Closing the Door on Max Scherzer

By my very unofficial count the New York Yankees payroll for 2015 sits at about $212 million after the Chase Headley signing for $52 million. The Yankees have two open roster spots on the 40 man roster and at least two holes to fill in the starting rotation. With New York seemingly waiting out the 2016 and 2017 seasons to once again make a run at getting under the luxury tax and giving austerity another chance this all may be closing the door on Max Scherzer in pinstripes.

What Hal Steinbrenner fails to realize when making these “Hal Cap” goals is that the team, more so than any other team, needs to spend money to make money. The Yankees fans are spoiled and expect, not appreciate, the big signing and the star power that the checkbook brings to the team. If the Yankees were to make it to the playoffs and the World Series a Scherzer contract would be more than paid for in merchandise, ticket sales and revenue. What Hal fails to realize is the YES Network and stadium attendance have been going down ever since the teams win total started to go down and that was with a Mariano River and a Derek Jeter farewell tour going on. What will those numbers look like in 2015 when the longest tenured Yankees are Alex Rodriguez, Brett Gardner and Ivan Nova?

The Headley contract looks like it really shut the door on a Scherzer contract and the lack of a Scherzer contract may really put the damper on a lot of future contracts when the fans don’t flock to the overpriced stadium like they once did. It’s the domino effect and I’m not talking about pizza Hal, pay attention. 

The Only Way To Get Alex Off The Yankees....

Are you a fan of the New York Yankees and are you fed up with the circus that surrounds and accompanies Alex Rodriguez? Do you want Alex off the team either because you don't like the guy, you want the financial flexibility that comes with terminating the contract, or because it's the right thing to do? Major League Baseball is not going to fix this problem for the Yankees and New York owes him too much money to fix this problem for us. You, us, the fans can fix this problem pretty simply though, hit the Yankees in the pockets.

You want New York to get rid of Alex? Stop going to the stadium. Stop buying the memorabilia, the hats, the shirts, the merchandise, etc. Don't buy the YES Network, buy MLB TV or the equivalent instead. Hit Hal Steinbrenner in his most vulnerable spot, in his wallet. It works, remember the 2013 season?

In 2013 Hal imposed the "Hal Cap" as the team tried to limit spending to get under the luxury tax threshold for the 2014 season. The fans, even with the farewell tour for Mariano Rivera and the retirement of Andy Pettitte, did not flock to Yankee Stadium in drones like years in the past and attendance and YES ratings were way down. Result? The Yankees spent over $500 million the next offseason and blew the Hal Cap and the austerity budget out of the water.

You want A Rod gone? Don't damn Arod, damn the Yankees.