Hal Steinbrenner said the New York Yankees won't go for younger free agents because "fans want the stars." Yankees fans called those comments hypocritical.
The New York Yankees are in trouble with superstar outfielder Aaron Judge heading to the injured list for the second time this season. With that, the Yankees' offense has taken a hit, as the big names meant to hold down the fort have been unable to produce at the plate. Judge being injured hasn't been the only issue, as a variety of players have all been sidelined due to ailments.
On Tuesday before the Yankees' game against the Mets, Steinbrenner met with reporters to discuss a variety of topics, including the team's injury concerns over the years. Steinbrenner shut that idea down When asked whether this would cause the Yankees to pivot to signing younger free agents. Why?
"Fans want the stars." This quote comes courtesy of Newsday's Laura Albanese.
Yankees fans call out Hal Steinbrenner for hypocritical comments
Let's just say that Yankees fans didn't appreciate Steinbrenner saying that "fans want the stars," considering the fact that they have bowed out of signing some of the biggest stars available in recent offseasons.
The Yankees, as many of the Twitter users pointed out above, have passed on opportunities to bring in a variety of stars. Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Manny Machado, and Carlos Correa were just a few of the names who were available in free agency, but the team passed on them in favor of other options, whether in-house or players on cheaper contracts.
Perhaps the move that received the ire of the fanbase the most was passing on shortstops like Correa, Javier Baez, and Corey Seager after the 2021 season and instead trading for Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Minnesota Twins to be their shortstop. Coming along in the deal was Josh Donaldson to play third base. Both Donaldson and Kiner-Falefa struggled that year.
That's not to say that the Yankees haven't signed stars. They did bring in Gerrit Cole on a lucrative contract to be their ace, and he has lived up to it. Then this past offseason, they signed Carlos Rodon to bolster their starting rotation. However, Rodon has yet to make his Yankees debut due to a forearm strain and a back issue.
While his comments haven't exactly instilled the most confidence from the Yankees fanbase over the years, he still believes that the team as is can win a championship once they are healthy. Once again, fans wait to see if that is truly the case, or if they continue to wait for their first World Series title since 2009.