The New York Yankees have had a productive offseason so far in 2022, keeping Anthony Rizzo and Aaron Judge in the Bronx and adding one of the best starting pitchers available in Carlos Rodon. But the “Steve Cohen Tax” might deter Aaron Boone and the pinstripes from making any more moves in the short-term, most notably for an upgraded left-fielder.
MLB and the players’ association raised the luxury tax threshold from $210 million to $230 million in 2022, with a new fourth tier starting at $290 million, per ESPN. That’s a number the Yankees likely don’t want to go over in 2023.
When Cohen was asked his thoughts on baseball’s new luxury tax level being nicknamed after him earlier in 2022, he had a great response: “It’s better than a bridge being named after you.”
“I’m OK with it,” Cohen continued. “I’m willing to live with it. My view was, we’ve got to look at that agreement in its entirety — $290 million is a lot to spend. It’s a pretty big limit. I’ve got to live within the baseball confines.”
Players like Jurickson Profar, David Peralta and Corey Dickerson would all make sense for the Yankees, but the team has already spent $290 million, and they are just $3 million away from the Cohen tax threshold.
Instead of adding one of those free agents, the team could give one of Oswaldo Cabrera or Estevan Florial a shot, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Per Heyman, the Yankees had interest in locking up Andrew Benintendi, “but just for four years.” The team also reportedly looked into Michael Conforto, but not at the price the San Francisco Giants got him for, which was two years with a player option at $36 million.
With the Yankees just $3 million under the “Steve Cohen Tax,” the team might be looking to promote from within for the last spot in their outfield, rather than spending any more money on free agents, at least in the short term.
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