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| Over the last 15 years, baseball has experienced incredible growth as an industry, with MLB revenue climbing from $3.4 billion in 2000 to north of $8 billion in 2015. They might even be over $9 billion at this point. Attendance is as good as it’s ever been, television contracts are enormous (at least for teams that don’t own their own network), and MLBAM is a media juggernaut. Baseball is extremely healthy right now and, as a result, teams are spending more than ever on players. According to the USA Today salary database, the average MLB payroll has gone from $52.8M in 2000 to $65.8M in 2005 to $83.7M in 2010 to $114.8M in 2015. The average payrolls have more than doubled over the last 15 years. That’s incredible! The Yankees specifically have gone from a $92.8M payroll in 2000 to a $213.4M payroll in 2015. That only tells part of the story, however. New York’s payroll increased $23.1M on average each year from 2000-05. They went from that $92.8M payroll in 2000 to a $208.3M payroll in 2005. That’s insane. The team’s payroll has held fairly steady over the last ten years though. It was $208.3M in 2005 and $213.4M in 2015 according to USA Today’s numbers, which I’m certain are not 100% accurate, but are good enough for our purposes. Here’s a graph: 2000-15 MLB Payrolls The Yankees have added some significant revenue streams over the last ten years. First and foremost, the new Yankee Stadium opened in 2009. That’s kind of a big deal. Then, in November 2012, a significant percentage of the YES Network was sold to News Corp. for hundreds of millions of dollars over a span of several years. And finally, MLB recently signed new national television contracts with FOX and TBS, more than doubling each team’s take. All of that additional revenue has not led to a payroll increase. Of course, the Yankees have some significant expenses as well, including revenue sharing and the luxury tax. (They’re also paying off the new ballpark.) They’ve paid something along the lines of $20M annually in luxury tax for a few years now, and who knows how much they’re playing in revenue sharing. A Forbes article says the Yankees paid $95M (!) in revenue sharing in 2013. That’s ridiculous. Then again, the same article says the team led MLB with $461M in revenue that year. (That’s after revenue sharing and bond payments on the ballpark.) Forbes had the team’s revenue at $277M in 2005. |
The most painful of all was what he pointed out in the article - the idea of selling on Miller or Gardner because of being hamstrung financially. We simply cannot let our talent go - guys that have performed well in Yankees Stadium need to be paid and kept around..
This plan to get young is good but you still need to add pieces.
Why is Arod considered a mercenary? Isn't he the longest tenured active Yankee and didn't he offer to accept less money to be traded from Texas (which the MLBPA declined)?
Get Price now make a run for the AL east. Big Lefty to match up with Tanaka Pineda Severino Evaldi. That rotation is the best in the Al.
Babe Ruth
Willie Randolph
Tino Martinez
Paul O'Neill
Reggie Jackson
Mickey Rivers
Lou Piniella
Sparky Lyle
And a host of other players, all traded to the Yanks, just like AROD.
And no way in hell Cano should have been a Yankee for life at that price tag.
Had an opportunity to stay with the Yankees and have Texas pay a significant portion of his contract. Could have possibly worked out an arrangement to stay on that contract and sign an extension but instead opted out, causing his own team to pick up ALL the remaining dollars on the contract as well as the additional ones he wanted.
To my knowledge he is the only Yankees that I know of who did those combination of things.
This plan to get young is good but you still need to add pieces.
I think this IS the plan. The Yanks have what now amount to really bad deals with CC, ARod, Tex, Beltran, Ellsbury and McCann. However, by 2017, only Ellsbury will be a long term liability- as both McCann and Headley will be entering their walk years. Tanaka could opt-out, but I don't think he will- he is not a true #1- and isn't going to get a better deal anywhere else. However, he is a nice #2, is young, and is not a liability. I am also assuming Gardner and Miller will have been traded by then.
After the 2017 season, the Yanks will reach a turning point- CC, ARod, Beltran and Tex will all be gone. I assume Miller and Gardner will be too.
It is important to note that Eovaldi and Pineda will reach FA then as well. Those will be big decisions on spending there as well.
The Yanks also appear to be willing to use their own farm system to fill holes- Judge, Bird, Sanchez, Severino, Mateo and the multitudes of relievers.
