Jeff Passan Just Put The Yankees On Blast!

SHOTS FIRED! I love some good baseball drama….and this is definitely some off field drama. Baseball insider Jeff Passan was a guest on The Michael Kay Show, and he didn’t hold back on how he sees the current state of the Yankees and Hal Steinbrenner’s perceived lack of spending this winter.

“If the (luxury tax) penalties are so tough, then why are the Dodgers and Mets doing it? The Mets have been the past two years, and they’ve shown a willingness to go there,” Passan said on Kay’s podcast. “And at the end of the day, these are the New York freaking Yankees. If a luxury tax threshold is impeding them, that says more about where they are than it does the luxury tax itself. When have the Yankees ever played third fiddle in baseball? That’s where they are right now when it comes to spending.”

I will say this, it’s not for a lack of trying by the Yankees. They made a HUGE offer to Juan Soto and it may have limited other additions to the team if Soto had accepted. The Yankees pivoted and made some good moves to strengthen both the infield and the outfield especially with a big commitment made to Max Fried. We improved several areas, especially within the infield and I really don’t think we are completely done.

The Yankees traditionally spend money. We can’t call them cheap when they spent well over $300 million in payroll last year and they had the second highest payroll only behind the New York Mets. You can argue that the Yankees don’t spend their money wisely (and I do!) but saying they don’t spend money is just false. 

The Mets are operating at a loss, it’s not up for debate that Steve Cohen is paying out of pocket but he’s also worth $22 billion dollars! The Dodgers ownership group has a large net worth so they also have money to spend AND have proven they will defer money as they see fit to try and avoid stiff penalties. The idea of deferring $1.3 BILLION dollars blows my mind. The Yankees should go over the luxury tax to make the last few upgrades they need in order to win a championship, but I think we need to recognize there is new, bigger money in baseball. The Yankees are “old” money, and the Dodgers and Mets are “new” money. It’s a new baseball world whether we like it or not.

And as the Yankees are competing against the “new money” Dodgers and Mets, they are also operating in a much different mindset. When George Steinbrenner was alive, the Yankees were a life passion for him. He spent the money because he wanted to win and that was what mattered most to him. Now we have “new” vision Hal running the team, and he’s not running it as passion…. it’s a business for him. Businesses are all about the bottom line. He wants to win, but not with the same determination or drive his dad did.

So I understand why Passan is throwing shade because no team in the old-world order outspent the Yankees. Everything changes over time and even if other teams are spending more, they certainly aren’t being cheap. If this is Passan’s way of motivating the Yankees to re-sign Tim Hill or a strong third basemen then I am all for it because honestly…. I want Hill back BAD!