Buzz: Yankees to Cut Payroll, still want Halladay
Update, 11:59 pm:
In a post to Twitter, Olney says, “The Yankees budget is set somewhere between the low $190s and $200 million.”
Original Post:
Buster Olney of ESPN.com believes the Yankees will reduce their payroll next season to roughly $185 million, compared to the $201 million spent last season.
In a post to MetsBlog.com last July, here, I wrote:
…in talking to people around the game today, there is a lot of chatter about how the Yankees are being pressured from investors to cut spending and start delivering a dividend for once… in other words, the Yankees are unable to spend like they used to, and the gravy train may be coming to end, not surprising in this economy… in other words, nothing can last forever, and there is no such thing as an unlimited budget…
…so, without them tipping the scales, and no one team going on a massive spending spree, it’s hard to image a player getting paid like CC Sabathia or Mark Teixeira did just one year ago… and so, i bet there will be a lot more trading, swapping of contracts, etc., than in previous years…
Nevertheless, Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Yankees still intend to pursue Blue Jays RHP Roy Halladay, who is likely to cost some combination of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero.
