Yankees change facial hair policy, will allow 'well-groomed beards'

TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees’ long-standing no-beards policy is no more.

In what can be described as a bombshell, considering the policy dates to 1976 and was instituted by George Steinbrenner three years after he bought the team, his younger son, managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, made the announcement in a news release early Friday morning.

He and longtime general manager Brian Cashman informed the team of the decision in the home clubhouse at Steinbrenner Field.

“This generation, the vast majority of 20s, 30s into their 40s men in this country, have beards,” Steinbrenner said during a news conference held a couple of hours after issuing the news release. “The vice president [JD Vance] has a beard, members of Congress have a beard. The list goes on and on in this country and this world. It is a part of who these younger men are, it’s part of their character, it’s part of their persona.”

In his statement, and then during the news conference, Steinbrenner referenced the need for beards to be kept “well-groomed.”

Steinbrenner, joined by Cashman at the dais during the news conference, called the team’s policy “outdated” and “somewhat unreasonable.” He said arriving at the decision, which ultimately was his call, came after much “debating and deliberating” in recent years, “the last few months in particular.”

In the last week, Steinbrenner met with veteran players such as Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton as well as high-profile former players such as Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia, who had a beard in the offseason throughout his career and showed up for his role as a guest instructor sporting one. Pettitte has been in town this week as a guest instructor.

“I think it’s appropriate. It makes sense,” Cole said, declining to discuss his private conversation with Steinbrenner. “It still embodies our look and neatness but it allows for some individual freedom.”

Cole, who had a beard in his previous stops with the Pirates and Astros, smiled before adding: “And a few less razor burns.”

During a team meeting with the club’s hierarchy, Cole said Cashman didn’t specify the parameters of “well-groomed.’’

“The only information we were offered from Cash,” Cole said with a smile, “was we’re not trying to look Duck Dynasty.”

That was a reference to the reality TV series that features some characters with flowing beards.

“No diss against Duck Dynasty. You’re grinding in the woods all the time, you don’t really have any other option,” Cole said. “As long as it’s neat and kept.”

Steinbrenner, typically loath to deal in hypotheticals, applied one in his reasoning for making the policy extinct.

“If I ever found out that a player we wanted to acquire to make us better, to get us a championship, did not want to be here, and if he had the ability, would not come here because of that policy, that would be very, very concerning,” Steinbrenner said. “And I’m fairly convinced that’s a real concern.”

The number of players pushing back on the policy over the years is an extensive one, with new closer Devin Williams being the latest. He has long had a beard and even appeared with some growth on his cheeks in his official team photo taken earlier in the week.

And what would Hal’s father — aka “The Boss,” who died in 2010 — have thought of his son’s decision?

“A lot of people have obviously asked me that,” Steinbrenner said. “Winning was the most important thing to my father and, again, I think if somebody came and told him that they were very sure that this could affect us getting the players we want to get . . . all we’re trying to do every offseason is put ourselves in the best position to get a player that we’re trying to get. And if something like this would detract from that, lessen our chances, I don’t know. I think he might be a little more apt to do the change that I did than people think. Because it was about winning.”

Notes & quotes: The Yankees beat the Rays, 4-0, in their Grapefruit League opener on Friday afternoon. Marcus Stroman, currently the odd man out of the rotation, got the start and allowed two hits with a strikeout in one inning. Paul Goldschmidt doubled to drive in Jasson Dominguez in the first inning. Cody Bellinger, who singled in the previous at-bat, scored on a throwing error . . . Righthander Chase Hampton, 23, underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday after being sent back to New York earlier in the week with a right flexor strain. Hampton, one of the club’s top pitching prospects, missed most of last season because of injuries.