Yankees fans remember Randy Levine. He’s the guy who played hardball in arbitration with Dellin Betances – step right up, Randy – we need you.
Yankees president Randy Levine is a mystery man as one of the chief stockholders of the New York Yankees.
Working behind the scenes, I don’t even know if he has an office at Yankee Stadium or if he can even tell you what DJ LeMahieu or Aaron Judge is batting this year.
But I do know this – he has a backbone and is not shy about making his views known.
You’ll remember him as the Yankees’ exec who crept out of the woodwork to create a stir in the arbitration negotiations with then Yankee Dellin Betances.
The Yankees, who are notable for their generosity in arbitration cases es as witnessed by their granting Gary Sanchez a substantial raise after the horrible year he had last year, drew their guns with Levine largely at the helm in 2019 to stop Betances from getting a $2 million increase in 2019.
Yankees: That Was Then, This Is Now
We’re not here today to discuss the merits of that outcome, but we do see evidence from that episode that Levine has some chutzpah or audacity that is noticeably missing in the Yankees’ hierarchy these days.
Would Randy Levine hesitate to step in, with or without the okay from Hal Steinbrenner, to wield a fire hose on Yankee’s underperformers, whether they be coaches, players, or a general manager?
Hal Steinbrenner may be the principal owner of the Yankees, but is he the type to openly challenge one of his partners, and especially one who is willing to do the dirty work he can’t bring himself to do?
For me, it’s an interesting question, because like you, perhaps I’ve been beating my brain out trying to come up with a way for the Yankees to reach out from the quagmire they find themselves in.
Much like Steve Cohen, the new owner of the New York Mets, Levine has an outsized ego, and he tends to rub people the wrong way at times – but is he the right man at the right time to make a difference for the Yankees?
Now, if you don’t believe in a complete overhaul at the top of their organization, this column (or several others I’ve written) is not for you.
But if you see a log jam at the top with Steinbrenner and Cashman, then this is the column for you, with a unique (I believe) suggestion as to the way the Yankees can make this thing right.
For one, Randy Levine, because of his apparent outsized ego, would love to be thrust into the limelight again, from the depths of whatever he does day-to-day as the Yankees’ president, and what that “job” entails.
And who knows, maybe he’s quite content to get priority tee times at the Country Club.
Grasping For Straws?
I know neither of the relationship he had with George Steinbrenner (if any), but he does impress me as being two peas from the same pod, and therefore, he can serve as the sparkplug that this Yankees team sorely needs.
If you’ve been following these columns about the Yankees, you may think as a writer I’m grasping for straws in trying to come with ways they can revive a season that is fast losing its grip on the team – and I do indeed plead guilty.
But as a fan, I plead not guilty because something’s got to give here – and soon…
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Niko Rivera I see him often as I work very near him. I should stop him & have a chat.
Andrew Pal No. The Yankees need new ideas, new blood, and a new way of competing. Randy Levine is history. They can’t keep going back to the well, especially when it’s drying up.
Jonathan Megna He is too busy trying to segregate the poor fans from the rich fans at the stadium
Mike Harrington The horse’s ass of the Yankee organization. Anytime something stupid, obnoxious, or elitist comes out of the organization it’s usually Randy behind it. Pretty sure he’s the designated a-hole at the top of the organization.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
