Putting the Yankees’ financial austerity in context

Photo by Donald Bowers/Getty Images for Manfredi JewelsFinal MLB payrolls for this year show the second-largest decline since 2004, according to Forbes. Based on figures provided by the Associated Press, the 30 clubs combined to spend $4.548 billion on player salaries in 2018. That’s $115.4 million less than what they spent the previous year. Forbes cites the Yankees’ decreased spending as a major contributing factor.

The Yankees’ final 2018 payroll for luxury tax purposes was $192.9 million. That figure represents the team’s lowest year-end payroll total since 2003, when they spent $184.4 million. The Yankees’ payroll did not dip below the $200 million mark at any point in between, while…