LIFELESS, LAST PLACE LOSERS!

This team isn't even a SHADOW on the 2022 Yankees that were swept in the ALCS last year.....and that's sad and re-damn-diculous! This team is going nowhere fast and the standings prove it.

Forget April Fools day jokes, the Yankees ARE the joke of MLB and based on what we are all watching, it is hard to have hope that things turn around in May. I can't believe that the Yankees are sharing last place in the AL East with the Red Sox right now. This team is 8 games back of first place and it's true that teams do not win the World Series in April....but you can lose it in April.

There was nothing about yesterday's game that I felt good about. Okay, so Aaron Hicks had two bloop hits....big whoop. He also struck out with the bases loaded. It's a miracle we even scored two runs and that the Rangers didn't score more than 15 runs. This team is WORSE than last year, bottom line.

Sunday’s loss stung when Nestor Cortes was pounded in a 4 2/3-inning, seven-run outing and tied a career high nightmare. My twitter page was full of rants calling him a one-hit wonder. Sure, I still believe in Nasty Nestor, but yesterday's game was the worst time to have an implosion, especially when it's the Rangers!

As frustrated as I am with the players, the creators of this roster should not get a free pass. This team is injury prone and expensive. They are riddled with terrible long term contracts. No other team has more  salary on the books invested so poorly. The farm system is consistently depleted as a result of failed trades and it has to stop! Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman should have consequences. For Cashman, that SHOULD mean dismissal. 

According to Spotrac.com HERE, MLB league average payroll is $157,930,894 and the Yankees are just shy of $280 million. Yeah, let that sink in. Even with that bloated payroll, he can't spend it wisely. He can't find the RIGHT players for a championship team. If he can't assemble one....why is he still here? At the same time, division rivals are operating (and winning) with a smaller payroll:

Toronto Blue Jays:  $211,581,266 or 75% of the Yankees payroll
Tampa Bay Rays:  $73,342,133 or 26%  of the Yankees payroll
Baltimore Orioles:  $64,928,931 or 23% of the Yankees payroll

The wheels have more than fallen off of this team. This team is injury prone, expensive and lacks the real leadership and ability to get back to a World Series and win. There's still a lot of baseball left and time to make improvements, but we haven't been this far out in May since 1984. That's a harsh reality....and a large hole to dig out of.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj