Maybe it's all of the injuries this season. Maybe it's the fear of missing the playoffs this year and next. For whatever reason, the New York Yankees look like they're (already) ditching their plan to cut back on spending.
Much was made about the Yankees' desire to keep payroll below the expected $189 million luxury tax threshold for next season, but that's apparently growing increasingly unlikely. New York was aiming to not only save millions by not having to pay the luxury tax, but they were also looking to game baseball's collective bargaining agreement by raking in more money through the market-disqualification rebate. Apparently, though, the Yankees are running the numbers and finding that the benefits of their scheme aren't outweighing the cost of rebuilding.
They still have to work out an extension with Robinson Cano, and even if the two sides get creative and sign Cano to a deal heavy on signing bonus and deferral dollars/light on annual salary, it would be hard to build a contending roster while staying below that $189 million figure: nearly $74 million is already on the books for next season between Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia.
While there are quite a few teams that would jump at the chance to claim tens of millions, for the Yankees, it's pocket change. This line basically sums it all up:
"They're going to be over 189 … They know it. Everyone knows it. You can't run a $3 billion team with the intentions of saving a few million dollars."
