Winning the Wild Card Game and getting bounced in four games in the ALDS hardly qualifies as a successful season, but, as far as ownership is concerned, the Yankees accomplished a very important goal this season. The Yankees stayed under the $197M luxury tax threshold and reset their tax rate, and saved tens of millions in the process. It’s not quite a clean slate financially, but it’s about as close as the Yankees can get.
Over the last year or so the general assumption seems to have been that once the Yankees reset their luxury tax rate — they’ll be taxed 20% rather than the maximum 50% should they go over the $206M threshold next year — they would go back over the threshold and spend lavishly.