Hal Steinbrenner officially addressed concerns about the New York Yankees appearing afraid to spend on MLB stars like Bryce Harper.
In his own eyes, Hal Steinbrenner is a chip off the old block. The New York Yankees owner said that if George Steinbrenner were still at the Bombers’ helm, he also may have passed on Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.
Steinbrenner explained his thinking on Monday’s episode of “The Michael Kay Show,” per Newsday’s Anthony Rieber:
“(Harper and Machado) are two incredibly talented players. We talked about it and discussed it and opinions varied on both players, but I really felt our need if we’re going to go out and spend hundreds of millions of dollars, our need was pitching, because in my opinion—and people might disagree with me—that’s the reason we didn’t make it to the ALCS.”
Steinbrenner also responded to the popular line of reasoning that says his father undoubtedly would have signed Harper and Machado:
“I don’t think it’s necessarily true. George was a very emotional guy, there’s no doubt about it, and very intelligent and passionate and all that. But he listened to his people. We had meetings every day in the offseason addressing areas where we really needed improvement, and that had to be the first thing—and sometimes the last thing—that we did. So there wasn’t always a Harper being signed every year, even under him.”
Following that logic, it’s reasonable to believe George would have signed Patrick Corbin and Nathan Eovaldi, unlike his son. The Boss might have even forced a trade for Corey Kluber and/or Trevor Bauer.
Of course, Hal did inspire GM Brian Cashman to deal for lefty ace James Paxton. Also, the team invested in bullpen studs Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton.
Corbin and Eovaldi’s values were jacked up a bit by a weak pitching market. Therefore, it’s possible Hal’s moves work out much better than the ones everyone thinks his dad would have made.
Only time will tell. And that time begins on Mar. 28 at 1:05 pm.
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