It's long been known that New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner looks at the club as more of a business than a passion than his father did. Steinbrenner has at points in time questioned whether the club really needed a $200 million — and now more recently $300 million payroll — to win a championship.
Fans, meanwhile, have been frustrated by the owner's willingness to approach the top tax threshold, but not surpass it, citing concerns about the organization's bottom line. That has led general manager Brian Cashman to make some moves, and more importantly, develop habits that, on the surface, look like they can squeeze every last drop in the bucket (but often backfire in the long run).