River Ave Blues States The Facts In Regard to the Yankees Payroll (And Affording Harper)
It’s fair (and very accurate) to say that River Ave Blues is the gold standard in Yankee reporting. Today, in their Mailbag, they share the following important truths (see River Ave Blues for the entire piece):
“The main reason the Yankees are not going all-in on Bryce Harper is ownership’s unwillingness to spend at a level commensurate with the team’s market size and revenue. Brett Borzelli put together a post earlier this week showing the Yankees rank near the bottom of the league in percentage of revenue spent on player payroll. They can afford Harper and Giancarlo Stanton.
“Payroll has come down in the ten years since the new Yankee Stadium opened. How is that okay?
“Stanton’s contract is a convenient excuse not to spend. The luxury tax is a convenient excuse not to spend.
“Don’t blame Stanton for the Yankees not signing Harper, assuming they don’t sign Harper. It’s on ownership.”
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I share my take on the Brett Borzelli piece on Pinstripe Alley here: “OUCH! – Yankees Bringing In Top Dollars And Spending Less And Less On Players.”
