After spending a billion dollars this decade, the New York Yankees finally closed the deal and purchased the 2009 World Series.

Is that all they spent?

Mark Teixeira + CC Sabathia + A.J. Burnett = total contract value of $423.5M. And that was just last off-season.

The MFY’s opening day payroll was $210M, by far the biggest in baseball.

But that's pro-rated over many years. For the real cost of their WS, you'll have to tally up the team's annual payroll from 2000 to 2009. I did a quick ck and from 2000 to 2005 they poured out 967 +/- mil which I think doesn't include the luxury tax. So I think it's reasonable to say that they spent close to 2 bil, give or take a few mil for 2 (2000 & 2009) WS championships.

Comparatively, we spent 687 mil +/- (2000-2009) to stay in last place. LOL :)

Actually, I typo'd and meant to say over a billion dollars. But thinking it over, probably a bil over last five seasons.

There is nothing to stop them from realizing upwards of 300 mil in one season if they feel that's what it takes.

Bad for the game of baseball but great for MLB! Very sad.

I forgot to mention the $1.2B new Bankee Stadium that the taxpayers are paying for (including us, as both NYC teams were grandfathering into some arcane tax law allowing them to issue tax-exempt bonds for their stadia).

htt p://deadspin.com/5393033/why-your-stadium-s*cks-yankee-stadium

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Edited 11/6/2009 7:12 am ET by lynnrd

That is true, but the fact the A-Fraud and Jeter Christ make more by themselves than both Florida teams combined is a travesty.

You have been warned!

Uniform goal: Girardi eyes No. 28
George Steinbrenner released a statement on Thursday reminding all of New York that the quest for World Series championship No. 28 is about to begin. That has Joe Girardi thinking he'll need to make a wardrobe alteration to accompany the mission statement.

"That's something I talked to [general manager] Brian Cashman briefly about today," Girardi said. "I think I will. I've got to talk to Shelley Duncan to see if he allows me to wear it."

That shouldn't be too much of an issue. Duncan wound up with No. 28 only after Melky Cabrera swapped it in Spring Training with Brett Tomko, who was released at the end of July.

It's how the Yankees do their business, you have to spend money to make money, and thats exactly what they do. They will never have a 300 million payroll, or at least not anytime soon, first, Cashman wants to LOWER payroll (and has, payroll 2009 was less than '08) they have a much better farm system that has already produced quality players in recent years (Cano, Cabrera, Gardner, Hughes, Joba and Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero are waiting in the wings) Could they have a 300 million dollar payroll? Maybe. But are they? Not a chance, and saying they will is mindless hyperbole. Last, you say the Yankees are bad for baseball... if that is so, then please explain the great TV ratings this year:

ht tp://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3716:world-series-averages-194-million-viewers-up-42-from-2008&catid=57:television&Itemid=122

Also, people have been saying the Yankees are ruining the sport for decades, do you realize that the 30s through 60s, often referred to as baseball's "Golden Age" had the Yankees winning 16 World Series, including 5 in a row at one point?

Let's see, the Twins are sweating over their ability to retain Joe Mauer as the Yankees retain Jeter, Rivera, Posada, and Cano while shelling out huge bucks for multiple free agents. Odds are, the Yanks will sign Mauer next season on top of their current payroll.

How about the Brewers offer of 100 mil to Sabathia and the Yankees trumping that offer by a mere SIXTY TWO MILLION DOLLARS? And then still move onto Tex and Burnett? And you say, Cashman is lowering the payroll? The Yanks do not have squat on the farms so watch them go after Lackey big time. If CC gets hurt, watch the wallet open. My issue is/was they will spend 300 million if that's what it takes and no other team can or should be allowed to do the same.

Ratings are all MLB cares about. That's why they smothered the steroids issue so as to not ruin the Sosa/McGuire campaign. That's why a not so great Soriano at the time got traded and Arod moved to NY w/permission from the commissioner. The last thing MLB wants is a World Series featuring the Twins and Rockies. Poor ratings. B'way, google MLB and tell me what two teams pop up as links when you first survey the reference sight. More ratings.

Historically? A Babe Ruth was signed by the Yankees to raise money for a play in Boston. Gehrig was signed quietly right of the campus of Columbia University. Atop, the Yankees have always had more money quite simply due to their location and I'm not opposing that.

I'd just like to see the Yanks make the post season every year on 140 million dollar payroll. Maybe one less free agent? Maybe the Rays don't see everyone diffuse away next season to big money?

I'll bet you wet your panties every time big Mark or Sosa smacked one. I'll wager you've justified the Yanks spending two Billion Dollars this decade because, they only won a single World Series. Justified at the cost of displacing any team not able to compete with dollars.

You're a freakin nit wit!

Only in major league baseball!

