Hal Steinbrenner: Yankees are not for sale
New York Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner, right, slaps hands with his son Hal before a pre-game ceremony renaming Legends Field to George M. Steinbrenner Field at spring training baseball in Tampa, Fla. (March 27, 2008) Credit: AP
Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees' managing general partner, denied that the family is exploring the possibility of selling the team, a claim contrary to what the New York Daily News reported in Thursday's editions.
"I just learned of the Daily News story. It is pure fiction," Steinbrenner said in a statement. "The Yankees are not for sale. I expect that the Yankees will be in my family for many years to come."
The story cited a number of anonymous sources that suggested the Steinbrenner family, which has been the principal owner of the franchise since 1973, may be looking to cash in on the Yankees, particularly after the Dodgers were sold last month for a record price of $2.175 billion.
"Major League Baseball has received no indications from any representatives of the New York Yankees or anyone else that the Club is for sale," MLB said in a statement.
The Yankees, presumably, would be worth considerably more, with the report speculating the franchise value to be in the $3 billion range. The Daily News report described the Steinbrenner family as restless owners, disenchanted with skyrocketing payroll costs among the big-market clubs in Major League Baseball.
Hal Steinbrenner said during spring training this year that his goal was to slash the Yankees' payroll from its current $209 million -- the highest in the sport -- to below $189 million for 2014, a reduction that would allow the team to avoid paying MLB's prohibitive luxury tax. He has never talked about selling the Yankees.
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