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Yankees NYY

198789–73 (0.549)
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GM: Woody Woodward

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 1987, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$17M
Surplus $M
-6
Win %
0.549
TAB
-3.2
WAB
+1.6
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
36.2
Dead money %
27%
Depth Players
6.0
Dead WAR
-3.2

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

1987 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

RRick Cerone111
RJoel Skinner64
LMark Salas⇄55
RPhil Lombardi3

1B

LDon Mattingly140
RGary Ward15
LDan Pasqua12
BOrestes Destrade3
RRick Cerone2
LMike Pagliarulo1

2B

RWillie Randolph119
BBobby Meacham25
RJuan Bonilla22
RPaul Zuvella7
RLenn Sakata6
RJerry Royster⇄2

3B

LMike Pagliarulo147
RLenn Sakata12
RJerry Royster⇄12
BWayne Tolleson3
RJeff Moronko3
RJuan Bonilla1
RPaul Zuvella1

SS

BWayne Tolleson119
BBobby Meacham56
RRandy Velarde8
RPaul Zuvella6
RJeff Moronko2
RJerry Royster⇄1

LF

RGary Ward69
LDan Pasqua61
LMike Easler⇄44
RRickey Henderson34
RHenry Cotto15
RJerry Royster⇄4
LClaudell Washington2
RRon Kittle2
RJay Buhner2
RJeff Moronko1
LMark Salas⇄1

CF

LClaudell Washington69
RHenry Cotto41
RRickey Henderson39
RGary Ward30
RRoberto Kelly16
RJay Buhner3

RF

RDave Winfield145
LDan Pasqua14
RGary Ward5
RJay Buhner2
RHenry Cotto2
LClaudell Washington1
RJeff Moronko1
LMike Easler⇄1
RRoberto Kelly1

DH

RRon Kittle39
RGary Ward33
LMike Easler⇄29
RRickey Henderson24
LDan Pasqua14
LClaudell Washington9
RDave Winfield8
BOrestes Destrade2
LMark Salas⇄2
LDon Mattingly1
RWillie Randolph1

Starters

LTommy John3.5 WAR
RRick Rhoden2.5 WAR
LRon Guidry2.2 WAR
RCharles Hudson1.5 WAR
RJoe Niekro⇄0.8 WAR
RBill Gullickson⇄0.6 WAR
LAl Leiter0.5 WAR
RNeil Allen⇄0.3 WAR
RBob Tewksbury⇄0.2 WAR
LPete Filson0.2 WAR
LDennis Rasmussen⇄0.1 WAR
LSteve Trout⇄0.1 WAR
LBob Shirley⇄-0.1 WAR
RRich Bordi-0.2 WAR
RBrad Arnsberg-0.3 WAR

Bullpen

★ LDave Righetti31 sv
RTim Stoddard0 h
LPat Clements0 h
RCecilio Guante0 h
RRich Bordi0 h
LBob Shirley⇄0 h
RNeil Allen⇄0 h
LPete Filson0 h

Each position shows its top 3 by games (top = starter) — click "+more" for the rest. The letter is bats/throws; ⇄ marks a player traded mid-season. Starters are ranked by WAR, bullpen by holds; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

Key additions (new vs 1986)

PlayerfWAR
Rick Rhoden2.5
Charles Hudson1.5
Rick Cerone0.9
Pat Clements0.8
Bill Gullickson0.6
Al Leiter0.5

Key subtractions (gone from 1986)

Player1986 fWAR
Ron Hassey1.7
Doug Drabek1.5
Ken Griffey Sr.0.9
Rod Scurry0.6
Butch Wynegar0.5
Dale Berra0.2

