Yankees and Mets were left without playoffs despite having the highest payrolls in all of the Major Leagues

It is a fact, with six games remaining in the Major League regular season, both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets were left out of the playoffs this year. Something that could be classified as a great failure, due to the million-dollar investment that both franchises made in their payrolls.

On the one hand, the Bronx team made two big moves to face 2023. First, the extension of Aaron Judge, who agreed with the Yankees on one of the largest contracts in MLB history. $360 million dollars for nine seasons, which translates to a $40 million increase in the team’s already high payroll.

Another hiring that raised the needle on the New York payroll was that of Carlos Rodón. Who for six seasons will receive $162 million. $27 million dollars per year. That added to the salaries of Giancarlo Stanton ($25 million per year) and Gerrit Cole ($36 million per year) raises the Yankees’ payroll to $280 million dollars for the 2023 season. The second highest in all of the Major Leagues.

The Yankees’ payroll was second only to their crosstown neighbors, the Mets. Who, with the hiring of Justin Verlander (although he was traded mid-season) and José Quintana, who also arrived this season, made the figure reach $307 million dollars, ranking as the highest in the league.

Among the team’s highest paid are Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Díaz. Although the latter did not even play this season due to injury. In addition, Scherzer was the highest paid in the franchise along with Verlander. $43.3 million dollars each per season.

The millions did not ensure the playoffs in New York

Not even having the highest payrolls in the Major Leagues guaranteed the Big Apple teams a place in the postseason. In the case of the Yankees, they will have one of their worst seasons in the 120-year history of the franchise and ending a streak of six consecutive seasons reaching October.

While the Mets, who were coming off a 2022 season in which they won more than 100 games, will even finish this season with a negative record and rethinking their policies. Well, according to the team’s own general manager Billy Eppler, the Mets will bet more on young talent for the coming seasons and will leave aside the million-dollar investments. That is why they finalized the departure of both Verlander and Scherzer in the middle of the season.

Other franchises with million-dollar payrolls that did not reach the playoffs

After the New York teams, the podium for the highest payrolls in the Major Leagues is closed by the San Diego Padres. That with their $235 million in staff they also failed to get into the postseason.

Fourth place is held by the Philadelphia Phillies with $232 million dollars, and although they could not face the Atlanta Braves in the National East Division, they lead in the fight for the wild card.

The only big news of the five most expensive payrolls in the Major Leagues comes from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who with a roster of $228 million dollars managed to comfortably win the pennant of the National League West Division.

Keep reading:
· Anthony Rizzo also spoke about Yankees elimination: “Throughout the season we didn’t play well enough”
· Aaron Boone, with an uncertain future, begins to plan the Yankees’ 2024: “Until they take it away from me, that is my focus”
· Aaron Judge strongly criticized the elimination of the Yankees: “We didn’t know how to do our job”