About the Off-Season: The Bloom is Off the Rose

About the Off-Season: The Bloom is Off the Rose

By Tim Kabel

December 2, 2025

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I remember after the 1978 season; Pete Rose was a free agent. I believe it was Sports Illustrated that had an article about it. They had Rose pose for pictures in a variety of team caps. I can vividly recall that when he wore the Yankees hat, Rose made a face as if he had just smelled something unpleasant and made a thumbs down gesture. It was understandable. It was a sentiment that was reciprocated by the Yankees. Pete Rose's Cincinnati Reds swept the Yankees in 1976, before the Yankees came back to win the World Series in each of the next two years. Rose's disdain for the notion of becoming a Yankee was palpable. However, it wasn't the norm.

When free agency began in the 1970s, George Steinbrenner embraced it like no one else. The Yankees started with Catfish Hunter. They then signed Don Gullett, Reggie Jackson, Rich Gossage, Dave Winfield, Tommy John, and a laundry list of others. The Yankees were hot. If it wasn't through free agency, the Yankees made tremendous trades back then too. If George Steinbrenner set his sights on a player, it was fairly certain that the player would become a Yankee. The Yankees traded for Ricky Henderson. They signed Jack Clark. They signed Ken Griffey, Sr..

If there was a player out there who was available and they were good, George Steinbrenner went out to get them. This was particularly true when you think about players who had been on teams that beat the Yankees or who played in the World Series. After the Reds swept the Yankees in 1976, the Yankees signed Don Gullett.

This phenomenon went on for many years. George Steinbrenner must have had a telescope in his office because he sure liked the stars. He brought in Roger Clemens. He brought in Alex Rodriguez. Again, if there was a star out there who was available and could make the Yankees better, George would pull out all the stops to get him. He never sat around with a budget sheet, wearing a green visor while he pondered over figures to see if the Yankees could afford a player. He simply went out and acquired them.

Those days are long gone. George Steinbrenner is long gone. George has been gone for over fifteen years. Hal Steinbrenner is not his father. George was impulsive. George was blustery. George could be outrageous. Hal reminds me of the title of the Bob Newhart comedy album, “The Button-Down Mind”. Hal is reserved and deliberate. Hal seems like someone who would schedule his sneezes. He takes everything under advisement and consideration and ponders endlessly. Yes, he has made some big moves. He signed Gerrit Cole. He re-signed Aaron Judge. He traded for Juan Soto.

 The big moves that the Yankees make under Hal Steinbrenner are more often the exception rather than the rule. George Steinbrenner was like one of those contestants on a game show where they take a grocery cart and fill it up with as much merchandise as possible in sixty seconds and then race to the checkout line. The idea is to grab as much high-priced merchandise as possible. When Hal goes to the grocery store, he has a list, a backup list, and a personal shopper. He doesn't grab. He selects carefully. And reads the ingredients as well as the expiration dates.

The end result is that the Yankees are no longer the pinnacle of baseball. Yes, they do have more World Series victories than any other team. Yes, they are almost always a very good team. However, the Yankees can no longer simply just say that they want a free agent and have that player come running to them. The Yankees are not the only game in town anymore. They have lost their luster. After they lost to the Blue Jays in the ALDS this year, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. mocked the Yankees in the locker room by imitating John Sterling and his trademark “The Yankees win” call. Other members of the Blue Jays made comments ridiculing the Yankees. It's not just the Blue Jays. It is other teams as well.

The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2009. They are just one of the other Major League teams now. They are nothing special. It is considered cool or hip to poke fun at the Yankees and their legacy.

These days, the Dodgers are the shiny toy that everyone wants. The Dodgers are more likely to sign a big free agent or make a huge trade than the Yankees are. This is particularly true when it comes to signing players from Japan. They seem to flock to the Dodgers by the busload. When it comes to the players from Japan, and free agents in general, the Yankees are just another team in the crowd of teams out there. They are no longer the hot spot for players.

There are players who do come to the Yankees, but it's not the way it used to be. 

This does not have to remain the fate of the Yankees for the next twenty years. It can change. It can change now. Hal Steinbrenner needs to be more assertive. He needs to be more aggressive. He needs to crumple up his little budget sheet and throw it out the window. No, he should not spend all his money, or spend it foolishly. But it frequently seems that he will go after a big free agent and make a lot of noise about doing it but when it gets down to brass tacks, he won't shell out the last bit of money that is required to seal the deal.

Hal needs to make it clear to everyone, including free agents in teams looking to make a trade that the Yankees are serious about being a major contender for a World Series victory. That needs to be the case every year, not just this year. Hal needs to roll up his sleeves, grab a grocery cart and run through the store grabbing whatever he needs for the Yankees to win the World Series.