As we all know, the New York Yankees have made a concerted campaign to reduce their payroll for the upcoming season and beyond to try to avoid the dreaded luxury tax. They have been pulling players off of the waiver wire, signing average free agents and avoiding their previous spending habits from seasons past. This is not truly a bad thing, but definately unusual. As a baseball fan it has definately been strange to see and somewhat tough to digest.

The New York Yankees have a problem. That question is quite simple for the near future when you boil it down; quite simply, they have some dreadful contracts that aren't going away any time soon. To get your payroll under $189 Million dollars should not take such significant measures and really speaks for itself. The only real cure is time, in the mean time typical players will be taking field bearing pinstripes.

The New York Yankees will compete because, well, that is what they do. They are good at winning, much better than any other organization, but a World Series ring is probably not on the horizon. In fact, they stand a really good chance of winning the division with a little bit of luck and a lot of players having better than average seasons. I have never been a huge lover of the New York Yankees but I can't help but pull for the crew that they have assembled for the upcoming season.

Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office for the New York Yankees have done a wonderful job of assembling a competitive team in light of the spending vices that have been put into place. Primarily because that is a new territory for them, usually they have been allowed to spend at will. Like I said, I doubt this team, as erected today, is going to win the World Series, but they will compete and cause the other teams in the American League East to sweat a little bit.

The New York Yankees are a model franchise that many other clubs have tried to duplicate. Putting aside the payroll, they win at a level that is to be admired. One instruction that they will learn by default from the payroll constraints is that bigger contracts and spending at will are not the only way to fulfill your goal of winning World Series Championships. They have also proven over the years that an endless supply of cash doesn't hurt either. Either way, best of luck to them in 2013!