Times just keep getting tougher, unfortunately. We all keep telling ourselves that it will get better, but it's June. We are halfway through a crappy 2020 and we still have no baseball. Some of us might be getting back to work as the country starts to re-open....but some of us might not.
The Yankees released 45 minor league players across all levels of the farm system on Monday. I've heard so many arguments about it. Some say it sucks, but they get it....others have said it was a terrible moral decision to make. I get both sides....but it still sinks in the pit of my stomach. I was told on Twitter yesterday that I needed to "pick a side" but truth is, it is hard.
Argument 1: It's a business decision - and it was right for the business
It's unlikely that we will have a minor league season in 2020. We still don't have an agreement for a 2020 Major League season as the players union and owners continue to fight about it. Baseball has been planning for a reduction of minor league systems anyway, now this pandemic has expedited that idea. Teams are expected to be reduced from 162 to around 120. If you look at the list of minor league affiliations per team HERE, looking at just the American League, the AL EAST have the most minor league teams.
The Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays (!) have nine affiliate teams which is most in the division. The Yankees could easily be on the hook for losing a team, and the short-season Staten Island Yankees have been rumored to be a possible cut.
The Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays (!) have nine affiliate teams which is most in the division. The Yankees could easily be on the hook for losing a team, and the short-season Staten Island Yankees have been rumored to be a possible cut.
Aside from the sheer number of teams and players that the Yankees have in their minor leagues, Spring Training is a time for cuts. Obviously, we've been dealing with a pandemic so the usual cuts from Spring Training were not made.
The Yankees would've made anywhere from 20-40 cuts anyway, so in this case the cuts just come later which means they got a little more pay. Also, players will get more money from unemployment benefits covered under the CARES act then their $400/wk stipend covers.
Argument 2: Terrible Moral decision, the Yankees can afford it and should pay their people
The Yankees would've made anywhere from 20-40 cuts anyway, so in this case the cuts just come later which means they got a little more pay. Also, players will get more money from unemployment benefits covered under the CARES act then their $400/wk stipend covers.
Argument 2: Terrible Moral decision, the Yankees can afford it and should pay their people
So unemployment may pay more temporarily, but now they are left without a job and stuck in a market that has few, if any opportunities with other teams. In reality, many of these players will have to face the likelihood that their baseball careers are over. That's what hits me the hardest, some of these guys won't have their major league dreams come true and it will be time to find a new passion. Sure, a lot of us may be in the same position and that is the risk that comes with being a professional athlete, but it's still had to stomach. I can't imagine being in their shoes and working my whole life towards a goal that may not happen.
Honestly, the Yankees could afford to pay all of these guys. By cutting 45 players at a pay rate of $400/wk through August the Yankees are only saving about $230,000. That's a drop in the bucket for them. That money is what it costs for Gerrit Cole to pitch for two innings! That's a comparison that stings a little.
The Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals have figured out a way to keep all of their players so far and pay them....so the Yankees can too IF they want to. We know Hal Steinbrenner has the money. Baseball is a mess right now, but one would hope that years down the road teams are going to need the depth to continue to build.
The Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals have figured out a way to keep all of their players so far and pay them....so the Yankees can too IF they want to. We know Hal Steinbrenner has the money. Baseball is a mess right now, but one would hope that years down the road teams are going to need the depth to continue to build.
I don't know. I am sad based on the decision but I get it. I'm listening to my heart and my brain is thinking logically at the same time. It's not a combination that makes sense for business, which is exactly what baseball is.
Where do you stand on this? Do you think the Yankees should have released so many players....or was it the best decision for the organization? Comment and tell us.
Where do you stand on this? Do you think the Yankees should have released so many players....or was it the best decision for the organization? Comment and tell us.
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