Once the Yanks have some time (probably at the end of 2017 season) to assess how the young guys are doing, and what holes still need to be patched. At THAT point, the Yanks will likely begin spending again- but probably in a much more careful manner.
IMO, that means that younger FA with upside would be the targets, but based on need rather than name. of course, I am sure that the Yanks will be sure to set aside some massive payroll space in their budget to allow them to pursue big time young FA like Fernandez and Harper if and when they become FA- because how many star level production guys become available in their mid 20s?
That's the long way of saying this is going to be an interesting 2 year ride
At the time that we had him on his first contract I wanted to see if we could find a way to keep him on that contract. IIRC Texas still owed him something like $50MM on that contract. Him choosing to opt out meant letting Texas off the hook.
What's even more painful to me about it is that he already knew he didn't want to play for just the money - he wanted a championship. That's why he was willing to take a paycut to play for Boston. After the MLBPA nixed that idea was when the Yankees got involved.
I would have told him that if he chose to opt-out we were taking ourselves out of the running for his services.
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IMO, that means that younger FA with upside would be the targets, but based on need rather than name.
With payrolls escalating everywhere around the league younger FA with upside are like unicorns - can't find them. Spending money isn't the issue - you have to trade for them.
Headley, on the other hand... now there's a shitty little contract. He's booty and we have three more years to witness it.
Headley, on the other hand... now there's a shitty little contract. He's booty and we have three more years to witness it.
Headley will probably be a bad contract, but for length and dollars it's not unconscionable, and it can probably be moved if we are willing to eat money. If his errors this season were an aberration, he's a decent defensive 3B who should hit around .260 with low double digit HRs. The issue is that they probably won't eat money, not unless Jagielo or someone else is really forcing the issue.
I know, I know, the system isn't as bad now, but it still lags behind the other better run organizations, and there is no reason it should be that way.
I know, I know, the system isn't as bad now, but it still lags behind the other better run organizations, and there is no reason it should be that way.
Does it? We had a couple guys from our minors signed onto other teams' 40-man rosters, guys without a serious chance of making ours. We have actually brought a number of homegrown players within spitting distance of the majors, only to have them break through with other teams. It's not the best-run farm in the game, nor is it the most productive, but there aren't many that are demonstrably better when you take into account draft position etc.
Money would be better allocated towards player development for sure. At least let us have a better system than the Red Sox and the Dodgers. I'm sure they have better scouts working for them, and that doesn't have to be the case.
Had an opportunity to stay with the Yankees and have Texas pay a significant portion of his contract. Could have possibly worked out an arrangement to stay on that contract and sign an extension but instead opted out, causing his own team to pick up ALL the remaining dollars on the contract as well as the additional ones he wanted.
To my knowledge he is the only Yankees that I know of who did those combination of things.
We've got two more years of really bad contracts, and then we're free of the biggest of them, with Ellsbury the one outlier.
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He wanted to go to Boston - was willing to take a paycut to play for them.
Had an opportunity to stay with the Yankees and have Texas pay a significant portion of his contract. Could have possibly worked out an arrangement to stay on that contract and sign an extension but instead opted out, causing his own team to pick up ALL the remaining dollars on the contract as well as the additional ones he wanted.
To my knowledge he is the only Yankees that I know of who did those combination of things.
He didn't "cause" the Yankees to do anything. They made a bad decision to bid against themselves for him, when Cashman said they wouldn't. He is hardly a mercenary. Yes, he was willing to go to Boston, for less money, which is kind of the opposite. And, he didn't request a trade to the Yankees. The Rangers wanted to dump him and the Yankees were one of the few possible trading partners, even with Texas eating salary. Again, he didn't force Texas to make this move or eat salary.
Didn't mean to say he forced them to do anything. I know they weren't forced, but once he opted out of the contract the only way they could resign him was to pay out the Texas portion of the salary in addition to whatever he wanted on top of it.
Basically I see him as a guy who in essence did the following three things:
1. He wanted to go to Boston so bad he agreed to take less money to go there.
2. He wanted to make sure he got top dollar once he was traded to the Yankees so he opted out of a contract that was good for him and extremely favorable for the Yankees. Mind you, this was the same contract he was willing to play under for even LESS money with Boston.
