New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has raised the stakes in the debate over the team’s investment and continued failure to win a title by responding directly to comparisons with the recent winning streak of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a star-studded team featuring Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts that won the World Series back-to-back.
Following the news that the Yankees’ payroll could be capped at $300 million for the 2026 season, Steinbrenner offered his candid take on the situation and did not hold back, generating much comment on social media and a lengthy but entertaining debate.
Yankees owner talks about Dodgers’ dominance and their millionaire investment
In a Zoom conference, Steinbrenner was asked if the Dodgers’ dominance would force him to change his spending approach. The Yankees owner was skeptical of the idea that having the highest payroll guarantees success.
Yeah, look, if there’s a correlation between spending the most money and winning a championship, I still think it’s a weak correlation. The sample size of data is not very large, but they (the Dodgers) earned every penny of it,” Steinbrenner said, recognizing the merit of the Dodgers.
Steinbrenner also attributed the Dodgers’ success to their players performing to their full potential, especially after overcoming injury problems.
“They had problems with injuries throughout the season… but they recovered at the right time,” Steinbrenner said. “The rotation recovered, and when that rotation is healthy, they’re tough to beat. And they, frankly, played up to their potential… and that has to happen.”
Hal Steinbrenner defends Aaron Boone
At the conference, the Yankees owner also spoke about his team’s failure last season and the long streak of so many years without winning the World Series, where, to the surprise of many fans, he backed Boone.
There is a correlation between spending the most money and winning a championship
“You can’t blame Aaron Boone for this, that’s for sure. This series against Toronto was the players’ fault,” said the owner, adding that responsibility for the performance is “the players’, period,” Steinbrenner explained.
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