Latest news with #HalSteinbrenner
Newsweek
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Yankees Nearly Passed on Best Free Agent Signing of the Year
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The New York Yankees have had a rough visit to the West Coast, losing the first two games in their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers by a combined 19 runs. But even a pair of brutal losses can't dampen the team's season so far. They are enjoying a 5 1/2 game lead in the American League East division and have overcome several injuries to continue performing as one of the sport's best offenses. One of the biggest keys to that success has been former Most Valuable Player Award winner Paul Goldschmidt, who joined the Yankees this past winter on a single-year, $12.5 million deal. Since joining the Yankees, Goldschmidt is slashing .343/.399/.502. He has the third-most hits in Major League Baseball and a top five batting average, making his relatively small contract their most valuable free agent signing of the year. BRONX, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner speaks during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in Bronx, New York. (Photo by) BRONX, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner speaks during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in Bronx, New York. (Photo by) Satloff/Getty Images But even after losing superstar Juan Soto to the crosstown rival New York Mets, the Yankees almost didn't sign him. "It's true that the Yankees' post-Juan Soto spree left them at the limits of their willingness to spend," Andy Martino reported for SNY. "In fact, it was no sure thing that they would stretch for Paul Goldschmidt until folks in baseball operations made a strong case for doing so." Luckily, the Yankees' baseball minds made a compelling case for the team to extend its payroll a bit to add the seven-time All-Star. They must have seen something even after his .245/.302/.414 campaign with the St. Louis Cardinals last year to suggest he would bounce back in the Bronx. More MLB: Phillies Make Surprise Kyle Schwarber Move After Bryce Harper Injury Update
Newsweek
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Yankees Predicted to Lock Up Shutdown Closer With $39 Million 'Market Price' Deal
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The New York Yankees built on their strong divisional lead with a blowout win against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. The team posted 13 runs in a reminder of just how potent their offense has been behind Aaron Judge this season, but the pitching staff has been surprisingly strong, too. Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Will Warren have been filling in admirably with Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil sidelined. And Luke Weaver has stepped into the definitive closer's role as Devin Williams struggles. After taking over high-leverage situations for Clay Holmes at the end of last season, Weaver has served as the most reliable bullpen arm for the Yankees so far this year. He has seven saves and 23 strikeouts with a 0.40 ERA in 11 games so far. But Weaver is playing on a $2.5 million club option this season with a chance to become a free agent in the winter. As a result, Adam Weinrib of FanSided has urged the team to extend him, predicting that a $39 million deal would be enough to keep him off the open market. BRONX, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner speaks during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in Bronx, New York. (Photo by) BRONX, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner speaks during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in Bronx, New York. (Photo by) Satloff/Getty Images "And even if Weaver won't entertain a hometown discount for the Yankees, they should still be willing to meet market price for their Ferocious Jungle Cat," Weinrib wrote. "If he feels like he owes the Yankees something after they managed to uncover his true first-round talent, maybe he'll accept $9 million annually on a three-year, $27 million deal with escalators. At worst, this seems like a prime opportunity for the Yankees and Weaver to agree on something akin to Jeff Hoffman's contract in Toronto, a three-year, $33 million contract with incentives that could take it to $39 million." The Yankees are traditionally hesitant to pay top-dollar for bullpen arms and have taken a homegrown approach to the relief corps in recent years. But given the poor returns on their trade for Williams, they could see an extension for Weaver as a nice middle ground between hunting for the most expensive options on the market and taking a risk on cheaper but yet unproven options. More MLB: How to Watch Dodgers vs Mets: Live Stream MLB, TV Channel
New York Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Yankees are proving they can succeed without Juan Soto: ‘We've got firepower'
