Lux Investing

Why do people think that $200+ million roster should equal a World Series?

I find it very narrow minded thinking that just because you spend all that money Steinbrenner should expect and deserve a Championship. Who is the judge to say that is a better way of running a team. Doesnt the owner and GM who uses their scouts to asses talent and grow them in the farm system for years and make intellegent free agent aquisitions just as deserving of a Championship. To me that sounds like more work and more deserving. Anyone can write a check if you have it. But if you honestly tell me all the money he spends in wisely invested you are very dilusional. Seeing as 3 of the 4 teams in the World Series are ranked in the 20's in payroll and some of the last few years Champions have come from these type teams tell me why that is the better way to go. Sounds more like bad business dealings from a greedy owner. All I am saying is that is an inflated salary. Are you telling me Clemens is worth what they are paying him. Players are getting older and past their prime. If the salaries were hidden and we didnt know who made what, the Yankees would not be the best team in the league. I cant blame it all on Torre, some is mismanaged money.

Public Comments

1. Ask George Steinbrenner, he seems to think that's the way to do it.
2. What athlete deserves more than 1 million per year anyhow? Definitely not Manny Ramirez's lazy azz.
3. Just because the Yankees spend the most money doesn't mean they will win the World Series every year. You still have to spend wisely and get players that fit your system. You need to have some luck to avoid injuries too. The Yankees problem is they load up on whoever the big name at the time is without making sure he fits their needs. They have the hitting but the pitching is not that good and has gotten very old.
4. look, the average team payroll in the majors is about $75million, when a team like the yankees spends 200 million dollars that team should at leats get past the first round! I'm a yankees fan, but i question the leadership of that team, when your owner can't even make a simple buisness decision, you know your organization is in Trouble.
5. Well if you pay a lot of money for talent it almost guarantees you the postseason, unless of course, you are the Mets. But once you're in there, it comes down to the team morale, streaks, and smart executions. Steinbrenner puts an expensive winning machine on the field every year. They in turn make it to the post season. That's why I think it's best that they're going in a new direction now. I loved Torre, but the Yankees look lifeless in the last few year's playoff games. If you have more talent you have a solid team....but everyone needs a role player. Think of it this way, if you gather all the employees at your local Burger King and enter them in a spelling bee against the top 5th graders in the country, the 5th graders will most likely win year in and out.....But once in a great while there might be a word like, pedophilia, which only one man who violated his parole and now works at Burger King knows how to spell. Sometimes you get the most from where you least expect it.
6. No matter how much you spend, there are no guarantees in life. Logical people know this.
7. I don't know how many schools of thought there are on this, but I will tell you the ones I have heard. Typically, Yankee fans see spending $200 mil on the players as the owners committment to winning. he wants to win, so he spends the money on the top players to give him the best chance. They also, typically, blame other owners for pocketing the money that the Yankees give them in luxury tax. Then, another group of fans, mostly yankee fans, will say that what the Yankees spend on payroll, they make it up on merchandising. They are ok with the fact that, if funded from only ticket sales, $50/ticket/game goes to salary. Another group, who's favourite team salary is on the high end, but not quite, say that teams like the Yankees go too far, but they also do compared to the low end teams. most fans of medium range fans, will say you can get a competitive team by drafting and developing players. Keep your own players, but don't go crazy on others. For the low end team, they typically don't have a lot of fans anyway, which is why they are a low end team. I would rather have teams spend around the same amount and leave success in the hands of player development, drafting and trades. Teams that overspend merely give those marquee players more money than they need and buy into the hype that they are baseball.
8. It's mostly Red Sox fans who think that - the hypocrites they are.
9. Well, it's gotten them to the playoffs for 15 years straight. Although, they don't have role players. They don't have guys that lay down bunts or sacrifices. Their team will spank most crappy teams but when comes down beating a playoff team the Yankees don't have what it takes.
10. Tell that to George Steinbrenner