“Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing.” Late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner uttered those words in 1998, and he validated them by spending a fortune to assemble an elite roster year after year. The combination of infinite ambition and substantial wealth helped produce dynastic results.
Yankee Pinstripes induced fear and represented perpetual excellence. Now, it is Dodger Blue that draws the fury of fans everywhere and the envy of competitors. Although New York has gone to great lengths to fill the huge void left by Juan Soto, it is becoming further removed from its reign as the hot stove king.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that vanquished the Yankees in six games to win the 2024 World Series, added a profusion of talent to their already robust roster. Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Hyeseong Kim and former All-Star Michael Conforto all joined the champions. Furthermore, Teoscar Hernandez re-signed and utility man Tommy Edman inked a contract extension.
Much of the baseball-watching world is spewing vitriol at the Dodgers’ unstoppable money train, which runs smoothly, in part, due to players’ willingness to defer large sums of their deals. Hal Steinbrenner, George’s son and current Yankees owner, is voicing his opinion on the controversial topic. New Yorkers should brace themselves for the comments below.
“It’s difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kind of things that they’re doing,” he told YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits, per The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty. Steinbrenner is giving fans a brutal reminder that times have changed in The Bronx.
Will the Yankees ever fully return to their old ways?
Related New York Yankees NewsArticle continues below
The Yankees are still actively pursuing a World Series title, as is evident by a productive offseason that saw them sign Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt and trade for Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger. But they lack the same desperation that defined the George Steinbrenner era. Despite a top-three payroll and no losing seasons since 1995, New York’s will to win is under scrutiny.
Fans are growing restless, as the championship drought extends past 15 years. Many other fan bases drool over such a gap between titles, but a certain standard is expected in what was long the unquestioned hub of the sport. Actually, based on the numbers, one can confidently argue that the Yankees are still the preeminent brand in baseball. They are one of the most valuable franchises in the world, let alone MLB. And that is why Hal Steinbrenner’s words sting so much.
There are several owners who simply cannot stand in the same realm as the Dodgers when it comes to pursuing free agents, but the Bronx Bombers are certainly not one of them. If a team was going to convince a one-of-a-kind superstar like Shohei Ohtani to agree to an unprecedented deferred contract, one would have assumed it to be the Yanks. That is how people used to think, at least.
No Steinbrenner is supposed to group himself with the rest of the league’s owners. New York cannot say “we” when it is still raking in significant revenue. Yankees fans will not hear of it.