Aaron Judge pulled the New York Yankees cap down on his head and listened. He was standing in front of his locker at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. He had provided the go-ahead home run in a win over the Seattle Mariners, and the talk had shifted from his performance to what loomed Friday: the return of former teammate Juan Soto to the Bronx. Advertisement Have the Yankees recovered from Soto ditching Hal Steinbrenner for Steve Cohen and $765 million? 'There's definitely a hole,' he said. 'A guy like Juan Soto is going to give you 40 homers, hit close to .300 and drive 100 guys in. That's tough to replicate.' Still, there was a but. 'When you get a chance to add (Paul Goldschmidt), to add (Cody) Bellinger,' Judge said. 'Seeing what Trent's (Grisham) able to do playing every single day has been huge.' In less than a minute, Judge posed both the problem and the solution that will bug the Yankees for as long as Soto is doing his shuffle. Yes, the Yankees can win and build top-of-the-game lineups without Soto. But it's going to be difficult to figure out the right formula year after year — which, to be fair, was a challenge before Soto's lone season in pinstripes last year. But his presence now would have been a warm security blanket. 'I think we've got firepower,' manager Aaron Boone said recently. 'We're not perfect, by any means. But we definitely have more athleticism than we've had in a number of years.' Aaron Judge discusses the strength within the Yankees offense. #YANKSonYES — YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 15, 2025 The numbers tell the story. The Yankees' post-Soto pivot has gone well. Going into Thursday, they led the game in wRC+ at 133. The statistic measures runs created and adjusts it to the league average (100). They also were tops in runs scored at 250. Those numbers show an improvement over this time last year with Soto, when the Yankees had the second-highest team wRC+ (116) and had scored fewer runs (211). The offense has led the Yankees to a 25-18 record and first place in the American League East, where no other team started Thursday above .500. They have 12.1 percent odds to win the World Series behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers at 20.6 percent, according to FanGraphs. Advertisement So much of that is because Judge continues to defy expectations. The Athletic's Jayson Stark pondered recently if Judge is the best righty hitter of modern times. Judge leads the majors in so many categories. He's tops in batting average (.412), home runs (15), RBIs (41) and OPS (1.279). The Dodgers' Freddie Freeman was second in OPS at 1.128 going into Thursday. The difference between Judge and Freeman (.151) was about the difference between Freeman and the fifth-place Alex Bregman of the Boston Red Sox (.981 OPS). 'I don't even know,' Goldschmidt said. 'He's just doing so many amazing things.' The Yankees' additions have been boons, too. For the last couple of years, first base had been a black hole for the Yankees, who watched Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu struggle. But Goldschmidt's early returns place him among the Yankees' best free-agent signings in a long time. After taking a one-year, $12.5 million deal, the first baseman has turned in the fourth-highest batting average (.346) in the majors with five homers, 22 RBIs and a .901 OPS. 'It's just quality at-bats every day,' Boone said. 'It's elevating our hitting room and culture. He's killed lefties, obviously. But he's just a real polished hitter that knows how to play the game.' Center fielder Cody Bellinger, too, has come on lately. He started slow, but he's produced an .882 OPS over his last 62 plate appearances. The Yankees acquired him from the Chicago Cubs not long after Soto made his decision to leave for Queens. Bellinger also been a defensive upgrade in center field over Judge, who moved to right, a more natural position. And there's been Max Fried, the early leader for the AL Cy Young Award. With ace Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) out for the year, Fried is 6-0 in nine starts while leading MLB with a 1.11 ERA. Advertisement Not all of the Yankees' additions have been perfect. Devin Williams (8.36 ERA) was bumped out of his closer role in favor of Luke Weaver. The Yankees received Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Nestor Cortes, who has been limited by an elbow injury and has made just two starts. They had to designate veteran Carlos Carrasco (5.91 ERA) for assignment after eight mostly bad games (six starts). The team's biggest and most welcome surprises, however, have come from in-house talent. Grisham has 12 home runs with a .996 OPS in 36 games, his production forcing him into the everyday lineup after he barely played last year thanks to Soto's presence. And Ben Rice (nine homers, .900 OPS) has softened the blow of losing Giancarlo Stanton (tennis elbows) at the start of the season. Anthony Volpe (119 wRC+), Jasson Domínguez (116) and Austin Wells (104) have all produced at above-league-average rates. 'If I don't get the job done, I know Goldy or Belli are going to do it,' Judge said. 'Or Trent is going to lead off the game with a home run, which I think gets everybody to relax a little bit.' The Yankees should get stronger, too. Stanton could return by late May. Starting second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (oblique strain) could be back in a few weeks. Relievers Jonathan Loáisiga (elbow surgery) and Jake Cousins (elbow strain) are on the mend. The Yankees have succeeded without Soto, whose presence doesn't guarantee a World Series win (see: 2024). 'We've got good depth up and down this lineup right now,' Judge said, 'and everyone is feeding off each other.' (Photo of Judge and Oswald Peraza: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
