ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
2B- Starlin Castro $10.857m
SS- Didi Gregorius ~$8m (made $5.1m in his second year of arbitration this season)
3B- Chase Headley $13m
LF- Brett Gardner $11.5m
CF- Jacoby Ellsbury $21.143m
RF- Aaron Judge ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
DH- Clint Frazier ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

BE- Aaron Hicks ~$3m (made $1.35m in his first year of arbitration this season)
BE- Austin Romine ~$1.5m (made $.805m in his first year of arbitration this season)
BE- Ronald Torreyes ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
BE- Garrett Cooper ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

SP1- Luis Severino ~$.7 (pre-arbitration)
SP2- Sonny Gray ~$6m (made $3.575m in his first year of arbitration this season)
SP3- Masahiro Tanaka/Jake Arrieta/Yu Darvish $27m (I'll go big on money here just in case)
SP4- Jordan Montgomery ~$.7 (pre-arbitration)
SP5- Chance Adams/Domingo German/Domingo Acevedo ~.7m

CL- Aroldis Chapman $17.2m
RP- Dellin Betances ~$5m (made $3m in his first year of arbitration this season)
RP- David Robertson $13m
RP- Tommy Kahnle ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
RP- Chad Green ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
RP- Adam Warren ~$3.5m (made $2.29m in his second year of arbitration this season)
RP- Bryan Mitchell ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

After the $9 million for the final 15 spots on the 40-man roster, that gives us a total of $165.6 million. If you want to figure $10 million for mid-season pickup money, that still leaves the Yankees with $21.4 million to spend on a possible regular DH. And that's without figuring in any savings the team would get should they trade away Gardner and/or Ellsbury (I assume their replacements on the roster would cost less, even if the Yankees picked up some of the remaining salaries).

Honestly, I feel like I'm missing something, because every other writer doesn't see the Yankees getting under the Luxury Tax threshold next season as a certainty at all. Especially if they were to pay upwards of $27 million for a starting pitcher. So please go easy on me if I missed something.

Otherwise, the future of the Yankees is looking better than I already thought it did.

So it Seems We Have a New Look

My apologies as this was long overdue but the website took a turn in a different direction as far as the looks of it goes. I have finally, and again I apologize, taken the time to update the site’s pictures on the side bars. Gone are the players that have walked via free agency, retired or been traded away and in are some of the new players and prospects that should be around for a long, long time.

The schedule for the 2017 season is updated as is the payroll and roster pages (thanks Bryan!). The Wives and Girlfriends section still needs to be updated while the TGP T-Shirts and Yankees Tickets links are still up and running properly. Also we are preparing for our 9^th season (wow… nine seasons of this) of the Mega Prediction Game which has also been updated on the site.

So check out the new additions, and some of the old functions that have been updated and at least consider joining us on the Mega Prediction Game. It’s fun, although it’s a season-long commitment, and we seems to have a lot of fun with it. I know that I do anyway. I’m a three time champion, Bryan Knepper is a three-time champion and Ken Reed is a two-time champion. Who wins season nine? Stay tuned.

Oh, because Kode, you are still my favorite thing. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 1/6: The Greedy Pinstripes is Born

On this day in 2009 the Cleveland Indians signed oft-injured starting pitcher Carl Pavano, formerly of the New York Yankees. Pavano signed a one year deal worth $1.5 million for his age 32 season after only making 26 starts for the Yankees in four seasons and making $40 million.


Also on this day in 2006 the New York Yankees finished the year with a then record payroll of $207.2 million. That staggering number was $90 million more than the second highest spending Boston Red Sox. The World Series champion Chicago White Sox only spent $73.2 million while the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had the lowest payroll at $26.6 million.

Now the Yankees Want to Cut Payroll?

The New York Yankees are officially “tapped out” after adding both Matt Holliday and Aroldis Chapman to Major League deals this winter and now the team, and the New York Mets as well, are looking for ways to cut payroll. The Yankees payroll is already over the luxury tax threshold for the 2017 season and as the team looks to get under the $197 million cap for the 2018 season the team will look to trade away some expensive veterans before making any sort of moves.