Contract Value

WAR translated into tier-adjusted market value, then compared with what the player was paid by Yankees. Guaranteed contracts from the 2015-present contract-data period use the known contract period through 1987; everyone else is shown as a 1987 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
Rickey Henderson 1987 +5.0 +82.3 1.7 +80.6 $0.3M 2.05× –
Tommy John 1987 +3.5 +61.6 0.3 +61.2 $0.1M 2.19× –
Don Mattingly 1987 +5.3 +58.1 2.0 +56.2 $0.4M 1.37× –
Willie Randolph 1987 +4.7 +45.6 0.9 +44.7 $0.2M 1.20× –
Rick Rhoden 1987 +2.5 +29.5 0.6 +28.9 $0.2M 1.49× –
Ron Guidry 1987 +2.2 +26.7 0.8 +25.9 $0.4M 1.49× –
Dave Winfield 1987 +1.7 +16.9 1.9 +15.0 $1.1M 1.22× –
Mike Pagliarulo 1987 +2.0 +13.4 0.2 +13.2 $0.1M 0.85× –
Dave Righetti 1987 +1.2 +12.3 0.8 +11.5 $0.7M 1.34× –
Pat Clements 1987 +0.8 +8.2 0.1 +8.1 $0.2M 1.34× –
Tim Stoddard 1987 +0.8 +8.7 0.8 +8.0 $0.9M 1.34× –
Charles Hudson 1987 +1.5 +7.9 0.3 +7.6 $0.2M 0.67× –
Joe Niekro↔ 1987 +0.8 +6.8 0.2 +6.6 $0.3M 1.02× –
Claudell Washington 1987 +1.0 +6.5 0.5 +6.0 $0.5M 0.83× –
Bobby Meacham 1987 +1.2 +5.9 0.1 +5.8 $0.1M 0.61× –
Bill Gullickson↔ 1987 +0.6 +5.3 0.2 +5.1 $0.3M 1.02× –
Rick Cerone 1987 +0.9 +3.7 0.2 +3.4 $0.3M 0.52× –
Dan Pasqua 1987 +0.4 +2.5 0.1 +2.4 $0.3M 0.83× –
Ron Kittle 1987 +0.5 +2.9 0.4 +2.4 $0.8M 0.69× –
Bob Tewksbury↔ 1987 +0.2 +2.0 0.0 +2.0 $0.2M 1.02× –
Neil Allen↔ 1987 +0.3 +1.6 0.4 +1.1 $1.5M 0.67× –
Dennis Rasmussen↔ 1987 +0.1 +1.0 0.1 +0.9 $1.1M 1.02× –
Lenn Sakata 1987 +0.2 +1.1 0.1 +0.9 $0.5M 0.58× –
Pete Filson 1987 +0.2 +1.1 0.2 +0.9 $0.9M 0.67× –
Jerry Royster↔ 1987 +0.1 +0.5 0.1 +0.5 $0.6M 0.58× –
Steve Trout↔ 1987 +0.1 +0.9 0.5 +0.4 $4.5M 1.02× –
Cecilio Guante 1987 +0.1 +0.3 0.4 -0.1 $6.8M 0.67× –
Gary Ward 1987 +0.1 +0.4 0.6 -0.3 $11.2M 0.83× –
Randy Velarde 1987 -0.1 -0.4 0.1 -0.5 – 0.61× –
Keith Hughes↔ 1987 -0.1 -0.6 0.0 -0.6 – 0.83× –
Bob Shirley↔ 1987 -0.1 -0.5 0.2 -0.7 – 0.67× –
Mark Salas↔ 1987 -0.2 -0.8 0.1 -0.9 – 0.52× –
Wayne Tolleson 1987 -0.1 -0.5 0.4 -0.9 – 0.61× –
Mike Easler↔ 1987 -0.1 -0.6 0.5 -1.0 – 0.83× –
Al Holland 1987 -0.1 -0.7 0.4 -1.1 – 0.67× –
Brad Arnsberg 1987 -0.3 -1.4 0.1 -1.5 – 0.67× –
Joel Skinner 1987 -0.9 -3.7 0.1 -3.8 – 0.52× –
Al Leiter 1987 +0.5 +4.2 – – – 1.02× –
Bill Fulton 1987 -0.3 -1.4 – – – 0.67× –
Henry Cotto 1987 +0.4 +2.5 – – – 0.83× –
Jay Buhner 1987 -0.2 -1.2 – – – 0.83× –
Jeff Moronko 1987 -0.0 -0.2 – – – 0.58× –
Juan Bonilla 1987 +0.0 +0.1 – – – 0.56× –
Orestes Destrade 1987 +0.1 +0.2 – – – 0.56× –
Paul Zuvella 1987 -0.5 -2.0 – – – 0.56× –
Phil Lombardi 1987 -0.1 -0.5 – – – 0.52× –
Rich Bordi 1987 -0.2 -0.9 – – – 0.67× –
Roberto Kelly 1987 +0.3 +1.7 – – – 0.83× –
Total—+36.0+407.016.4+387.9—

Trades

Every graded 1987 deal involving the Yankees — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 10 total.

