BELLINGER IS SLIPPING AWAY ...BUT HAL DOESN'T CARE!

 "I've got ears. I know what's expected of me." - Hal Steinbrenner November 2024

My how times have changed. Those were Hal's famous last words when he was chasing after Juan Soto before losing him to the Mets. Funny how he was willing to over spend $760 million on Soto over 16 years but won't open his wallet for any difference makers this season.

I'm sick and tired of it. This offseason is a bust. Hal said he knows what is expected of him but....we don't have a championship caliber worthy team. We have returning Yankees, including an expensive Trent Grisham, Ryan Weathers and then some minor league dopes to bolster depth. This is a wild card team at best. That's even a pipe dream right now.

The Yankees are still paying chicken with Cody Bellinger and Scott Boras and now they are just daring anyone else to come to the table and out bid them according to Bob Klapisch.

I get it, because that is a "fair" offer. But when you have teams willing to spend stupid money like the Mets and the damn Dodgers, it's a dangerous line to tip toe over. The bigger problem for me is....if Cody doesn't come back the Yankees are screwed because all of the impact bats are gone. They have new teams. The Yankees have a weaker team and suddenly we are stuck with Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones for better or worse! That's not how a competitive team like the Yankees should be operating.

This winter is an absolute bust. Brian Cashman and Hal have literally pissed it away. If the season starts tomorrow, we are so screwed. Our rivals are better and have meaningful upgrades to their teams where as we have the 2025 roster with no Cody and a weaker offense and outfield. All of this to save a buck and probably start golfing in November.

All because Hal wants to save some money. The writing was on the wall in November last year. "Would it be ideal if I went down [with the payroll]? Of course. But does that mean that's going to happen? Of course not. We want to field a team we know could win a championship -- or we believe could win a championship," read more HERE. The Yankees have the means to pursue any player they want to improve their team and make them more competitive.....they just choose not to.

And in this case they have chosen mediocrity. Cody is going to be playing in a different uniform this season....and the Yankees are going to be a bottom feeder. The more Hal does this and proves to us that he doesn't care it becomes easier for us to not care enough to spend money on tickets, merchandise and overpriced concessions so Hal makes less money. Maybe Hal isn't smart enough to realize that.

Hal is playing a dangerous game here. If Cody does not return it is proof that Hal doesn't care about the legacy of this team anymore. We care more than he does! Just sell the team Hal.....we deserve better and I am just sick of you at this point!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj