The past year has belonged to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sure, they won the World Series in October, overpowering the New York Yankees in just five games and overcoming a deficit that seemed sure to buy the Yankees more time. And, yeah, just over a year ago they signed superstar Shohei Ohtani to a record-setting deal. But the story recently has been their free agency, fueled by a combination of the previous two and the willingness to spend big.

To put the Dodgers’ spending spree in context, they’ve spent over $450 million this offseason alone, including hundreds of millions deferred. Including penalties for exceeding the salary threshold, their payroll for the 2025 season will likely be in excess of $500 million. The Philadelphia Phillies are slated to be second, nearly $100 million behind.

Their free-agent and extension class includes two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, NLCS MVP Tommy Edman, two-time All-Star Teoscar Hernández and highly sought-after pitcher Roki Sasaki. They haven’t stopped adding or signing reliever Kirby Yates to a one-year deal at the end of January.

As the spending continues, so have fan – and club – outcry.

A day after Sasaki’s signing, Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts commented that it was “really hard to compete” with the Dodgers. More recently, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said, “It’s difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kind of things that they’re doing.”

The Dodgers, Yankees and Cubs represent the three top revenues in the league. They also represent the first, fourth, and tenth highest payrolls for the upcoming season, respectively.

Fan outcry has largely been concentrated around MLB’s lack of a salary cap, a mark that distinguishes it from nearly every other professional sports league. The top and bottom payrolls in the 2024 season were separated by nearly $250 million – the New York Mets clocked in at around $315 million, while the Oakland A’s clocked in at around $62 million.

The Dodgers’ willingness to spend has only made the lack of parity that much more obvious. It is worth mentioning, though, that the highest payroll has won the World Series just two times in the past 15 years. Spending does not by any means guarantee a championship.

“They still have to have a season that’s relatively injury-free for it to work out for them,” Steinbrenner said. “It’s a long season as you know, and once you get to the postseason, anything can happen. We’ve seen that time and time again. We’ll see who’s there at the end.”

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said the team’s success this season could be attributed to new technology in the clubhouse. While most of the league suffers through another uptick in injuries, New York has remained durable and currently leads the A.L. East division.

“Our injuries have been below average as opposed to way above average, which we’ve had at least two of the last five years,” Steinbrenner said at the Major League Baseball owners’ meetings. 

Steinbrenner admitted to not fully understanding the innovations but claimed that personnel have received them well.

“It makes a difference,” Steinbrenner went on to say. “We did a lot in the clubhouse, a lot of new technology: red light therapy, infrared saunas, hyperbaric chambers … Stuff that’s right over my head. But these players, they really, really like it. Maybe in some way, shape, or form, all that new technology is helping with the injury situation.”

The Yankees owner is heaping praise on his staff at a difficult time for some teams, as many star players have already headed to the injured list early in the season. Pitchers have suffered the most as the league desperately searches for ways to promote better arm endurance. But the Angels’ Mike Trout and Phillies’ Trea Turner are two of many key position players who have also had to miss time.

New York is not entirely unscathed by injuries, as the team has had to compete without ace pitcher Gerrit Cole and third baseman D.J. LeMahieu all season. The team also lost young talent Jasson Dominguez to an elbow injury. However, all of these injuries occurred before the season, and the team has carried on well despite them.

With a 35-17 record, the Yanks currently hold a 3.5-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the division, setting up a tense A.L. East battle as summer approaches. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have combined forces to become a monstrous duo in the middle of the lineup, propelling the team back into World Series contention after a poor 2023 season.

The New York Yankees announced during the All-Star break that they will add an advertising patch to the sleeves of their uniforms for the remainder of the 2023 season. The deal with Starr Insurance could reportedly remain in effect until 2031 for $25 million per year.

