Sure, the Yankees have continued their descent toward being just another baseball team with their new uniform advertisement sponsor patch. But on the bright side, they are making a buck!
The Bombers “should net a minimum of $20 million annually” thanks to their deal with “signature partner” Starr Insurance, according to USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale. The deal runs through 2031, which means the deal should be worth close to $100 million on the whole.
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Our take: Unless owner Hal Steinbrenner is going to take all the Year 1 money and use it to send Josh Donaldson packing, who cares. The Yankees already have more money than God. Now they have some more. Big deal. Steinbrenner is still going to be strategically cheap. General manager Brian Cashman’s flawed roster will still be here. Manager Aaron Boone will still be employed. And an insurance company will have its logo on the pinstripes.
It’s not what you want.
Look, the Yankees have been on the road to this day for a long time. We all knew it was coming. But for whatever reason, this patch hits much harder than all of commissioner Rob Manfred’s rodeo clown special uniforms and the Nike swoosh. At least those were unobtrusive and/or had a short shelf life. This is obvious and — due to the long-term deal — unescapable. And depressing. The Yankees are still the Yankees, but less so every day.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