1987 · CIN / NYY
CIN · Bill Bergesch +$6.4M
Dennis Rasmussen
NYY · Woody Woodward −$6.4M
Bill Gullickson
CIN came out ahead by $6.4M
1987 · NYY / MIN
NYY · Woody Woodward +$14.4M
Mark Salas
MIN · Andy MacPhail −$14.4M
Joe Niekro
NYY came out ahead by $14.4M
1987 · CHW / NYY
CHW · Larry Himes +$83.2M
Dan Pasqua, Mark Salas, Steve Rosenberg
NYY · Woody Woodward −$83.2M
Richard Dotson, Scott Nielsen
CHW came out ahead by $83.2M
1987 · NYY / CHW
NYY · Woody Woodward +$7.2M
Jerry Royster, Mike Soper
CHW · Larry Himes −$7.2M
Ken Patterson, Jeff Pries
NYY came out ahead by $7.2M
1987 · NYY / TEX
NYY · Woody Woodward +$19.2M
Don Slaught
TEX · Tom Grieve −$19.2M
Brad Arnsberg
NYY came out ahead by $19.2M
1987 · NYY / CHW
NYY · Woody Woodward +$28.8M
Pete Filson, Randy Velarde
CHW · Larry Himes −$28.8M
Scott Nielsen, Mike Soper
NYY came out ahead by $28.8M
1987 · PHI / NYY
PHI · Bill Giles +$4.8M
Keith Hughes, Shane Turner
NYY · Woody Woodward −$4.8M
Mike Easler
PHI came out ahead by $4.8M
1987 · NYM / NYY
NYM · Frank Cashen +$8.0M
Darren Reed, Phil Lombardi, Steve Frey
NYY · Woody Woodward −$8.0M
Rafael Santana, Victor Garcia
NYM came out ahead by $8.0M
1987 · NYY / SEA
NYY · Woody Woodward +$43.2M
Lee Guetterman, Clay Parker, Wade Taylor
SEA · Dick Balderson −$43.2M
Steve Trout, Henry Cotto
NYY came out ahead by $43.2M
1987 · CHC / NYY
CHC · Dallas Green +$7.2M
Bob Tewksbury, Rich Scheid, Dean Wilkins
NYY · Woody Woodward −$7.2M
Steve Trout
CHC came out ahead by $7.2M

Current & Historical Payroll

1987 payroll
$16.6M

What the front office was committed to as of 1987, 1987–1993. Pre-2015 has no contract-terms data — forward italic $ are realized actuals (hindsight, not commitments known then). Control labels (ARB/FA) are point-in-time.

current $ guaranteed $ actual $ (hindsight) arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent

Guaranteed / signed (23)

PlayerAgeSvc1987198819891990199119921993
Dave Winfield3514.000$1.9M$2.0MFREE AGENT$1.7M
Rickey Henderson288.000$1.7M$1.8M$1.2MFREE AGENT
Willie Randolph3212.000$900k$875kFREE AGENT
Ron Guidry3612.000$850k$825kFREE AGENT
Dave Righetti288.000$800k$1.3M$1.4M$1.6MFREE AGENT
Tim Stoddard3412.000$775k$700kFREE AGENT
Gary Ward338.000$633k$625k$63kFREE AGENT
Rick Rhoden3413.000$600k$900kFREE AGENT
Steve Trout299.000$498kFREE AGENT
Claudell Washington3213.000$480k$480kFREE AGENT$495k
Mike Easler3614.000$464kFREE AGENT
Neil Allen298.000$435k$250kFREE AGENT
Al Holland3410.000$400kFREE AGENT
Wayne Tolleson316.000$385k$410kFREE AGENT$425k
Tommy John4424.000$350k$375kFREE AGENT
Rick Cerone3312.000$250kFREE AGENT$600k
Joe Niekro4220.000$230kFREE AGENT
Bill Gullickson288.000$206kFREE AGENT
Bob Shirley3310.000$200kFREE AGENT
Lenn Sakata3310.000$125kFREE AGENT
Jerry Royster3414.000$64kFREE AGENT
Juan Bonilla316.000—FREE AGENT
Rich Bordi287.000—FREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (12)

PlayerAgeSvc1987198819891990199119921993
Don Mattingly265.000$2.0MFREE AGENT
Ron Kittle295.000$425kFREE AGENT
Cecilio Guante275.000$405kFREE AGENT
Charles Hudson284.000$305kARB 3FREE AGENT
Pete Filson285.000$180kFREE AGENT
Mike Pagliarulo273.000$175kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dennis Rasmussen284.000$138kARB 3FREE AGENT
Joel Skinner264.000$110kARB 3FREE AGENT
Bobby Meacham264.000$105kARB 3FREE AGENT
Mark Salas263.000$95kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Henry Cotto263.000—ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Paul Zuvella285.000—FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (13)

PlayerAgeSvc1987198819891990199119921993
Pat Clements252.000$125kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dan Pasqua252.000$110kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Brad Arnsberg231.000$68kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Randy Velarde240.000$62kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Bob Tewksbury261.000$45kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Keith Hughes230.000$6kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jay Buhner220.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Orestes Destrade250.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Bill Fulton23–—
Roberto Kelly220.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Al Leiter210.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Phil Lombardi24–—
Jeff Moronko27–—

Graphs

How each 1987 acquisition stacked onto Yankees's playoff-odds curve. The side table is ranked by PPA.

Rosternomics — front-office performance, roster value, and transaction history. Follow @rosternomics on X.
Decision-maker records extend to 1933; resource-controlled WAR and payroll metrics cover 1985–2026. Data sources include FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, the Chadwick Bureau register, the Lahman Database, prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0).
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