Hal Steinbrenner made his second appearance of 2025 via a Zoom call with reporters on Monday, the first time since February 21 when he shook the baseball world where he announced that the Yankees would drop the “no facial hair” mandate.
There was a notable discourse between Steinbrenner and The Athletic reporter Chris Kirschner regarding whether the team is profitable or not that received a significant reaction on X:
That said, Steinbrenner made it clear that it would be “ideal” to lower the Yankees’ payroll after ending this past season at $319 million. “Does that mean that’s going to happen? Of course not,” Steinbrenner said. “We want to field a team we know could win a championship, or we believe could win a championship. Payroll has gone up probably every year. It doesn’t mean it won’t go slightly down one year and then up the year after that. It all depends on what’s out there and what the possibilities are and how much I feel we’re able – or we need – to pull the trigger on those possibilities.”
“We can talk before Cash goes into the Winter Meetings about a range,” Steinbrenner continued, “but because it’s a fluid situation, that range can go bye-bye in two seconds if there’s a deal that arises that I feel would be very beneficial to some area of need that we have. It’s hard to give you a number.”
Despite Steinbrenner noting, “I really love our starting rotation next year”, he also acknowledged things that Brian Cashman, the team’s managing general manager, needs to work on in the coming weeks and months. The “Hot Stove” news will only get warmer as the Winter Meetings approach in a few weeks.
“We’re looking at every area of need, and we will determine which needs are most significant and which aren’t,” Steinbrenner said during the call. “We still need another outfielder; we have options. We need to improve the bullpen, for sure.” He noted that the early part of the 2026 season may be rough with Cole and Rodón on the injured list, “but it’s going to be an incredible rotation if everybody comes back as planned.”
The Yankees could potentially be a favorite for right-handed ace pitcher Tatsuya Imai, recently posted by the Seibu Lions of the NPB, to sign with, which would bolster the starting rotation further but would knock someone like Clarke Schmidt or Luis Gil out of the rotation and either into the bullpen or into trade discussions. Imai has gone on record saying, “Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki, but winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life. If anything, I’d rather take them down.” Imai just came off a season in which he won the Sawamura Award, the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award, after posting a 1.92 ERA in 163 2/3 innings with 178 K.
In reference to the outfielder needed, the Yankees currently have a 3-man outfield after Trent Grisham accepted a $22.025 million qualifying offer a week ago, and they may have 4 outfielders if Spencer Jones breaks camp with the Yankees as they head to Arizona, then San Francisco to open the MLB season at the end of March. Of course, the possibility for injuries always exists, especially with the World Baseball Classic coinciding with Spring Training.
Another sore spot that the Yankees owner wanted to get remedied is baserunning. MLB.com reporter Bryan Hoch asked, “When you talk to players and coaches around this team around things you need to do better, what are some of the things they say to you and do you agree with it, (in) ways this team can improve in ’26?” Steinbrenner noted “Mental mistakes. Baserunning for sure, which is why we made a change there (acknowledging the dismissal of 1B coach Travis Chapman), has been a thorn in our side most of the season last year/this year.
Steinbrenner also gave manager Aaron Boone a vote of confidence on the way he has led the team. “He’s a good manager at many of the things he has to do,” Steinbrenner said. “He’s not perfect, I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect. But, he is great at dealing with the players, with his staff, with Cash’s people, with Cash, with (the media), and he makes overall good decisions on the field. You can’t pin this on Aaron Boone, that’s for sure.”
He also gave mixed feedback about the team where he complimented how the team would bounce back the following game after a loss: “When they had a tough loss, the next day, it’s almost like it didn’t happen. They just bounced right back.”
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