Yankees Trade News: Payroll Could Increase, New York Won’t Be 2021 Deadline Sellers, Steinbrenner Says

The New York Yankees are prepared to improve the roster in hopes of turning their season around, even if that means adding payroll with a trade. That's what team owner Hal Steinbrenner said Thursday, at least, during what might be the low point of the team’s 2021 campaign.

The Yankees on Wednesday blew an 8-4 ninth-inning lead against the Los Angeles Angels, as closer Aroldis Chapman surrendered a game-tying grand slam. The Angels tacked on three more runs to complete their 11-8 victory. New York scored seven runs off Shohei Ohtani in the first inning, but the team found a way to suffer their fifth loss in six games.

Wednesday’s debacle at Yankee Stadium dropped the team to 41-39. New York sits in fourth place in the AL East, trailing the Boston Red Sox by 8.5 games. The Yankees are 5.5 games out of the wild-card race, prompting questions about the roster and job security of manager Aaron Boone.

Steinbrenner gave Boone a vote of confidence, indicating no changes to the coaching staff or front office are forthcoming.

“Am I mad at what I see? Absolutely,” Steinbrenner said. “I’m aggravated, frustrated angry, but that’s not going to push me into a knee-jerk decision to get rid of somebody that the players respect, want to play for, want to win for.”

The roster is a different matter. New York was thought to have more talent than just about any American League team at the start of the season, but that hasn’t manifested itself in a playoff-caliber team.

It’s looking less and less likely that the Yankees can make the postseasons without multiple upgrades. Doing so might push New York over the $210 million luxury tax threshold, which Steinbrenner has hoped to avoid. The Yankees’ payroll leads the AL at around $197 million, according to Spotrac.

The prospect of missing the playoffs for the first time in five years could force Steinbrenner to spend more than he planned. On Thursday, he told reporters that he would consider paying luxury tax penalties if it means trading for a player that would help the team.

“I would absolutely consider, if a piece comes up that I think is a good piece and baseball ops thinks is a good piece and something we should do, I would absolutely consider it,” Steinbrenner said, via The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler.

For some Yankees’ fans, the 2021 season has been reminiscent of 2016, when New York last failed to make the postseason. The franchise made the uncharacteristic decision to trade some of their most valuable assets, dealing Chapman in his first stint with the club, along with reliever Andrew Miller.

That is not a direction that the Yankees plan to go in this year. Steinbrenner said he’s not even contemplating New York being sellers at the July 30 trade deadline.

“We’re not going to get down,” Steinbrenner said. We’ve had tough losses before. We’re going to do everything we can to win, win, win.”

The Yankees made a minor trade Thursday, acquiring outfielder Tim Locastro from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Locastro is hitting .178 with one home run in 118 at-bats this season.

The Yankees start a three-game series Friday with the first-place New York Mets.