The Detroit Tigers have discussed moving former Yankees reliever Justin Wilson in a move and New York is said to be at least somewhat interested in his services but as it stands now a team like the Houston Astros or the Chicago Cubs may move in and swoop up Wilson before the Yankees can if a trade is not made or the budget is not stretched in the Bronx.

This also does not bode well, assuming this is not just posturing on the Yankees side, for the team’s search for a starting pitcher. Last season while the team did not sign a single MLB free agent in the offseason the team did acquire young and talented players in Aroldis Chapman and Starlin Castro while taking on money in both deals, something that seems nearly impossible this season if you believe the reports.

Stay tuned but it seems like the Yankees heavy lifting is all but done and we, the fans, are in for a long, long winter ahead. Stay warm!

Do You Realize?

In my continuing attempt to forget about how bad the New York Yankees are doing this season, I took a look at the team's payroll for next season. And one interesting thing led to another. But let's start with a few facts...

1. Between Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, Aroldis Chapman, Ivan Nova, and the money the team was paying towards Martin Prado's contract, the Yankees will free up $56.55 million. 
2. If you take the $150.5 million the team will pay towards player contracts next season (that number includes Sabathia's vesting option), and add around $35 million in arbitration and pre-arbitration salaries, the Yankees will have a payroll of around $185.5 million for 2017.
3. The current MLB salary cap, or the amount a team can spend towards payroll before having to pay the luxury tax, is $189 million. Even if the luxury tax remains in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, chances are that cap will rise, and I can easily see it reaching $200 million. That would mean the Yankees have about $14 million to spend next year, assuming they'll try to get under the tax threshold.

So where would that leave the Yankees for 2017?

"It doesn't look good down there."

With Teixeira out at first, the Yankees have a number of options... Greg Bird, Rob Refsnyder, Chris Parmelee, Austin Romine, and Brian McCann.

With Beltran out of right field, the Yankees have just as many options... Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Rob Refsnyder, Jake Cave, and Ben Gamel.

Every other position on the diamond, including the starting rotation and bullpen, are filled. Yeah, it may not seem right, seeing as how the team is losing two of it's regular batters, but it's true. Take a look for yourself...

Catcher: Brian McCann
First Base: Greg Bird/Rob Refsnyder/Chris Parmelee/Austin Romine
Second Base: Starlin Castro
Shortstop: Didi Gregorius
Third Base: Chase Headley
Left Field: Brett Gardner
Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury
Right Field: Aaron Judge/Aaron Hicks/Rob Refsnyder/Jack Cave/Ben Gamel
Designated Hitter: Alex Rodriguez

Starters: Masahiro Tanaka, Nathan Eovaldi, CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Luis Severino, Chad Green, James Kaprielian

Bullpen: Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances, Bryan Mitchell, etc. (they can easily fill the four other spots with players within the organization)

Some people may be concerned about that list of starting pitchers, but let's be honest...

Masahiro Tanaka is a strong starter at the top of the rotation, I still believe Eovaldi can be a solid middle of the rotation option, CC Sabathia has finally learned how to pitch without the velocity he had earlier in his career, Luis Severino is doing quite well in AAA, Chad Green has been killing it in Scranton, and despite his injury James Kaprielian could still be a nice contributor at the big league level next year.

Now for the even crazier part...

Okay, it's not "Gary Busey" crazy.

That all means the Yankees could actually re-sign Aroldis Chapman, keep the three-headed bullpen monster together for at least two more years, and still get under the luxury tax threshold. Assuming, of course, Chapman would sign for somewhere around his current salary of $11.325 million a year.

Or how about trading Andrew Miller, who would fetch quite a bit in a trade (either before the deadline or during the offseason) thanks to his below-market salary and being under contract for two more years? Then the Yankees could re-sign Chapman. That would leave three very capable bullpen arms in Chapman, Betances, and Mitchell. Not to mention the team would be under the cap by around $7 million going into the 2017 season.

If you want to see the finished product that I'm speaking of, here you go...

