MLB Exec: 'I’m Not Going to be Playing the World’s Smallest Violin for the Yankees'

Even though the New York Yankees have been usurped by the both the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets as the highest-spending team in MLB, people around the league aren't feeling sorry for them.

One executive for a rival American League team told The Athletic's Jayson Stark summed up his feelings about the Yankees not being the big bully on the block anymore very succinctly.

"I’m not going to be playing the world’s smallest violin for the Yankees," the exec said. "And I don’t think they’re asking anybody to."

If anything, at this exact moment, the Yankees might be as sympathetic as they've ever been. Gerrit Cole is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Tuesday.

Luis Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, is going to miss three months with a strained lat. Giancarlo Stanton said he's dealing with "severe injuries" in both of his elbows, but surgery is only considered a last resort at this point.

DJ LeMahieu is going to miss "several weeks" with a strained calf suffered in a spring training game on March 1.

The Yankees aren't exactly crying poverty in the way that some MLB owners seem to with the way they run their franchise. They still have Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt in the lineup.

New York's front office made a strong push to keep Juan Soto, reportedly offering him $760 million over 16 years. He wound up joining the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract.

Rather than dwell on the loss of Soto, the Yankees did a good job reallocating the money they offered him to bring in other players. They signed Goldschmidt and Max Fried as free agents and traded for Bellinger and Devin Williams.

The Yankees enter the season ranked fourth in total payroll, behind the Dodgers, Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. This marks the first time since 2018 they are outside of the top three.