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Thursday, December 22, 2022

Steinbrenner: Cohen’s spending should be ‘looked at’

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is happy that New York is home to two great teams after the Mets went on a historic spending spree this offseason but also acknowledged that it needs to be examined.

“I think it’s something to be looked at,” Steinbrenner said Wednesday when asked about Mets owner Steve Cohen dishing out over $800 million in free agency, according to Ryan Chichester of WFAN. “Another thing I said in March, which I truly believe, is that every fan of every team, nobody should have to go into spring training thinking their team has no chance of making the playoffs.

“That’s just not good for the game. That’s why all the owners have worked on competitive balance the last 10 years, and why I think competitive balance is significantly better than it was 10 or 15 years ago.”

The Mets’ total payroll for the 2023 campaign currently stands at around half a billion dollars, with an unprecedented $111-million luxury-tax penalty after the stunning reported 12-year, $315-million agreement with Carlos Correa.

“I was joking with somebody previously that 10 years ago, you’d always hear me say that you shouldn’t have a $200-million payroll to win a championship,” Steinbrenner added. “Well, I’ve modified that slightly. So, you shouldn’t have to have a $300-million payroll to win a championship. As most teams don’t. The (Houston) Astros didn’t.”

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: December 22, 2022 at 09:03 AM | 27 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: hal steinbrenner, mets, steve cohen

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1. pikepredator Posted: December 22, 2022 at 09:29 AM (#6110509)

Haha man he is a funny guy, that Steinbrenner! Love the way he does the whole self-parody schtick.

2. JRVJ Posted: December 22, 2022 at 10:17 AM (#6110512)

On some level, I kind of understand Steinbrenner's position (the Yankees could have easily gone past a number of the thresholds in the past, but chose not to, so as to not distort the industry TOO much). But on another level, MLB owners are absolutely dumb as doorknobs if they didn't understand who they were letting into the ownership fraternity.

3. cHiEf iMpaCt oFfiCEr JE

Posted: December 22, 2022 at 10:18 AM (#6110513)

This was a far greater challenge back in George's day when only 15 percent of clubs made the postseason crapshoot.

And no AL/NL Central club should kvetch, as it sure as heck doesn't require Stevie $ to win either of those divisions.

4. Captain Joe Bivens, Pointless and Wonderful Posted: December 22, 2022 at 10:20 AM (#6110516)

"Stevie".

5. Russ Posted: December 22, 2022 at 10:23 AM (#6110518)

“That’s just not good for the game. That’s why all the owners have worked on competitive balance the last 10 years, and why I think competitive balance is significantly better than it was 10 or 15 years ago.”

I understand what he is getting at here, but for a group that has a documented history of proven collusion allegations, this seems like a really bad way to say this!

6. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: December 22, 2022 at 10:29 AM (#6110519)

I understand what he is getting at here, but for a group that has a documented history of proven collusion allegations, this seems like a really bad way to say this!

At least he didn't say this (from The Athletic):

“I think it’s going to have consequences for him down the road,” said an official with another major league team who was not authorized to speak publicly. “There’s no collusion. But … there was a reason nobody for years ever went past $300 million. You still have partners, and there’s a system.”

A system...but it's not collusion!

7. God can’t be all that impressed with Charles S. Posted: December 22, 2022 at 10:33 AM (#6110520)

Hal's gotten his wish. Everyone's looking at Cohen and his spending.

8. Adam Starblind Posted: December 22, 2022 at 11:07 AM (#6110524)

The union is going to go apeshit over this and similar comments, and they should.

nobody should have to go into spring training thinking their team has no chance of making the playoffs.

Have Mets fans not experienced enough of exactly this to cut us some slack for a few years?

9. DL from MN Posted: December 22, 2022 at 11:25 AM (#6110529)

I can hear the lawyers preparing the collusion lawsuit right now.

10. Jobu is silent on the changeup Posted: December 22, 2022 at 11:46 AM (#6110532)

(the Yankees could have easily gone past a number of the thresholds in the past, but chose not to, so as to not distort the industry TOO much).

Yeah, *that's* why.

11. Darren

Posted: December 22, 2022 at 02:14 PM (#6110556)

This seems pretty harmless. Very vague, appears to be answering a question, lip service to making sure everyone can compete.

12. Karl from NY Posted: December 22, 2022 at 03:17 PM (#6110565)

nobody should have to go into spring training thinking their team has no chance of making the playoffs.

Have Mets fans not experienced enough of exactly this to cut us some slack for a few years?

Has this really been true for the Mets recently? I don't think it has since about 2003. The team has won at least 70 games every year since then. There hasn't been any year where we didn't have some reasonable thoughts of being in playoff range.

13. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: December 22, 2022 at 03:43 PM (#6110573)

Have Mets fans not experienced enough of exactly this to cut us some slack for a few years?

Nope. And I've been rooting for the Mets the last 7-8 years or so. It's harder now.

14. reech Posted: December 22, 2022 at 04:56 PM (#6110585)

Pot, meet kettle.

15. the Hugh Jorgan returns Posted: December 22, 2022 at 05:16 PM (#6110589)

On some level, I kind of understand Steinbrenner's position (the Yankees could have easily gone past a number of the thresholds in the past, but chose not to, so as to not distort the industry TOO much). But on another level, MLB owners are absolutely dumb as doorknobs if they didn't understand who they were letting into the ownership fraternity.

You make it sound like the Yankees are some cornerstone of altruistic behaviour by being such good guys and not blowing the likes of the Pirates and A's out of the water by spending too much? That's a crock of sh*t. They didn't spend over the top because they think they can field a competitive team by not spending way over the top and can pocket the profits. They sure as hell did NOT spend heaps out of some sort of honourable consideration.

Also I find it hard to believe that 30 billionaires are "dumb as doorknobs." You can call these owners many, many unflattering things, I don't think dumb is really one of them.

16. Adam Starblind Posted: December 22, 2022 at 05:17 PM (#6110590)

Karl — at least 70 wins??? Don’t you see what the Wilpons have don’t to you???

17. Walt Davis Posted: December 22, 2022 at 06:44 PM (#6110603)

Yes, look into Cohen's spending. I mean, you certainly would be wasting your time looking to see if any Yankees revenue is diguised as Yes revenue.

18. The Duke Posted: December 22, 2022 at 09:14 PM (#6110614)

Well, the Mets won 101 and got bounced early. It's hard to win a world Series and I would probably bet on a the Braves, Padre Astros and Yankees next year in the LCS if the betting starred now.

19. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: December 22, 2022 at 09:55 PM (#6110623)

It seems dumb to include the luxury tax amounts when people talk about the Mets payroll. They’re not spending more than double everyone else on actual player salaries, which is the most relevant metric when talking about issues like competitive balance.

20. Captain Joe Bivens, Pointless and Wonderful Posted: December 23, 2022 at 08:04 AM (#6110657)

19...The math I see is the bottom line, which includes the luxury tax.

21. JRVJ Posted: December 23, 2022 at 09:37 AM (#6110668)

15, only an utter fool would bring up the idea of "altruism" in regards MLB owners. Make of that what you will.

The Yankees, for good or bad, have played within the boundaries of what has been acceptable to the majority of MLB owners. Cohen has just blown through those boundaries, and has done so without any reservations or qualms.

22. manchestermets Posted: December 23, 2022 at 10:01 AM (#6110671)

Given what seems to be a consensus that owners of baseball teams have been lying when they claim impoverishment over the years, is it reasonable to think that the Mets can bear this payroll without actually being loss-making, and that this isn't actually "Cohen's spending', but Cohen's choice not to extract profits from the Mets?

23. Tony S Posted: December 23, 2022 at 06:04 PM (#6110740)

The Yankees, for good or bad, have played within the boundaries of what has been acceptable to the majority of MLB owners.

The Yankees have *set* the boundaries.

They're concerned because the Mets are acting uppity.

24. McCoy Posted: December 23, 2022 at 06:23 PM (#6110747)

The Yankees have largely avoided having to spend big because they haven't had to spend to get into the playoffs.

But the Yankees were starting to spend big and likely to spend a lot in the next few years.

25. The Yankee Clapper Posted: December 23, 2022 at 06:37 PM (#6110749)

If MLB is inclined to “look at” Cohen’s spending, it will need some time to assess the effects. Do the Mets make the playoffs? Win it all? For many years? Do the draft pick & bonus pool penalties have any effect? As is often the case, concerns about ‘competitive balance’ may be a euphemism for not being happy about increasing player salaries.

26. JRVJ Posted: December 23, 2022 at 07:30 PM (#6110755)

23, Arguably, the Dodgers are the ones that have "set" the boundaries of late, with the Mets very recently also getting in the act.

Now the Mets have blown past the previous boundary by about 50% (depending on how you do the math).

27. sunday silence (again) Posted: December 23, 2022 at 10:58 PM (#6110786)

Cohen's spending should be looked at, but the As can run a $25M payroll team out there and he's fine with that.

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Thursday, December 22, 2022

Steinbrenner: Cohen’s spending should be ‘looked at’

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