Spring training is well underway and pitching still could be seen as the indisputable Achilles heel of the Yankees. With reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell still available, why has the front office not made the obvious move to bulk up on a very big and valuable arm for some insurance?
Well, there are a few reasons.
The luxury tax is the ball-and-chain on the Yankees
Let’s start from the Bronx Bombers’ point of view: according to Spotrac, New York has an estimated payroll is nearly $296 million — about $59 million over the $237 million ceiling.
For the nitty-gritty details, this is the third consecutive year the club has surpassed the tax threshold, meaning they are subject to a 50% tax rate on the 40-man roster. The
Yankees also have a 45% surcharge for going $40 million to $60 million over the threshold. In short, this adds another $42.8 million to Hal Steinbrenner’s bill, a hefty price to go over the set threshold.
Snell is asking for more than what he is worth
Snell is not worth the ace salary he’s asking for, which might seem like a hot take for someone who just brought home his second career Cy Young Award.
Outside of those two Cy Young campaigns in his eight years of pro pitching, the rest of his career is average. Other than his 2018 season with a 21-5 record and 1.89 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays, the year he won his first Cy Young, his ERA in non-Cy-Young years is 3.78.
His career ERA is 3.20, which coincidentally is lower than the rest of the Yankees’ starting rotation save for Gerrit Cole. That being said, I still think his Cy Young season was the exception, not the rule.
Reports of Snell asking for $270 million over nine years, then getting counter-offered with a six-year, $150 million offer, extends the Yankees further over the tax threshold. If the two parties ever agreed to a deal, it would be far more team-friendly.
For more on Blake Snell and the Yankees, visit AMNY.com
Read more: Brooklyn Murder: Early Morning Shooting at Apartment
