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The New York Yankees now have the opportunity to throw a huge contract at Tarik Skubal this winter after getting a massive investment of over $2 billion. The Yankees earned the nickname of “The Evil Empire” because the franchise developed a reputation in the late 1990s and into the 2000s for throwing huge paydays at star free agents. While the club still has among the highest payrolls in MLB today, its current ownership has aimed to pull back on some of that big spending in recent years. A major reason is the fact that they incurred a bunch of debt to build their current stadium nearly two decades ago. The new version of Yankee Stadium opened in 2009 and cost over $2 billion. That takes a lot of time to pay off, and management has looked to find ways to cut costs. However, they won’t have to worry about that anymore, which means they can be a serious player in the free agent market for Skubal this offseason if they want. Apollo Sports Capital announced on Tuesday that they have purchased a stake in the iconic MLB team for $2.6 billion. The New York-based alternative asset manager oversees nearly $1 trillion in funds. “The Steinbrenners will maintain full control of the Yankees, with Hal Steinbrenner continuing as the team’s managing general partner,” The Athletic reports. “Apollo Sports Capital’s CEO, Al Tylis, will join the board of Yankee Global Enterprises, in a newly added seat… MLB rules limit the stake an individual private equity fund can hold in a club to 15 percent.” NY Yankees can now go all in on Tarik Skubal this offseason The two-time Cy Young Award winner is expected to land a contract that will make him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history. On Tuesday, MLB analyst and former general manager Jim Duquette suggested that deal will be worth over $400 million. He also claimed the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers would be the top two contenders. Since they are the highest spenders in the league right now. However, after clearing the books of their remaining debt and adding new funds from Tuesday’s investment, the Yankees have the financial flexibility to go after the best pitcher in baseball. The seven-year veteran will turn 30 in November and probably has at least four more years left as an elite hurler. The biggest contracts the Yankees have ever handed out were nine years and $360 million to Aaron Judge in 2023 and nine years and $324 million to Gerrit Cole in 2020. Going over $400 million would seem far out of their norm. However, they were reportedly only a few million behind the Mets’ $765 million winning bid for Juan Soto two winters ago. Signing Skubal would add a fourth big contract for a pitcher, to go along with nine-figure deals they’ve previously given Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon. However, Cole only has two years left on his contract, and they could probably get a solid return to address other needs if they trade Rodon and the $56 million left on the final two years of his pact in the offseason. Making a Skubal signing sensible to anchor their rotation for many years in the future. Tap Here To Add Sportsnaut As A Trusted Source on Google