I chose that title because that seems to be a popular opinion (and to get some attention from the Yankee fans), but I am going to argue against it. For the past 15 years a lot of people have said the Yankees were able to win their championships with their checkbook, but lets take a closer look. Lets start with 1996-2001.
During that time the Yankees appeared in five out of six World Series winning four of them. They had a consistent nucleus that was there for most of those seasons. Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettittte, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada were all key parts of the championship teams and were all drafted by the Yankees. Paul ONeill was another key part. He was not drafted by the Yanks. He was acquired in a trade and the Yanks had to give up one of their better players at the time to get him. Not only that, but ONeill while a good player for the Reds hadnt reached his prime yet. At the time Roberto Kelly for Paul ONeill was considered an even trade of decent but not great players. Tino Martinez was another player acquired via trade. The Yanks got him from Seattle after the 1995 season. This deal was done just two months after the Mariners eliminated the Yanks in an intense postseason series so its not like Tino was a gift to the Yanks. David Wells was a free agent singing, but he wasnt exactly a superstar when he went to New York. Even Roger Clemens was acquired in a trade and a much more established Wells had to be sacrificed to get him. Id say the only real big time free agent the Yanks signed during that time was David Cone.
After Paul ONeill retired in 2001 the dynamic of the Yankees seemed to change. Now the Yanks were signing already well established stars or getting them in trades instead of finding their own talent. These were not homegrown Yankees and didnt understand the Yankee way of doing things. Im talking about guys like Kevin Brown, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Javier Vazquez, Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield, and Kenny Lofton. Worse yet they threw absurdly large contracts at mediocre pitchers like Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright hoping to fill the void left by David Cone and Andy Pettite. None of these guys ever won a championship with the Yankees except A-Rod who finally got one last year. The guy I feel bad for is Mike Mussina. He seemed to be a good fit for the 96-01 Yankees but was instead a Yankee from 01-08. The last time the Yanks won the series was the year before they got Mussina until the year after he retired.
It can be argued the Yankees checkbook is not what won them championships, but what prevented them from winning. The championship team of 2009 had a mix of homegrown talent and high priced free agents, but Sabathia and especially Teixeira seem to have that late 90s winning attitude.
One last thing. Like it or not, free agency and big contracts are a common part of baseball today. The Yankees arent doing anything wrong by signing these players. Its fine that you dont like it and I completely understand if youre frustrated by it, but you cant really hold it against the Yanks. Teixeira may have come up with Texas and Sabathia with Cleveland, but as soon as they signed their contracts they became Yankees and their roots became irrelevant. In an ideal world all things would be equal and the Royals would have had just as much a chance to sign Teixeira as the Yankees. This is not a perfect world. In baseball in the 21st century money talks, but it doesnt always win.
During that time the Yankees appeared in five out of six World Series winning four of them. They had a consistent nucleus that was there for most of those seasons. Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettittte, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada were all key parts of the championship teams and were all drafted by the Yankees. Paul ONeill was another key part. He was not drafted by the Yanks. He was acquired in a trade and the Yanks had to give up one of their better players at the time to get him. Not only that, but ONeill while a good player for the Reds hadnt reached his prime yet. At the time Roberto Kelly for Paul ONeill was considered an even trade of decent but not great players. Tino Martinez was another player acquired via trade. The Yanks got him from Seattle after the 1995 season. This deal was done just two months after the Mariners eliminated the Yanks in an intense postseason series so its not like Tino was a gift to the Yanks. David Wells was a free agent singing, but he wasnt exactly a superstar when he went to New York. Even Roger Clemens was acquired in a trade and a much more established Wells had to be sacrificed to get him. Id say the only real big time free agent the Yanks signed during that time was David Cone.
After Paul ONeill retired in 2001 the dynamic of the Yankees seemed to change. Now the Yanks were signing already well established stars or getting them in trades instead of finding their own talent. These were not homegrown Yankees and didnt understand the Yankee way of doing things. Im talking about guys like Kevin Brown, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Javier Vazquez, Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield, and Kenny Lofton. Worse yet they threw absurdly large contracts at mediocre pitchers like Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright hoping to fill the void left by David Cone and Andy Pettite. None of these guys ever won a championship with the Yankees except A-Rod who finally got one last year. The guy I feel bad for is Mike Mussina. He seemed to be a good fit for the 96-01 Yankees but was instead a Yankee from 01-08. The last time the Yanks won the series was the year before they got Mussina until the year after he retired.
It can be argued the Yankees checkbook is not what won them championships, but what prevented them from winning. The championship team of 2009 had a mix of homegrown talent and high priced free agents, but Sabathia and especially Teixeira seem to have that late 90s winning attitude.
One last thing. Like it or not, free agency and big contracts are a common part of baseball today. The Yankees arent doing anything wrong by signing these players. Its fine that you dont like it and I completely understand if youre frustrated by it, but you cant really hold it against the Yanks. Teixeira may have come up with Texas and Sabathia with Cleveland, but as soon as they signed their contracts they became Yankees and their roots became irrelevant. In an ideal world all things would be equal and the Royals would have had just as much a chance to sign Teixeira as the Yankees. This is not a perfect world. In baseball in the 21st century money talks, but it doesnt always win.
