Assessing If Yankees’ No-Facial Hair Rule Limits Their Roster Options in a Limited Free Agent and Trade Market

The New York Yankees never stop to amaze the world. That said, it may necessarily not be for the best. While the Bronx is filled with a bunch of dapper looking extremely talented players, they are deprived of one thing. Beards. Why, though? Well, if you gotta play in the Bronx, you’re gonna have to look “professional”. 

This peculiar aspect of the Pinstripes has sparked recent chatter. While a player’s personality might go beyond being a Yankee, this long-ingrained team culture is the focal point of grooming guidelines. Players like Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres lately have flaunted stunning looks with beards, but the non-negotiable policy is winning. Does this come with implications in the current offseason? 

The Importance of (Not) Having a Beard 

Some say yes and some say no. While the beard thing is quite obsolete under the evolving lens of looking professional, the late Geroge Steinbrenner would not have liked it if this was breached. Here is what the policy that was instituted in 1973 says “All players, coaches and male executives are forbidden to display any facial hair other than moustaches (except for religious reasons), and scalp hair may not be grown below the collar. Long sideburns and muttonchops are not specifically banned”. But it is 2023 (almost 2024); is this worth making it a deal breaker? 

Apart from it being almost the end of the year, it is also the season of free agency and player trades. With that, there is a bearded former ‘Bomber’ that New York is supposedly eyeing. Jordan Montgomery. This 30-year-old pitcher was let go by the Yanks due to the front office’s belief that he would not be a factor for the team in the postseason. But news is out that NYY plans to reunite with Monty after 2 seasons without him. There’s a catch though. 

Montgomery has a beard. A question that Hal Steinbrenner would have to answer before making a decision would be, What’s more important, pitching or ‘chronicles of the follicles’? If he chose the latter, would the pitcher be flexible about getting rid of his beard? If not, then would it stop him from signing with New York? The higher-ups might actually act on it, history is proof. 

In the Tug of War Between ‘the Beard and the Bronx’

A decade ago, same time of the year, MLB insider Bryan Hoch discussed Brian Cashman’s planning to acquire relief pitcher Brian Wilson. But the deal went through before it even began. Cashman’s words were, “I can rule out Brian Wilson. That was volunteered to me during our conversations, that the beard stays on“. He further added, “We could use bullpen help, but you can cross him off the list. I was told, ‘Don’t even bother”. The event of getting rid of Wilson’s signature beard is not for sale.

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Wilson is as known for his mound antics as he is for his jet-black beard. According to reports, the pitcher even declined a $1 million offer to shave this season from a company that wanted to use the event as a platform for endorsement and promotion. With him turning down the cash and the potential to work in the much-envied mega-franchise, one thing was clear. In the tug-of-war between ‘the Beard and the Bronx’, the Beard won.  

The New York Yankees’ Gley’beard’ Torres

If there is one Bronx Bomber whose bearded look fans adore, it is Gleyber Torres. Though Torres is incumbent in the Bronx, the policy cannot be compromised. Fans have been vocal about the obsolete rule, though not specifically triggered by the shortstop’s stubble. Twitter is flooded with words like, “That beard won’t be around for long” and “Yankees need to allow these men to be men and grow their fuc*ing beards. Its not the 1940’s anymore. They should be able to have a nice shaped up beard”. While the rule continues to remain non-negotiable, can they actually compel the players to shave?

As per usatoday.com “What could the Yankees really do if a player refused the shave? The short answer is … not much”. The 2021 article even said that Aaron Boone, the manager of the Yankees, could only really bench a player and justify it as a managerial choice. The reason behind that would be obvious to all. Besides that, it would just be tradition and peer pressure that form the foundation of the entire no-beard policy. It is not a secret to the Yankees that there wouldn’t be much they could do to stop star players if they genuinely wanted to overturn the policy.

That said, the answers to a few questions remain blurry. How stringent is the no facial hair rule, really? Is it worth letting this half-a-century-old clause influence the decisions that the modern-age Yankees make? Could this rule backfire and limit their free agent options at a time when they are the thirstiest? While there is no definitive statement from the officials about this, one can only speculate and hope for the best decisions to take effect. 

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