Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner claimed it was too early in the offseason to determine his team's payroll range for the 2026 season, but he'd prefer that the number drop from the $319 million he said New York spent on players in 2025.

"Would it be ideal if I went down [with the payroll]? Of course," Steinbrenner said Monday on a video call with reporters. "But does that mean that's going to happen? Of course not. We want to field a team we know we believe could win a championship."

The Yankees haven't fielded a championship team for 16 straight seasons, a skid extended this year when they were eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series.

Steinbrenner stressed the disappointing result was not on manager Aaron Boone, whom he labeled a "good manager at many

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