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“We are extremely proud to welcome Starr Insurance as the Yankees’ first-ever Signature Partner,” owner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. “Having had Starr as an insurance carrier of ours for the last decade and having worked closely with their leadership team as part of our preestablished partnership, it is clear that Starr is the right company to embark with on this landmark relationship. There were many aspects of Starr that aligned with our organization, including their century-plus history, significant New York presence, worldwide reach and unparalleled commitment to the community.”

The Yankees are not the first team to make advertising deals for uniform patches, as big-market squads like the Mets and Braves have already begun donning them to mixed reviews. The Yankees have already received additional criticism, however, because of their status as the most traditional team in baseball. The team has famously not included last names on either their home or away jerseys for more than a century and has strict rules about excess facial hair.

Because of their brand as the most storied team of America’s pastime, the Yankees’ new advertising deal comes in direct conflict with that image for some fans.

“What is the amount of money that allows an insurance company to slap their logo on the most famous pinstripes uniforms on planet Earth?” Rich Eisen said on his podcast after the announcement, adding that it was mandatory for the Yankees to use the money to acquire talent.

While the Yankees are sure to receive more blowback than most, their decision to add a patch to their uniforms is part of a massive trend that will eventually consume a majority of teams in the league. Thirteen teams will now bear an advertiser’s patch with many more teams expected to follow in the coming months.

New York Yankees executive Hal Steinbrenner said he was confused by fans’ frustrations about the team’s performance early in the 2023 season. After 74 games, many of which have been without reigning MVP slugger Aaron Judge, the Bronx Bombers hold a 41-33 record and are third in the AL East.

“They are upset,” Steinbrenner told Michael Kay on a recent radio broadcast. “I’m a little confused, this year, being the third week of June, why they’re so upset, but they’re upset and that’s gonna get my attention, of course.”

Steinbrenner, the son of late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, went on to say that fans should expect improvement after a particularly rough period in early June. Since May 31, the team has gone 6-10 and lost six games by one run. This skid coincides (and likely corresponds) with Judge’s absence, as the outfielder has been off the field with a toe injury since June 3.

The executive said that Judge’s injury was not the only one keeping the team back, as starting pitcher Carlos Rodon is also working his way back from a number of injuries and setbacks which forced him to the injured list to begin 2023. In his first rehab start in Somerset, Rodon threw three innings and struck out five batters. The former Giants star signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees in the offseason.

“Health is gonna be a part of it,” Steinbrenner said. “We gotta get Aaron back. Rodon had a rehab outing and felt great afterwards, 42 pitches, I believe. We gotta get them back in the mix.”

In the glory days of May, the Yankees won 19 games and were climbing back into contention for the top spot in the division behind the Rays, who had begun to cool off after a white-hot start to the year. With July quickly approaching on the horizon, however, the Rays maintain a five-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles, while New York is barely in the picture 9.5 games back.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed confidence Thursday that an investigation would not reveal collusion between the New York Mets and Yankees. His comments came after a report Wednesday that the MLBPA believed the teams’ tacit agreement around free agent Aaron Judge violated the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

The MLBPA’s original claim involved a report from SNY which stated that owners Hal Steinbrenner and Steve Cohen would not engage in a bidding war for Judge because of a mutual respect for one another. If true, the MLBPA believes that this could violate a statute in the CBA which states, “Clubs shall not act in concert with other Clubs.”

Despite concerning the MLBPA, Manfred said that he did not suspect that the investigation into communications between Steinbrenner and Cohen would reveal any wrongdoing on either side.

“I was a labor [lawyer] first and labor rule one is you want to make sure when you make an agreement, you live up to the agreement,” Manfred said. “I’m absolutely confident that the clubs behaved in a way that was consistent with the agreement. This was based on [an internet] report.”

Reports about the Mets pursuing Judge after seven seasons in the Bronx have been circulating for months but have also consistently clarified that Cohen and the Mets had no intention of actually making a move to sign him. The usual reason given was that Cohen did not want to interfere with a crosstown rival over their franchise player.

Communications between Cohen and Steinbrenner that will be investigated by MLB will likely include emails, phone records and text messages. The league’s investigation is supposed to determine the Mets’ motivation for not pursuing Judge and whether those motivations constitute collusion.

“We will put ourselves in a position to demonstrate credibly to the MLBPA that this is not an issue,” Manfred said. “I’m sure that’s gonna be the outcome. But obviously we understand the emotion that surrounds that word [collusion] and we’ll proceed accordingly.”

New York Yankees’ co-owner Hank Steinbrenner died at the age of 63 “from a longstanding health issue” in his Clearwater, Florida, home on Tuesday. The Yankees’ released a heartfelt statement describing what Steinbrenner meant to the winningest club in Major League Baseball.

“Hank was a genuine and gentle spirit who treasured the deep relationships he formed with those closest to him,” the Steinbrenner family said in the Yankees’ statement. “He was introduced to the Yankees organization at a very young age, and his love for sports and competition continued to burn brightly throughout his life. Hank could be direct and outspoken, but in the very same conversation show great tenderness and light-heartedness. More than anything, he set an example for all of us in how comfortably he lived enjoying his personal passions and pursuits. We are profoundly saddened to have lost him and will carry his memory with us always.”

Steinbrenner was the oldest son of former Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner who died of a heart attack in 2010. Despite being passed over for the role of managing general partner which his younger brother Hal Steinbrenner assumed in 2008, Hank was in his 11th season as co-chairperson and was heavily involved in player recruitment and negotiations as well as managing the team’s business and baseball operations.

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Steinbrenner also served on the board of the YES Network and worked with a youth baseball travel team called “Hanks Yanks” founded by former Yankees’ bat boy Ray Negron. Negron told The New York Times that Steinbrenner was very proud that kids who passed through the baseball program would eventually attend college.

“He could trust young people and open himself up to them,” Negron said. “He took so much pride in the fact that more and more of his kids were going to college.”

Negron later mentioned that Steinbrenner didn’t feel he was overlooked when Hal received full control of the franchise. “He never, ever mentioned it,” Negron said. “He was always extremely proud of his Yankee heritage and extremely proud of his brother and what his brother was doing with the team.”

Steinbrenner is survived by four children, daughters Jacqueline and Julia, and sons George Michael IV and John. One granddaughter, Anabel and his siblings, Jennifer, Jessica and Hal.

Joe Girardi and the New York Yankees are parting ways after ten years.

Joe Girardi and Yankees news

The 53-year-old manager revealed his departure in an emailed statement Thursday morning, saying: “With a heavy heart, I come to you because the Yankees have decided not to bring me back.”

In the statement, Girardi also thanked the Steinbrenner family and general manager Brian Cashman.

Girardi just finished the final season of a four-year, $16 million contract.

“I want to thank Joe for his 10 years of hard work and service to this organization,” Cashman said Thursday in a statement. “Everything this organization does is done with careful and thorough consideration, and we’ve decided to pursue alternatives for the managerial position.”

“As Hal Steinbrenner and I mentioned to Joe directly this week, he has been a tremendous Yankee on the field and away from it, as a player, coach and manager. He has a tireless work ethic, and put his heart into every game he managed over the last decade. He should take great pride in our accomplishments during his tenure, and I wish Joe and his family nothing but success and happiness in the future.”

This year, the Yankees were just one game away from advancing to the World Series. They fell to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.

“I’ve had 10 great years here,” he said. “I feel extremely blessed. God has been good to me, and we’ll see what the future holds.”

Girardi was blamed for the Yankees’ loss in Game 2 of the AL Division Series in Cleveland after he failed to request a replay review on a strikeout that was erroneously called a hit batter.

During Girardi’s decade-long tenure, the Yankees captured one national title (2009) out of their 27 total championships and reached the playoffs six times. He was MLB’s third-longest tenured skipper, behind the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Scioscia and the San Francisco Giants’ Bruce Bochy.

Cashman’s contract also was up at the end of the season, although he is believed to return after constructing a powerful roster.

