THE YANKEES ARE CHEAPER THAN YOU THINK!

Something to make you laugh, because I know I sure did. The New York Yankees spend some big bucks. They spent $324 million on Gerrit Cole and $360 million on Aaron Judge and are very close to the last tier of the luxury tax bracket. The Yankees spend money on the field....but not airborne.

I'm sure by now you probably heard the news, but just in case check it out HERE, the Yankees do not foot the bill for in flight Wi-Fi when the team travels. Apparently, the Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds are the only teams that do not pay for in-flight internet for their players. They do however, reimburse the coaches and other staffers for the expense if they buy it.

This makes me think of Moneyball. If you know me, you know that I LOVE the movie Moneyball. I can almost recite the entire movie, that's how much I love it. One of my favorite scenes is when Assistant GM Peter Brand travels with the Oakland A's and he sits next to David Justice on the plane. If you know the movie, you know what happens next:
David Justice: "how come soda is a dollar in the clubhouse?"
Peter Brand: "Billy likes to keep the money on the field."
David Justice: "Soda money? Really?"

Peter Brand: "It's hard to see."

I guess so. Welcome to 2023 and Wi-Fi is the Yankees soda money. It's funny how Yankees partner with Delta, who is technically the party charging the fee offers free Wi-Fi to T-Mobile customers, like Judge. So while he doesn't have to worry about paying the fee, guys like Lucas Luetge would have to pay but found a loophole thanks to Michael King.

So does it seem silly that a sports franchise worth $6 billion won't spring for Wi-Fi? Yeah, considering the less valuable teams in baseball do. But what do I know? It seems silly to me. With as much traveling as these guys do, I don't think free Wi-Fi is an overly extravagant accommodation and it's a drop in the bucket for the Yankees. These days, Hal Steinbrenner says he consults Judge on numerous team-related issues, read more HERE so maybe Judge can tell him if he can afford renovations to the spring training facility, he can pay for an internet bill too.

Maybe then Brian Cashman will walk back his "I think most of our players can afford it" remark. Sure, most of these guys are millionaires, but not all of them. If all of the player quotes in the SI article are true, it's pretty sad....but also funny. I just can't believe the Yankees are one of cheapskates in this scenario. 

HAL DON'T BE A CHEAPO! Even Billy Beane ended up getting enough money so his guys didn't have to pay for it in the clubhouse. Where on the field is the money Luetge had to pay for Wi-Fi?! Spring for some damn Wi-Fi, will ya?

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj