The dumbest Yankees rule could come into play when Paul Skenes is available

New York Yankees fans were reminded of one of the silliest policies in professional sports last week, when big offseason acquisition Devin Williams showed up to spring training and was almost immediately forced to shave the beard he's sported throughout his entire Major League career. Yes, seriously: In the year of our lord 2025, one of the richest and most prominent sports franchises on Earth still insists that all of its athletes comply with a strict grooming policy, with hair not allowed to reach the collar and no facial hair allowed beyond a mustache. (For what it's worth, the righty doesn't seem all that thrilled about it.)

This particular round of Facial Hair Policy Discourse is, ultimately, small potatoes. Yankees fans will understandably ask why their team insists on sticking out in such an unflattering way, Williams will pitch like one of the best relievers in baseball (unless the beard really did harness the power of his Airbender) and all will be forgotten. Until a few years from now, that is, when this draconian rule will undoubtedly still be in place — and it could cost New York its chance at one of the biggest free agents in MLB history.

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Paul Skenes' new beard pours cold water on Yankees fans' wish-casting

All due apologies to fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Paul Skenes won't be hitting the market until the winter of 2029 at the earliest, and it's unfair for people like me to already be speculating about where he might play next. It's just that, well, you've seen Bob Nutting do business, right? In what world will he ever pay up enough to keep Skenes in Pittsburgh beyond his initial contract? Heck, not trading him a year or two before free agency would be a win at this point.

Skenes is almost certainly set to hit the free market, and if he keeps pitching like he did as a rookie, he'll be subject to one of the fiercest bidding wars ever. Which brings us back to the Yankees, a team that would no doubt love to be in on that bidding war. There's just one problem, though: While Skenes has spent the last few years with a mustache that wouldn't run afoul of the facial hair policy, he reported to Pirates camp this week sporting — gasp! — a beard.

Of course, if Skenes wants to be a Yankee, not even the silliest grooming rules will stop him. But there are lots of great places to play baseball these days, and this offseason has shown us that New York's pull on top free agents isn't what it once was. Why would the righty get rid of the beard just for Hal Steinbrenner's sake? Why not stay in New York but play for the crosstown Mets, or heading back home to Southern California to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers?

All of which just underscores that the Yankees insist on cutting off their nose to spite their face. Does Steinbrenner possibly still care about players' facial hair as much as his dad did? Can no one talk to him about how this damages his team's reputation around the league? If not, it could cost them on the field.