Mauer will likely stay with the Twins, he's from Minnesota, I'm tired of hearing people say "The Yankees are gonna sign Mauer..waaahhh"
I am saying Cashman is lowering the payroll, BECAUSE HE DID. 2008's NYY payroll was higher than 2009's, the numbers cannot and do not lie. And another reason the Yankees are unlikely to end up with Mauer is because they have huge catching depth in the farm system, Jesus Montero might be a better hitter than Wieters, Francisco Cervelli did a solid job in the majors this past year and Austin Romine is another good prospect. They also have a top CF prospect named Austin Jackson, and half the pitching depth is already in the big leagues. While I do believe (and want) they will go after Lackey, that will not make the payroll 300 million, and they never will.

Ratings are important, if you want to remain relevant today you have to have people watching your games on TV, it's that simple. That said, I agree that MLB turned a blind eye towards the steroids for years, but that's not what I'm here to talk about... A bad Soriano? In 2003 he finished in the top five for hits, doubles, home runs, stolen bases... when you consider that Texas needed to get out of that huge contract (which they stupidly awarded after bidding against THEMSELVES) it was actually a pretty good deal for them. So the Yankees come up 6th when you google MLB, big deal, it's called THEY HAVE A LOT OF FANS, most teams with 27 championships and 44+ Hall of Famers do...

Exactly, they bought Babe Ruth, they've been doing this for years. They used to buy all the top amateur talent too, before the draft came, yet that doesn't seem to have stopped them much.

You'd like to see the Yankees win with a 140 million payroll? How about the fact that they haven't had top draft picks for years? Tampa Bay is LOADED with talent, because they lost so many games for so long. One team wins with free agents, one wins with the farm system (the Marlins have done this for years, and it has worked very well for them)

I really didn't pay much attention to Sosa/McGuire, there was something else historical going on in 1998, something about 125 wins... Not two billion, not close, not unless ~500 million is chump change to you. It is still a failure though, but a lot of that was because they didn't spend that money wisely, now they are, and you see the results. What was different in 09 wasn't that they spent more money, it was that they spent money smarter.

Yup, the Yankees bought the series. Look at how much they spent per win, vs. Philly and LA Angels. Championships can be bought, Florida has won it twice and both times they bought it. The only player on both teams was Jeff Conine! Girardi was the manager of one of those teams. Didn't MacPhail have something to do with that as well?
Yankees won it again with the "core four," the only four players that they didn't buy! How cute they have a name. Being in the Yankee farm system is practically a one way street to nowhere. If they need a player in your position they will find the highest profile free agent, let him call the shots and sign away! Perhaps that's the reason they don't have ANYONE in the AFL.
Thats why they end up with a team of as holes! Damon is a traidor! Texiera, don't even get me started. A-Rod is tabloid fodder, I mean come on are you a movie star or a ball player?!?! Matsui may be a free agent because they don't want the guy who won the WS MVP award! While I don't expect him to wind up in the broadcast booth like certian teams do, don't you think he's earned something more than a "don't let the door hit you on the way out?" The way that they treated Torre and the way that Girardi treated us.
We need to start a why i hate the Yankees thread/support group.

Jeter and A-Rod are goin at it. They both die of a heart attack at the same time. Which one of them goes to h*ll first?
The one on his hands and knees.. his sh*t is packed already.

You are additional proof Yankee fans are Yankee fans and not baseball fans. Thank God there are none in my family! Pathetic!

I'm in. I hate the Stankees too. The WS was bought and paid for. MLB needs to get in line with the NFL and have a salary cap. Oh, but gee, then the Stankees wouldn't win and MLB would lose money. I hate the freakin Stankees.

dude really? If the Bankees only had a payroll of 140 million and lost 98 games for several years. Yankee stadium would be be a ghost town and little girls and street thugs would resort to wearing some other teams gear. The fans on this site have it dead on. The yanks farm system is a joke if that wasnt the case they woud bring up these guys and not have to wait 10 years till tex jeter and aroid retire, and even then the yanks would go out and get the next best free agent. It doesnt matter if another team puts 160 mill on a player the yanks will just outbid that team 10 fold and call it a day. Other teams cant bring in high players cause NY blows up the market with thier bottomless pit pocketbook. Im sick of hearing "well dont blame us cause our owner put the money back into the team" gimme a break!! while i agree Peterhead Angelos needs to do a lot more of that Baltimore can never match dimes with the likes of NY. Its like paying 700 a month for an apt here and 1700 for the same apt in NY, NY just has so much more money. You bought this championship plain and simple. Im sorry thats just the truth of what kinda BS team you paid for. Im looking for them to buy more all stars this off season to sit on the bench behind thier all stars that already start. Bankees are a joke, thier bandwagon fans are a joke, the MLB is a joke.

How many NFL teams can you rule out

Go away.