“They have accepted mediocrity!” said Mike Francesa in an ever-growing voice. It isn’t surprising – the New York Yankees have made most watchers shout with frustration lately. But what is more amusing is that Francesa decided to call out the ownership. While Aaron Boone has found himself in the crosshairs quite regularly, Hal Steinbrenner and company are now facing questions too.

Who’d have guessed that the Bronx Bombers would lose 22 of their last 32 games? That was unfathomable, especially after the kind of start the team had. But once again, their Achilles heel came into focus – an unbalanced roster construction. However, instead of blaming Boone, Francesa has questioned Steinbrenner’s ambition. How could the ownership want to win if they’re already making money being mediocre?

Is too much income a killer of ambition? Mike Francesa shares his take

Here are two wildly different but still connected facts: The Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2019, moreover, they’ve just lost 22 of their 32 games. But then comes another aspect – they’ve gone 10+ straight games with 40,000 plus fans. And this has irritated Mike Francesa, who called that a reason for the Yankees accepting mediocrity. “When they sell the building out and draw 40,000 fans day after day after day, they’re winning where it’s important to win – at the cash register!” Francesa exploded.

 “They don’t care about anything else. They’ll give you the lip service that they do. But they’re not going to do anything drastic until there’s empty seats or the cash register isn’t ringing,” Francesa finished; a take that has been a common opinion for a long time. But why would the team want to do extra work if they’re already filling their bank? That’s a question that has been haunting the New York Yankees fanbase, and it’s also one of the reasons why, despite Aaron Boone’s scathing remarks, there’s hope for the team to reverse its regression.

More importantly, guess just how much money the Bronx Bombers have? With a $679 Million revenue in 2023 – the Yankees were by far the team with the most income in baseball. However, in a surprising twist, they are nowhere near the biggest spenders when it comes to investing that amount in their roster. In fact, they have been a bottom-tier team in that regard.

New York Yankees remains in the lower half of revenue expenditure 

X account Brooks Gate posted a surprising stat on how much of their income the teams are spending on their roster. Right at the top were the New York Mets, who earned $393M in 2023, and have a 2024 payroll of $342M. That adds up to a ridiculous 87% of their revenue being spent on the roster. Now, let’s look at the Yankees, who have a surprising number. 

Hal Steinbrenner’s Pinstripes had a league-high $679M revenue in 2023. However, their 2024 payroll is at $316 million, which is about 46.5% of the team’s total revenue. So, despite having the highest income among all teams, the Bronx Bombers are probably not spending to their full potential. And one can’t even complain about salary caps, because this is baseball; which is why it was shocking when Steinbrenner said that their current payroll isn’t sustainable. 

So is Mike Francesa right? Do the New York Yankees lack ambition due to their ultra-high income? What’s your take on this? Share below.