Girardi, a former YES Network broadcaster who is a father of three, served as the Florida Marlins manager for one season (2006). A Northwestern graduate, he is also an avid college football fan, and has stated he would be interested in working as an athletic director.

He also thanked fans for their support and said the Yankees’ last six games with him in charge “will remain in my heart forever.”

DETROIT, MI – AUGUST 24: Manager Joe Girardi #28 of the New York Yankees argues with umpire Dana DeMuth in the sixth inning while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 24, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner defended manager Joe Girardi, his coaching staff and general manager Brian Cashman on Wednesday and blamed players for the team’s poor start this season, which bottomed at 9-17.

Yankees Owner Hal Steinbrenner Backs Manager Joe Girardi

The Yankees are currently in last place in the AL East at 16-22.

Mark Teixeira, Chase Headley, Michael Pineda and Luis Severino were singled out for criticism, while pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Aaron Hicks, and Starlin Castro were also praised alongside Girardi and Cashman. Headley was also somewhat praised.

”The coaches are doing a good job,” Steinbrenner, 46, said. ”These are professional athletes. They’re the best baseball players in the world, and sooner or later it comes down to them, on the inside, to push through whatever it is they’re going through and to persevere.”

Far less angrily than his father George, who hounded the team from his purchase in 1973 until almost the moment of his death in 2010, Steinbrenner analyzed the Yankees in depth, and spoke with some hope.

”Needless to say, the first five weeks were disappointing, frustrating, particularly looking at the offense,” he said. ”Clearly not living up to their potential. When you look at a guy like Mark Teixeira, clearly he’s not playing to his potential with the bat.”

Texeira, a three-time All-Star first baseman, started the day with a .211 average and 11 RBIs.  After going 5-3 with a 2.89 ERA as a rookie, Severino is 0-6 with a 7.46 ERA and is on the disabled list with a triceps injury. Pineda is 1-5 with a 6.60 ERA – 102nd among 104 qualifying pitchers in the major leagues. Headley didn’t have an extra-base hit until May 12.

Girardi, who spoke in Phoenix prior to the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, understood Steinbrenner’s sentiment.

”If I was the owner, I’d be frustrated, too,” Girardi said.

After missing the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time in two decades, the Yankees returned last October only to lose to the Houston Astros in the AL wild-card game. For their first 22 home games, the New York team averaged 38,587 fans, on track to surpass last year’s average of 39,992 given the larger crowds that usually show up when school is out.

”Pineda is concerning – all these strikeouts and yet he’s given up these runs,” said Steinbrenner. “Clearly he’s giving up runs early. Clearly there’s been issues with his slider. Again, Larry can only do so much. Whatever technically is wrong with the delivery, Larry’s going to work on, but the rest is up to Pineda to figure out. He’s a professional and that’s what we expect from him and that’s what his teammates expect from him.”

The deadline for trades without waivers is on August 1.

”Season tickets are slightly up, which is the first time in four or five years that that’s been the case,” Steinbrenner stated. ”I don’t know if it’s making the playoffs one game or not. I don’t know if it’s some of the young players, Hicks, Castro, (Aroldis) Chapman, some of the guys we brought on. I don’t know. But the fans have been excited.”

The owner also stressed the need for the Yankees to always have veteran stars, even as they add younger players.

He looked ahead to prospects such as first baseman Greg Bird and pitcher James Kaprielian, who are both hurt, and shortstop Jorge Mateo.

The Yankees won six World Series titles while George Steinbrenner was in charge, but their only World Series under Hal was in 2009.

‘If my name wasn’t Steinbrenner, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. I don’t look at this as something I deserve. I’ve been given this. It’s a gift. I respect it, and I enjoy it.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdN5d1uY27U

PHOTO: NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 11: Managing general partner and co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees looks on during a news conference introducing Masahiro Tanaka (not pictured) to the media on February 11, 2014 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)