Hal Steinbrenner -- No edict to spend less on Yankees' payroll - ESPN

TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner on Friday emphasized that he has not ordered his front office to drop the team's player payroll below the highest competitive balance tax threshold of $301 million this season.

Steinbrenner, however, questioned whether fielding a payroll in that range is prudent.

«Does having a huge payroll really increase my chances that much of winning the championship?» Steinbrenner said. «I'm not sure there's a strong correlation there. Having said that, we're the New York Yankees, we know what our fans expect. We're always going to be one of the highest in payroll. That's not going to change. And it certainly didn't change this year.»

In the wild-card era (since 1995), 21 of the 30 teams to win the World Series ranked in the top 10 in opening day payroll. However, just three teams since 2009, the year the Yankees claimed their last championship, have won the World Series ranked in the top three in payroll: The 2018 Boston Red Sox (first in the majors), 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers (second) and 2024 Dodgers (third).

This year, Steinbrenner said the Yankees, one of the most valuable franchises in professional sports, are currently projected to have a CBT payroll between $307 and $308 million after a busy winter that included losing Juan Soto in free agency but adding Max Fried, Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. Cot's Contracts, which tracks baseball salaries and payrolls, estimates the number to be $304.7 million, ranking fourth in the majors behind the Dodgers, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.

The Yankees have ranked in the top three in payroll in 16 of the 17 seasons since Steinbrenner became chairman and controlling owner of the franchise in 2008. The