Catcher: Brian McCann
First Base: Greg Bird/Rob Refsnyder/Chris Parmelee/Austin Romine
Second Base: Starlin Castro
Shortstop: Didi Gregorius
Third Base: Chase Headley
Left Field: Brett Gardner
Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury
Right Field: Aaron Judge/Aaron Hicks/Rob Refsnyder/Jack Cave/Ben Gamel

Starters: Masahiro Tanaka, Nathan Eovaldi, CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Luis Severino, Chad Green, James Kaprielian

Bullpen: Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Bryan Mitchell, etc. (they can easily fill the four other spots with players within the organization)

The best part... that does not include the player or players the team gets by dealing away Andrew Miller.

Hal Steinbrenner’s Comments & Why I’m Not Worried

Every season since Hal Steinbrenner has prominently owned the New York Yankees, and by the way where in the world is Hank Steinbrenner, he has made some speech around this time of the year about the upcoming season and the state of the organization and team. Every single season, to paraphrase a bit, he feels like the team is a “World Series caliber team” that can do well this season if they stay healthy and every single season he has something to say about the payroll. This year it was the fact that he was not “comfortable” with seeing the payroll rise much above where it is now, which FYI is the second highest in the league behind those pesky Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Yankees world and blogosphere went absolutely nuts.

Everyone has an opinion and I try to listen and understand each and every opinion I am presented with but that doesn’t mean I necessarily have to agree with it. Everything that I have read is negative about Hal not wanting to add even more payroll to the club and everyone acts as if the sky is falling. If that was the case the sky has been falling since George Steinbrenner gave control over to his two sons because this is the way it’s been for a while now. We all knew Hal was the fiscally responsible one and the better son to run the business side of the Yankees and that’s what Hal is doing. We all knew that he wanted to get under the luxury tax rather than piss away millions of dollars every single season to go home early in the postseason or not reach it at all and you know what, it’s the right path to take.

I know, one day I’m defending Brian Cashman and the next I’m defending Hal but hear me out. Throwing money at the problem does not work anymore as much as we the fans don’t want to admit it. The Dodgers don’t have a cap on their spending and they paid almost the same amount as the entire Tampa Bay Rays team to players that are no longer with the club and they still have as many World Series rings as the Yankees have. They have the best pitcher on the planet, they sign all the Cuban-born stars they want and they sign anyone and everyone they want on the free agent market. That and a buck can get them a Coke in the postseason, just like the Yankees.

Everyone is acting as if Hal is warning everyone that the payroll is going to go down to like $120 million or something. You can absolutely win a World Series with a payroll around $180 million (or higher as the luxury tax threshold is expected to go up with the next collective bargaining agreement) as long as you don’t have mega-contracts weighing the organization down. The biggest contract of them all being the contract that GEORGE gave Mr. Alex Rodriguez, not Cashman and not Hal. 

Are the Small Market Teams Worried?

Major League Baseball has a big season and a big year ahead of them in 2016. Not only do they have the regular season, postseason and World Series but they also have a collective bargaining agreement that is set to expire after the season. MLB has enjoyed baseball every year without a work stoppage since the 1994 season that saw the World Series cancelled and teams like the New York Yankees and Montreal Expos wondering what could have been and the league intends to keep it that way if they can. You’re not going to get five people to agree on the same thing let alone 30 MLB team’s so finding a common ground is going to benefit some and take from others, that’s the business of things, but are the New York Yankees making the small market teams begin to worry yet?

In 2015 a record four teams paid into the luxury tax including about $70 million paid by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. The other two teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox, paid just $3.1 million combined last season. With the Yankees newfound plan to use their farm system, to acquire cheap and young controllable talent and their plan to get under the luxury tax threshold (for real this time) are teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays beginning to sweat a little?

The Yankees have paid the most in luxury tax since its inception and it’s not even close. The team has also paid in every single year since its inception adding a few dollars to teams like the Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and others. How would these organizations look and run if that money were no longer there? I bring up the new collective bargaining agreement because things like the luxury tax and whether to raise it, stiffen the penalties or leave it alone will be discussed among other things. If the luxury tax is raised making it easier for teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox and Giants to get under the cap what do the small market teams do?

