This Just In: Yanks Love To Spend On Free Agents
Via Buster Olney today -
The Yankees, Mets and Red Sox have spent more money in free agency over the past decade than any other teams, as ESPN’s esteemed Mark Simon notes:
Biggest free-agent outlays 1999 to 2008 (approximate in millions)
Yankees: $1.45 billion
Mets: $651.3 million
Red Sox: $621.0 million
Cubs: $598.4 million
Giants: $595.2 millionSmallest free-agent outlays 1999 to 2008 (approximate in millions)
Pirates: $55.6 million
Twins: $80.2 million
Athletics: $87.7 million
Nationals: $91.5 million
Padres: $106.1 millionBut then again, you knew that already. Even in years in which free-agent outlay is diminished by a high percentage — and this is probably going to be one of those years — the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox are usually pretty active, relative to teams like the Pirates. To put the above numbers in perspective: Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia will make more in free-agent dollars in the first three years of their current contracts than the Pirates have spent in the past decade … on anybody.
$1.45 billion over the last ten years?
That’s twice as much as the next highest team on this list (the Mets).
Now, granted, a huge chunk of this is Burnett, Teixeira, Sabathia and, I suppose, A-Rod (who was re-signed as a free agent). But, man, that’s alotta cash. Or, should I say, that’s alotta Cashman?
It’s absolutely insane. The system needs fixing one team shouldn’t be outspending the others by 800 million dollars in that regard. Cash Man is not entirely at fault. George enabled him to do that , so he’s a product of this budget insanity as well as being an abuser. NO I’m not defending the Big Spender AKA Brianless but putting some context and perspective into it.
By the same token, teams like the Pirates are pocketing money which is insanity on the other end of the spectrum. Selig claims that they review each team and their revenue sharing. That’s a load of rubbish,mates. How many times can the now lowly PIrates rebuild already and go through this 17 years without a winning season hogwash? Selig has let the Yankees spend so gluttonously (and to a much lesser degree the Red Sox, Mets and Cubs) and hasn’t stopped them from any big trades or signings, so he’s at fault on that note ,too.
butchie22 wrote:
The Pirates’ problem was incompetent people in the front office, not that they were pocketing the cash. That has since been rectified.
Just as well, even if they were spending, there’s no way that they’d match the Yanks, Mets or Red Sox offers for a player, if it came down to a bidding war.
$1.45 billion over the last ten years?
——-
Good, that’s the way it should be.
If we have more resources than every other team – which we do – and if the system allows us to spend freely – which it does – than the Yankees are doing all they can within their power to win every year. As fans, that’s all we can ask for.
Yankee fans shouldn’t be ashamed by this or upset. We’re the richest team, and this blurb from Olney is nothing that we don’t know.
I think die hards and true Yankee fans may possibly be missing the big picture.
“It is all about the Benjamins”. The Steinbrenners may have spent over a billion dollars are free agency, but they certainly wouldn’t have done it if the were LOSING money.
They have made well over that.
Granted, they want to win championships badly, but they wouldn’t spend the way they do if they weren’t financially benefitting as well.
And I need to add that as a Yankee fan, I appreciate a willingness to spend in the open market.
It is nice to see that they realize that to make money you must spend money.