Today the Yankees agreed to contracts with all of their remaining arbitration-eligible players. Their projected payroll, based on the 25-man roster using league minimum players to fill in wherever there is not an obvious starter, is now at about $188 million dollars.
![limbo[1]](http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/limbo1.jpg)
Masahiro Tanaka appears to be a player the Yankees want desperately. Will they break their backs for him? Ponder this current roster this weekend and do whatever kind of dance you need to do to help the Yankees land Tanaka.
If they do, they’ll have no chance at shrinking the payroll enough this season to fit the original austerity plan and they’ll be free to sign more bullpen and rotation depth and to try to upgrade second and third base through trades. But if they don’t sign Tanaka…
Can you imagine them stepping over the $189 million threshold for Ubaldo Jimenez or Ervin Santana or anyone else that’s currently available? The Yankees have been crash-dieting ever since 2011. Masahiro Tanaka is the diet-breaker – the butter-soaked porterhouse. These other guys aren’t even Kit-Kats.
I wonder if the 189 threshold was in Cashman's annual deliverable or something. Like a growth target for a CEO.
And now that he's accomplished this feat, please proceed to make the team better!
I just left a message at the office of Mr. Casey Close saying we here at the Bronx Banter would like to know immediately whether Mr. Tanaka will be joining the Yankees this week. Surprisingly, I haven't heard back from him. It's 6:34am in Los Angeles right now, and maybe he's not in this early on a Saturday, so I'll give him a few more minutes before trying again. Will keep youse guys posted.
[0] If they do, they’ll have no chance at shrinking the payroll enough this season to fit the original austerity plan and they’ll be free to sign more bullpen and rotation depth and to try to upgrade second and third base through trades. But if they don’t sign Tanaka…
I think you are positing a false dichotomy, that it's either $189 and austerity, or it's shoot the moon. Even if the Yankees miss $189 this year, they may still be aiming to stay as close to theshold as possible in order to (1) limit their luxury tax burden this season, and (2) better position themselves to get under the threshold in teh near future.
My gut tells me that they are willing to break the bank for Tanaka but no one else. In other words, even of they sign him, I doubt the team tries to fill other holes except on the cheap.
[3] it's been reported that they want to sneak under or go way over. It's not just my speculation.
[4] We'll see. If that's their thinking, I don't really understand it. But then, I don't really understand a lot of what the organization does.
[0] Not sure I comprehend the Kit Kat to steak comparison, but I do prefer steak, Kobe if I could afford it.
[5] What they do and what they say tests us fans and followers. Nothing they have done so far makes sense, except for releasing what's his name, the outfielder and the other guy who pitched. Joba wasn't a bad move either. But what I am talking about is who they added. Even if they sign Tanaka, who will field the balls hit?