Yankees - Good for Baseball?

[clevis]

I can't possibly see how this could be so. In the last month, they've spent ~$423 million on 3 players. Now the 4 highest paid players in baseball are on the same team. Yeah, they had to pay out almost $27 million in luxury tax this year, but so what? Will luxury tax ever catch up to the Yankees? What made the NBA go to a salary cap?

[DocJJ]

Beyond ridiculous.

I don't mind that we missed out on Tex, given the deal 8 yrs $180 mill. That's way more than we intended to spend.

But I hate Major League Baseball for allowing One team to sign the top 3 guys on the market. And for that much money.

MLB is a complete joke...in poor taste.

[Travis McGee]

Years ago when there was talk of contracting the Expos and Marlins I used to argue that baseball would be healthier if the Yankees were the first team to go. :angryfire:

[Michael18]

This only makes the Yankees getting knocked out of the second round that much sweeter.

And I believe all 20 of the O's fans there on opening day will boo him. :angryfire:

[biggsy]

Beyond ridiculous.

I don't mind that we missed out on Tex, given the deal 8 yrs $180 mill. That's way more than we intended to spend.

But I hate Major League Baseball for allowing One team to sign the top 3 guys on the market. And for that much money.

MLB is a complete joke...in poor taste.

It's not so much that one team signed the 3 best players and spent half a billion dollars on contracts for them. It's more the fact that the team mentioned also paid something like $30 million in luxury tax from the year before, and also already had 2 of the highest paid players on they're roster. All on top of asking the City of New York for a $360 million bond for they're stadium. Seems to me if you have half a billion to spend on new players, you can flush up enough cash to not need tax payer help for your new stadium.

If this were a team like the Nats or O's it wouldn't be as bad. Both teams have owners with enough money to support a higher payroll and had payrolls well under $100 million for a while now. But seriously, this is like a 13 year old kid playing MLB the show on his PS3.

If MLB were smart they'd look at the top entertainment business in America. The NFL. You make a salary cap. Not only do you add some parity into MLB and allow perrinial bottom feeders like the Royals to have a chance to compete every year, but you make the business more about strategy then about who has the most money and who has the balls to spend it. You'd definitely see alot less $20 million contracts being thrown out there.

[Frobby]

I only count $423 mm - can I have the spare $77 mm?

[TiredofLosing20]

I want to see how Peter Gammons argues that baseball has parity now.

[Jagwar]

ARod, Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira, Jeter and Rivera make more in annual salary than every team except for BOS, NYM and DET.

For crying out loud, the Yankees pay Damon, IRod and Posada almost $40 million.

That is just disgusting.

[JaySpurgeon00]

Their payroll will not change much, they shed about 90 mil after 2008

[Moose Milligan]

Hey, it's not like they've won championships while spending all this money and they're not a lock to win one now.

Had they been winning a title every year, that'd be a different story. But they're not.

[Birds08]

Leagues with salary caps are better. The NFL is by far the most successful league, because every team has a chance every year. When half the teams in a sport don't have a chance expect for maybe once or twice every ten years, it erodes a fan base.

[charliefell]

You could have bailed out General Motors for the money it took to sign THREE PEOPLE TO PLAY WITH A BALL FOR A LIVING! Sorry. But this is a dark day.

[jerios55]

Their payroll will not change much, they shed about 90 mil after 2008

So...your arguement is what? That there payroll was already insane? This sport is a joke and there is no two ways about it.

[Birds08]

Hey, it's not like they've won championships while spending all this money and they're not a lock to win one now.

Had they been winning a title every year, that'd be a different story. But they're not.

Dude they made the playoffs like 11 times in a row until this past year. Once you are in the playoffs, the WS is a crapshoot. To say them not winning the WS means there is parity is just false.

[GuidoSarducci]

The obvious solution, without a salary cap, is to put another team in New York/New Jersey. Hell there's probably a market there for 3-4 teams. One for each burrough plus New Jersey. That should even things out a bit.