Pittsburgh won’t be able to keep Andrew McCutchen unless they gut the team and/or he gives the organization a steep discount while the Rays, Indians and other teams will not be able to hold onto their young starting pitching. The pendulum will sway away from the smaller market teams once again and the larger market teams will once again have the financial power to do as they please and dictate the standings, the free agency market and other areas. The “Get Greedy” era will return and that in itself is a great thing for us Yankees fans. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 1/6: The Greedy Pinstripes is Born

On this day in 2009 the Cleveland Indians signed oft-injured starting pitcher Carl Pavano, formerly of the New York Yankees. Pavano signed a one year deal worth $1.5 million for his age 32 season after only making 26 starts for the Yankees in four seasons and making $40 million.


Also on this day in 2006 the New York Yankees finished the year with a then record payroll of $207.2 million. That staggering number was $90 million more than the second highest spending Boston Red Sox. The World Series champion Chicago White Sox only spent $73.2 million while the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had the lowest payroll at $26.6 million.

USA Today: The Best Team Realistic Money Can Buy

I love reading the USA Today, they always have great content put up on their site that you don't see at every other site. For instance the crew over there put together the bets team they felt that they could with a realistic payroll. One member of the New York Yankees made the cut. CLICK HERE for the entire post with the write ups and such and see below as I sample the team as an excerpt here on the blog.

C- Buster Posey
1B - Paul Goldschmidt
2B - Logan Forsythe
SS- Brandon Crawford
3B - Josh Donaldson
LF- Starlin Marte
CF- Mike Trout
RF- Bryce Harper
DH - Kendrys Morales

BN - AJ Ellis (catcher)
BN - Brock Holt (utility infielder)
BN - Brandon Guyer (utility outfielder)
BN - Ben Zobrist (absolutely freaking everywhere)
BN - Brett Wallace (first base and third base as well as pinch hitter for power)

SP - Dallas Keuchel
SP - Zack Greinke
SP - Carlos Martinez
SP - Marco Estrada
SP - Hector Santiago (no Luis Severino?)

SP - Jeurys Familia
SU - Dellin Betances
RHP - Darren O'Day
LHP - Tony Watson
LOOGY - Tommy Layne
LRP - Chris Young

A Bold, And Maybe Stupid, Prediction

Not long ago I mentioned that I no longer cared about the team payroll. It used to be a fun thing to figure out, but I got tired of worrying about a team whose payroll was over $200 million. However it's clear that the Yankees, or at least their owner Hal Steinbrenner, does care about the team's payroll. And Hal's feelings about the team payroll could very well keep the Yankees from making the 2016 team as good as it can be.

Therefore, signing Jason Heyward won't happen, right? Well... probably. But I wanted to look into something.

"Great... here we go with another hair-brained idea."

There's been plenty of talk and rumors about the Yankees trading away Brett Gardner and/or Andrew Miller. There's not a lot that's happened to say what Gardner could return in a trade, while the Craig Kimbrel deal gives us a pretty good idea of what the Yankees could get back if they were to trade Miller (by the way, it's a lot).

It makes sense that the Yankees would at least listen to offers for Miller. But what about Gardner? Brett would not fetch nearly as much in a trade. And along with that, the Yankees would then have to put Aaron Hicks into the everyday lineup. So what's up?

I think it's to free up money for something big.

Currently, the Yankees 2016 Opening Day payroll for the 25-man roster is at about $184 million. Last season the Yankees Opening Day payroll was a shade under $218 million.

Now, before you jump up and say "that's plenty of money left over to sign Heyward and not spend more than last season", there's a couple of things to consider.

For starters... arbitration eligible players.

MLB Trade Rumors has done a fantastic job at projecting arbitration salaries, so I have no reason to think they will be far off again this year. With that in mind, let's see what they think about the players on the Yankees that are arbitration eligible...

Ivan Nova – $4.4m
Michael Pineda – $4.6m
Dustin Ackley – $3.1m
Nate Eovaldi – $5.7m
Adam Warren – $1.5m
Justin Wilson – $1.3m
Didi Gregorius – $2.1m

That totals $22.7 million. Add that to the current Opening Day payroll and you have just under $208 million. Suddenly, having just $10 million to spare isn't enough for Heyward.

Oh, but that's not all.

