Yankees: New York furloughing player development staff is a horrible look

The Yankees reportedly furloughed members of their player development staff.

It hasn’t been the best of times for the New York Yankees this week. We watched them get swept at home by the Tampa Bay Rays who, whether you like to admit it or not, have established themselves as the club’s Achilles heel.

The Yankees’ division lead is now gone, and their potential get-right series was postponed after two positive COVID-19 tests hit the Mets’ organization. Furthermore, the likes of Gleyber Torres, James Paxton and Zack Britton just joined the team’s impossibly long list of players on the IL.

Fans in the Bronx probably won’t be surprised by this, but we have more news that will undoubtedly serve as another gut punch. Several reports confirm the Yankees have furloughed a staggering portion of their player development staff.

According to the New York Post, more than 50 employees of the Tampa-based program were furloughed heading into the weekend. Back in March when spring training was suspended due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, dozens of clubs around MLB furloughed and laid off personnel.

When you consider the Yankees’ overall worth, this is a terrible look. Per Forbes’ annual valuation of MLB teams, the reigning AL East champs ranked first for the 23rd consecutive year at $5 billion, which is up a whopping 9% increase from 2019. Not only that, but New York produced close to $700 million in revenue last year.

We have no idea what the Yankees’ financial situation looks like amid the ongoing pandemic, but the lack of revenue being generated without fans in the stands (among other things) simply isn’t a strong enough excuse for an action as inconsiderate as furloughing close to 60 employees.

We expected a lot better from the 27-time world champions, especially during these trying times.