ORLANDO — I have never bought into the criticism that Hal Steinbrenner is cheap.
At the time of the deals: Gerrit Cole signed the most expensive pitching pact in MLB history, the 10 years at $270 million still owed to Giancarlo Stanton was the most ever assumed in a trade, Aaron Judge was the largest per-annum position player deal in MLB history, Carlos Rodón signed the 11th-largest pitching deal in history and Max Fried the biggest ever for a lefty.
If you’re screaming today that the Yankees must sign Kyle Tucker or it’s proof that Steinbrenner is cheap, then you’ll be doing the same next year for Tarik Skubal and the year after for Joe Ryan, and you will never be satisfied.
The problem for Steinbrenner, the Yankees and their fans is the world has shifted. Life was easy when the Dodgers were owned by Frank McCourt and the Mets by the Wilpons, both of whom danced between monetary ruin and incompetence. The Dodgers and Mets are now owned by financial titans — Guggenheim and Steve Cohen — whose wealth dwarfs that of the Steinbrenners. Add in that Los Angeles has year-round warmth and better proximity to Japan, plus a sweetheart deferred deal with Shohei Ohtani that is more ATM for the franchise than cash cow for the two-way star.