You also have to take into account pre-arbitration players. As of right now there are 20 players that are either under contract or are arbitration eligible, leaving just five more spots that could be filled by young players like Dellin Betances, Aaron Hicks, Rob Refsnyder, Gary Sanchez, and Luis Severino.

Those five players will make close to the league minimum, which for 2016 is $507,500. It's likely that those players will make a bit more than that, at least those players that are not in their rookie season. So if we figure their average salary was $530,000, then you can add another $2.65 million to the Opening Day payroll for the 25-man roster. Which brings the total to almost $211 million.

That means that in order to keep the team's payroll the same as last year, which is what Hal seems to want, then Brian Cashman only has $7 million to work with. Which, as you can probably guess, is not enough to lure Jason Heyward to the Bronx.

But what if Cashman could find a way to shed $13.5 million from next year's payroll? That would give him over $20 million to work with. And while Heyward would demand a little more than $20 million a year, I can see Hal Steinbrenner opening up the wallet a little more to acquire such a player.

"Wait, I'm set to make $13.5 million next year."

That's why I'm predicting that if Brian Cashman is able to trade away Brett Gardner, which he'd only do if he didn't have to pay any of Brett's remaining contact, the Yankees will sign Jason Heyward.

Yankees Pay $26 Million in Luxury Tax for 2015

It’s that time of the year folks, time to do your patriotic duties and pay your taxes. I never understood why companies want to wait until Christmas time to collect taxes, I mean my property taxes were due the day after Thanksgiving. How’s that for bringing in the Christmas spirit, but anyway I digress. I’m not the only one paying a significant tax bill right before Christmas, the New York Yankees and the rest of Major League Baseball is as well. The luxury tax and revenue sharing numbers are in and for four teams, they aren’t pretty.

The good news for the Yankees is they didn’t have to pay the highest luxury tax bill but the second highest. New York ended up paying $26 million in luxury tax penalties in 2015 while the Los Angeles Dodgers blew everyone out of the water with a $43.7 million luxury tax hit. Los Angeles did finish the season with a $298.3 million payroll so that had to be expected.

The other two teams in the league to pay luxury tax penalties were the Boston Red Sox (1.87 million) and the San Francisco Giants ($1.33 million). None of the four teams that paid in luxury tax dollars made it to the World Series or even won a playoff series while two of the teams didn’t even make the postseason, Boston finished in last place in the AL East. Simply outspending everyone isn’t working anymore ladies and gentleman, Bud Selig got his way.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Donald Trump Wants to Own the New York Yankees

"You kidding me Amare? You're fired!"

Yes, please!


According to recent reports Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman and Republican Party Presidential hopeful, wants to own the New York Yankees. Trump grew up in New York City and made his millions in the greatest state, in my humble opinion, in the United States and would like to return there if he could land an ownership role in any sports team.


George Steinbrenner and Trump were known associates, business partners and friends and the similarities don’t stop there. Heads would roll when the team didn’t make the postseason in two consecutive years and player contracts would be eaten when they were no longer useful. Trump would own, run and manage the team like the $3.5 billion powerhouse that it is.


Trump would do is smart though, in my opinion. He wouldn’t be a tyrant, he would just do whatever was necessary to turn a profit. Trump understands the added revenue, attendance, merchandise sales and the growth to the brand that comes with the playoffs and would basically demand that the team make it there every season. He would also give Brian Cashman the power he had from 1998-2009 along with a blank check.


Trump was just asked a question and he answered it, he isn’t seriously considering making a run at buying the team and there is no speculation that the Steinbrenner family is interested in selling. This is the offseason and it’s time to dream and that’s what I did with this article, hopefully it’s taken that way by the reader. Enjoy as we dream about the return of the GREEDY Pinstripes.

Donald Trump Wants to Own the New York Yankees

"You kidding me Amare? You're fired!"

Yes, please!

According to recent reports Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman and Republican Party Presidential hopeful, wants to own the New York Yankees. Trump grew up in New York City and made his millions in the greatest state, in my humble opinion, in the United States and would like to return there if he could land an ownership role in any sports team.