USA Today
03-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Nationals-Orioles MASN dispute settled, giving DC team options for franchise future
Nationals-Orioles MASN dispute settled, giving DC team options for franchise future Show Caption Hide Caption Hal Steinbrenner talks on the Yankees facial hair policy change Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner explains why he changed the Yankees facial hair policy. Sports Pulse Major League Baseball on Monday announced a settlement in the dispute between the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals regarding the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, an entity created to facilitate the Nationals' move to D.C. yet one that hamstrung its ability to maximize revenues. In announcing an end to the dispute, played out in courts and in MLB negotiations for the majority of the Nationals' stint in the nation's capital that began in 2005, MLB says the Nationals are free to pursue their own TV rights beginning with the 2026 season – a key development that may eventually facilitate the sale of the franchise. MLB awarded the former Montreal Expos franchise to the Lerner family, which paid $450 million for it in 2006; the Nationals are now worth an estimated $2 billion, according to Forbes. In 2022, the team said it would entertain offers to purchase the club, only for owner Mark Lerner to announce in February 2024, after tepid interest from potential buyers, that the club was no longer for sale. Now, a significant hurdle to any sale has been removed. A potential suitor for both the team and its TV rights would be Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics owner Ted Leonsis, whose Monumental Sports and Entertainment broadcasts games on its regional sports network. The MASN dispute, which involved more than a decade of litigation, took another twist in January when an MLB committee announced the Orioles would pay the Nationals $320 million for rights between 2022 and 2026. While financial terms were not disclosed, it would appear the final year of that agreement has been terminated. MASN was created to mollify then-Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who forfeited territorial rights to the D.C. area in exchange for control of the Nationals' TV rights. MASN is owned and operated by the Orioles, and disputes between the clubs over rights fee payments began almost immediately after the arrangement was in place. Angelos's family reached an agreement to sell the club to private equity baron David Rubenstein in January 2024; the elder Angelos died in March 2024. Mark Lerner recently told the Washington Post that, after another winter with no major investments to the active roster, his family was "in it for the long haul" now with the Nationals, "unless something different happens along the way." We'll eventually find out if Monday's settlement qualifies.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Yankees make SHOCKING announcements, MLB tries out the ABS in Spring Training
The New York Yankees made two shocking announcements that sent headlines throughout sports, and neither involved acquiring a player or firing someone. In a surprising turn of events, Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner sent out a memo saying that for the first time since his late father controlled the team, players would be allowed to sport 'well-groomed beards' while on the roster. Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the surprising turn of events, as well as the other notable announcement that the team won't be playing Frank Sinatra's iconic 'Theme from New York, New York' after losses. The guys wonder what may have caused this change in tune from the new boss and if their World Series loss has anything to do with it. Also on this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake and Jordan talk about MLB trying out for the first time ever during Spring Training the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system and if this means it's only a matter of time before Robo-Umps become a thing in the game. They then give their top thirty highlights for each team from Spring Training so far, including Dave Roberts learning about Roki Sasaki's marriage, Mike Trout's uneventful debut in right field and Elly De La Cruz on his NL MVP odds. (2:14) - The Opener: Yankees change their tune on beards (16:17) - No more 'Theme from New York, New York' after losses (20:32) - MLB gives ABS a try (34:05) - 15 things from the AL from Spring Training (55:33) - 15 things from the NL from Spring Training🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube
