Are the Yankees Good for MLB?
By Scott Burks
A lot of people in Major League Baseball have
been bitching about how it’s not good that the New York Yankees are able to
spend the money needed to get good players. One owner in particular,
Brewers owner, said that a salary cap should be implemented to encourage a
more level playing field. Other owners and general managers of small market
teams complain about how they are not able to spend enough money to keep up
with the Yankees.
There are fans who say that it’s unfair that
the Yankees get to buy their way to a World Series title. I lived in
Cincinnati for four years, and there were a lot of Reds fans that, upon
learning that I am a diehard Yankees fan, told me how lucky I was to love a
team that buys its way to winning American League East division titles, AL
pennants, and World Series championships.
Well, here is my two cents, and I’ll address
both the baseball executives and the fans in doing so. The Yankees are good
for baseball – period, point blank. The same baseball executives who
complain about not being able to keep up with the Yankees need to understand
this: this is a system that was collectively bargained on by BOTH management
and the players. That means the owners agreed to the system in place, so
they should keep quiet and deal with it. If those same small market owners
want to win, they should take a page from the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay
Rays and see how wisely they spend their money and how organized their farm
systems are. The Yankees also have an organized farm system that stays
replenished via good drafts and talent evaluating. Yankees GM Brian Cashman
and his staff don’t make the big bucks for nothing. The fans have the
legitimate beef with the Yankees. They are not in the inner workings of
baseball to learn how things work. However, those fans need to know that
having the biggest payroll in baseball does not guarantee championships.
Since 2001, teams with smaller payrolls have won the World Series (except
the Boston Red Sox, who won it twice in 2004 and 2007). Hell, the Twins
have been competitive the last few seasons, and they made a push this year
without Torii Hunter and Johan Santana. The aforementioned Rays not only
won the toughest division (AL East), but won the AL pennant this season.
Bottom line: the Yankees are taking advantage
of the system in place for their benefit. If other teams (namely small
market teams) have a problem with that, then they need to spend money wisely
(remember the Pittsburgh Pirates signing Jason Kendall to that ridiculous
contract a few years ago?) and do a better job of drafting and stocking
their farm systems. That way, they have the chance to compete every year,
like the Twins, Oakland Athletics, and the Florida Marlins. In the
meantime, for those who say “well Scott, you are a Yankees fan, so what do
you know”, I’d say two things: “kiss my ass”, and “sue me”.