3. After the Yankees made the stupid decision to sign him after opting out, he went about his professional life in such a way as to bring shame upon himself and the organization and caused himself to get suspended for a year.
In no way is he someone similar to any of the above listed free agents. Take issue with the "mercenary" term all you want, that's how I see him. A mercenary sells his loyalties. Even though ARod clearly preferred to go to Boston (he was willing to give them a discount) he was willing to sell his loyalties to the Yankees as long as they paid top dollar. Mercenary.
It's pretty sad that your favorite day as a fan is the day their best player left the team.
I'm willing to be patient and I believe in the young players in our system. I've very happy we didn't give up on them (yet).
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In comment 12644102 Dan in the Springs said:
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He wanted to go to Boston - was willing to take a paycut to play for them.
Had an opportunity to stay with the Yankees and have Texas pay a significant portion of his contract. Could have possibly worked out an arrangement to stay on that contract and sign an extension but instead opted out, causing his own team to pick up ALL the remaining dollars on the contract as well as the additional ones he wanted.
To my knowledge he is the only Yankees that I know of who did those combination of things.
He didn't "cause" the Yankees to do anything. They made a bad decision to bid against themselves for him, when Cashman said they wouldn't. He is hardly a mercenary. Yes, he was willing to go to Boston, for less money, which is kind of the opposite. And, he didn't request a trade to the Yankees. The Rangers wanted to dump him and the Yankees were one of the few possible trading partners, even with Texas eating salary. Again, he didn't force Texas to make this move or eat salary.
Didn't mean to say he forced them to do anything. I know they weren't forced, but once he opted out of the contract the only way they could resign him was to pay out the Texas portion of the salary in addition to whatever he wanted on top of it.
Basically I see him as a guy who in essence did the following three things:
1. He wanted to go to Boston so bad he agreed to take less money to go there.
2. He wanted to make sure he got top dollar once he was traded to the Yankees so he opted out of a contract that was good for him and extremely favorable for the Yankees. Mind you, this was the same contract he was willing to play under for even LESS money with Boston.
3. After the Yankees made the stupid decision to sign him after opting out, he went about his professional life in such a way as to bring shame upon himself and the organization and caused himself to get suspended for a year.
In no way is he someone similar to any of the above listed free agents. Take issue with the "mercenary" term all you want, that's how I see him. A mercenary sells his loyalties. Even though ARod clearly preferred to go to Boston (he was willing to give them a discount) he was willing to sell his loyalties to the Yankees as long as they paid top dollar. Mercenary.
He was willing to go to Boston for less money to...play shortstop. A winning team. The Green Monster. Why wouldn't he want to go there? Then he gets everything he can from the Yanks. Why wouldn't he? Not understanding your logic.
Okay - let me say that I root for ARod on the Yanks, but I wish that we hadn't signed him. He fell out of favor with me as a player when he decided to give Boston a discount but bleed the Yankees for every last dollar.
If you don't understand that I'm sorry - don't know how to help you any more.
Now he was already earning in the neighborhood of $25MM/yr on that contract, which is more money than he clearly needed, or even wanted if it meant being able to play for Boston. But rather than stay on that salary with Texas paying the bulk of it, he opted out of it, allowing the Rangers off he hook for the rest of that money. He then resigned with the Yankees for a raise. Now the net effect of this was that the Yankees had to not only pay the additional salary that he negotiated, but also pay the salary that Texas had previously been committed to. So for his salary to go up a bit per year the Yankees then had to pay something like an extra $20MM/yr for the few years remaining on the contract. Add in the luxury tax and he really hamstrung the Yankees.
Now on this thread we're discussing the Yankees mismanagement of funds and I've brought up that we shouldn't have paid ARod. That's been my position ever since he opted out of his first contract.
It kills me because with the Yankees he's been all about the money, but with Boston he was willing to forego the money, just so he could play SS with a contender, etc.
Robinson Cano Is Still Good, but His $240M Megadeal Is Becoming an Albatross - ( New Window )
You don't need to.be a CPA to acknowledge that if they're making roughly $470 mil after bond payments and revenue sharing and spending (payroll etc) well shy of $300 mil that this is a profitable endeavor.