Most men, when they get in their 40s, have a midlife crisis — we just don’t call it that anymore.  One of the things we also realize is that we start acting (and looking) like our fathers.  I saw my dad recently, and I can definitely see myself in him.  I am not the only one.  As much as people think George Steinbrenner would be rolling in his grave over how his son, Hal, has done as the owner, maybe they are not that different.  Let me explain.

George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1973 — that is when he started as the “Boss.”  When people compare his son to him, there is an image of the Boss and his success, but was he truly successful, and was he successful because he outspent everyone else, especially in buying big bats?  Well, let’s look into that to see if that is a myth or reality by going decade by decade.

The 1970s

What a time to be alive or for me to be born!   Well, the other thing that was born in the 1970s was free agency.  In 1976, MLB was introduced to the world of free agency, and the Yankees went shopping prior to the 1977 season (when they won the title) and again in 1978.  What people forget is that the Yankees went to the World Series in 1976, which means they had built a championship team before adding the missing pieces.  They didn’t just put a team together of high-priced mercenaries.  Also, the free agents weren’t exactly high-priced!  Let’s take Reggie Jackson.  He signed a 5-year deal for 3.5 million in 1976.  A dollar in 1976 is worth $5.70 today.  So that was basically a 5-year deal worth $20 million in today’s dollars (a far cry from 60 million a year).  Outside of Reggie, it was paying for pitchers like the Rich “Goose” Gossage, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, and Tommy John — as you will see, it wasn’t about hitters.

The 1980s

Fun trivia fact: the Yankees won 854 games in the 1980s, which was the best in all of baseball (15 games better than the Detroit Tigers).  No rings, however, makes people view the decade as a failure.  This was a decade where the Yankees frequently paid for great players like Dave Winfield, Don Baylor, Ed Whitson, Phil Niekro, Dave Collins, Steve Sax — hold on here — let me check my notes.  Those aren’t great players (except for Winfield).  The truth is, the Yankees used trades to get players in the 1980s with uneven success.  So, the myth is that they bought all the best players in the 1980s, but it’s just a myth.  They did bring in both hitters and starting pitchers, but not much to write home about.

The 1990s

Well, this decade started off in the pooper, but then the Boss opened his wallet, made great moves, and the rest is history.  Well, I am not sure that is true.  The Boss was suspended in 1990 and returned in 1993, but by that time, he wasn’t really the person in control of the team.  Now he did bring in some free agents from 1993-1999 like Jimmy Key, David Cone, David Wells, Kenny Rogers, Hideki Irabu, and El Duque (Orlando Hernandez).  What do they all have in common?  They were all starting pitchers!  When you look at who made up the Championship teams from 1996-2000, you have a bunch of past their prime hitters (like Wade Boggs, Tim Raines, Darryl Strawberry), but most of their star hitters were homegrown.  Tino Martinez is basically the only exception.  So, the dynasty era wasn’t about overpaying hitters.

The 2000s

 The Boss died in July 2010, so this was his final act in charge, and he did get the team one title — 2009!   The Boss did hand out some big contracts to hitters like Jason Giambi (7 years, $120 million), Gary Sheffield (3 years, $38 million), Mark Teixeira (8 years, $180 million), and Godzilla (Hideki Matsui) (3 years, $21 million).  A dollar from 2001 is worth $1.88 today, so even the Giambi contract would be worth a little under $30 million a year (about the same for Teixera).  There is also the A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) contract, but that is its own subject for another day.  Again, with the exception of A-Rod, those contracts were massive, but still not even what Cody Bellinger was asking for, and those were much better players when they were free agents.  Once again, the Yankees signed a lot more free-agent starting pitchers than big bats (Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Mike Mussina, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett).  The Yankees were once again the best team of the decade with 965 wins (40 more than the Boston Red Sox), but only one title to show for it (which, by the way is fascinating as the Yankees have been the team of the decade in 3 of the 5 decades I have been alive, yet only have 1 title to show for it). 

Verdict

 The lesson under the Boss was simple: to develop a talented nucleus, pay for starting pitchers, and maybe an expensive bat (maybe).  When you look at the current Yankees, that is still the design.  If you look at the three current players brought in from outside the team with over $100 million contracts, it’s pitchers Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Max Fried.  So maybe, just maybe, Hal did learn something from his father.  He isn’t being cheap; he is being smart.  Just like with his dad, he is only spending money on starting pitchers and building a lineup from within with some pieces added via trade.  That is the Yankee way, and just like the Cat’s in the Cradle, Hal might just be a chip off the old block after all.