Anyone who wants to tell you that the Yankees aren't the gluttons of Major League Baseball should just look at their history with the luxury tax penalty. The penalty has been in existence for fifteen years and
The Bronx Embalmers have bellied up to the tax bar fifteen times. This time, they're paying a $15.7 million tax on their 2017 salaries. Not to be outdone, the Dodgers—who have gone over the threshold five straight years—will cough up $36.2 million this time. So, collectively, the two
Bi-Coastal Behemoths will contribute about $52 million to the till. Only three other teams will pay the tax on their 2017 salaries—the Giants ($4.1 million), the Tigers ($3.6 million) and the Nationals ($1.4 million). Of course, the Red Sox did
not go over the threshold in 2017. By not spending more, they
also did not strengthen their club at the trading deadline—and went on to a second straight early exit from the playoffs.