George Steinbrenner and Trump were known associates, business partners and friends and the similarities don’t stop there. Heads would roll when the team didn’t make the postseason in two consecutive years and player contracts would be eaten when they were no longer useful. Trump would own, run and manage the team like the $3.5 billion powerhouse that it is.

Trump would do is smart though, in my opinion. He wouldn’t be a tyrant, he would just do whatever was necessary to turn a profit. Trump understands the added revenue, attendance, merchandise sales and the growth to the brand that comes with the playoffs and would basically demand that the team make it there every season. He would also give Brian Cashman the power he had from 1998-2009 along with a blank check.

Trump was just asked a question and he answered it, he isn’t seriously considering making a run at buying the team and there is no speculation that the Steinbrenner family is interested in selling. This is the offseason and it’s time to dream and that’s what I did with this article, hopefully it’s taken that way by the reader. Enjoy as we dream about the return of the GREEDY Pinstripes. 

Get On With It!

The biggest reason I'm rooting for the #Royals is so the World Series is over with and we can get the offseason started.

— Greedy Pinstripes (@GreedyStripes) November 1, 2015

Coming from a baseball fan that might sound weird. I mean, more baseball should be a good thing? Right? Well, I'm as big a Yankees fan as you'll find, so when the Yankees are no longer playing my love for the game does take a hit. 

Don't get me wrong, it's been fun watching the postseason, and seeing a team like the Royals one win away from the title is cool. I guess it's because there's nothing about the Royals that I don't like. Other than the fact they aren't the Yankees, of course.  But I'd be lying if I didn't want it to be over with, because the sooner the World Series ends the sooner the offseason starts, and the Yankees can start to make improvements for the 2016 season.

However, I'm afraid this offseason is either going to be awesome, or it's going to be a big disappointment. For right now I just don't see any in between.

Let's start with the "disappointment" part.

The last time the Yankees spent a lot of money during the offseason we saw some big contracts come off the books. Between Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Andy Pettitte, Kevin Youkilis, Mariano Rivera, and Phil Hughes, the Yankees had over $71 million coming off the books after the 2013 season. What did they do the next year? They paid Masahiro Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran just over $75 million.

That didn't turn out too well, huh?

We saw the same thing at the end of the 2008 season, when Jason Giambi's, Bobby Abreu's, Mike Mussina's, and Carl Pavano's contracts were up. That was when the team agreed to spend over $400 million for CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and AJ Burnett.

So how much payroll will come off the books for the Yankees between last season and next? A whopping $17.5 million (Chris Capuano, Stephen Drew, Garrett Jones, and Chris Young are free agents). And that doesn't take into account possible arbitration raises for Nathan Eovaldi, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, Esmil Rogers, Adam Warren, Justin Wilson, and Didi Gregorius.

So there's one reason to be pessimistic about the Yankees making a big splash this offseason.

And then there's the fact that the Yankees roster is basically full. Losing Capuano affects nothing, as the team has plenty of pitching (how good or bad it is is a different story). The Yankees have Dustin Ackley and/or Rob Refsnyder to replace Stephen Drew at second base. And as for the losses of Jones and Young, I don't count filling bench spots as "big" moves. 

So how could I, one of the more optimistic writers when it comes to the Yankees, believe the team will make big improvements for next season?

Well, I admit that the chances of that happening roam around somewhere between "slim" and "none". They would have to open up roster spots by trading away guys. For example, I'm not the only person on the "sign Jason Heyward" bandwagon. However, the Yankees outfield is full with Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Carlos Beltran (who should probably DH, if it weren't for Alex Rodriguez). The latter two players are not going to get traded, meaning the Yankees would have to find a taker for Brett Gardner. Honestly, that wouldn't be that difficult, as Gardy can play strong defense anywhere in the outfield (including the all-important centerfield), and at least be a solid lead-off hitter.

But would the team do that? Even though he was far from great in 2015, Brett still outplayed his contract by quite a bit (he made $12 million, while Fangraphs had him worth $20.4 million). The Yankees may also still believe he and Jacoby Ellsbury could be a vicious 1-2 punch atop the lineup. I don't... but they might.

I'm not going to give up on that idea, though. 

Nor am I going to accept that the team doesn't want to increase payroll. While I accept that the Yankees still want to get under the luxury tax someday, 2016 should not be the year to do it. The free agent market after this year is far from great, so biting the bullet and going with a higher payroll next year is the way to go. After next season Teixeira's and Beltran's combined $38 million to go away, the year after that Rodriguez's and Sabathia's* $46 million goes b-bye.

*I see Sabathia's option for 2017 vesting.

So as much as I'm looking forward to this offseason getting underway for the Yankees, I'm afraid that by Spring Training of next season they will have done little to nothing to improve. But there's nothing wrong with staying positive, right?

ICYMI: Were They Worth It?

From Bryan Van Dusen:





For a while after The Greedy Pinstripes opened, I would constantly write about salaries. I pretty much became obsessed with the team's total payroll, and how their players fit into it. I would write about how much money was allegedly on the books, and whether they would or would not sign one player or another. It took me a while to realize what many others already knew... it was a waste of time. Not only did I not know how much the team was willing to spend, but it ultimately didn't matter to me as a fan because I was not the one writing the payroll checks.

"There are people that still write checks? Hello! It's called a debit card!"

I don't mean to say that I've completely abandoned the idea of player salaries and the team's payroll. I'm not going to waste my time saying the team could sign Jason Heyward, David Price, and others, while putting big money players like Carlos Beltran on the bench. Major League Baseball is a business, which means the league and its teams are out to make money, therefore team owners are going to treat it as such.

One thing I bring up often when talking about money is the Dollar Values done at Fangraphs. No, I don't think it's a perfect formula, but I do believe it's a good way to measure a player's worth. For example, Fangraphs lists Bryce Harper as being worth $75.9 million last season. You may say he's probably only worth like $70 million, but the fact is he's one of... if not the most valuable hitter in MLB.

So I decided to take a look at the Dollar Values placed on players from the 2015 Yankees. You're probably going to notice that the following chart doesn't include every player that spent time on the team's Active Roster this season, but it does cover those that spent a significant amount of time on it.

Let's start with those that actually cost the team money last season.

Sabathia was the biggest waste for the Yankees in 2015, giving the team nearly $15 million less on the field than they gave him on his paycheck. Ellsbury wasn't much better, as the Yankees spent a little over $14 million more on him than he gave to the team. Drew was another waste for the team, as his salary was $3.7 million higher than what he gave the team in performance. While Tanaka is on the list of players that under-performed their salaries, if he could have made five or six more starts he would have likely covered his salary and then some. The teams loss with Headley was minimal, however I believe he'll make up for that during the last three years of his contract. Oh, and as for ARod, many would have taken him as a $64 million loss spread out over his final three years, so a loss of only $600,000 this season was fantastic.

Now for those that gave the Yankees more than the team gave them.

Take another look at that chart above. That list of "plusses" is pretty nice. Pineda (+26.1), Gregorius (+24.146), and Eovaldi (+21.9) would have been welcome by any owner in baseball. And, although a number of Yankees fans feel otherwise, Yankees brass has to love using young players. Just look at what young guys like Gregorius did... Betances (+18.692), Warren (+16.528), Wilson (+11.244), Bird (+6.9), Murphy (+4.981), Severino (+4.8), Heathcott (+2.1), and Refsnyder (+.7). Finally, you can add another $29 million for the Yankees, thanks to Gardner (+7.9), Miller (+6.9), Young (+6.9), McCann (+6.5), Nova (+.4), and Beltran (+.4) all outperforming their salaries.

You may have noticed that I haven't talked about Mark Teixeira. Even though he was technically a "loss" for the Yankees last season, if it wasn't for an injury he would have outplayed his salary by quite a bit.

In summary, how about that total? The team's total payroll for 2015 was a little under $218 million. The total for the players in that chart ($332.9 million) means the Yankees got around $115 million more out of their team than they had to pay. I would call that a big win for Hal and friends.

So if anybody brings up the Yankees eating a player's contract, or at least part of it in order to facilitate a trade (*cough*Ellsbury*cough*), you don't have to feel bad for Hal, Brian, Joe or anybody else employed by the New York Yankees.

"Yeah, we're all doing just fine."