CARLOS LAGRANGE IS A STARTER. STOP TINKERING!

Every spring there’s at least one pitcher who shows up, throws absolute thunderbolts, and makes everyone watching wonder why he isn’t already penciled into the starting rotation. This year, that guy is Carlos Lagrange.

The kid is lighting up radar guns at 102 mph and mowing down hitters like he’s late for dinner. Spring Training lineups, minor leaguers, veterans—it hasn’t mattered. Lagrange has handled all of them without blinking. When someone throws that hard and actually knows where the ball is going, the baseball conclusion is pretty simple: that’s a starting pitcher.

Which means the obvious move for the New York Yankees should be… let him start.

But then there’s the complication known as Aaron Boone.

Because whenever a young pitcher looks promising, Boone seems to develop a sudden urge to get creative. Not “smart baseball creative,” mind you. More like the kind of creative that makes fans stare at their TVs wondering if the manager accidentally flipped to the wrong page in the playbook.

And right on cue, Boone has already started floating the idea of using Lagrange out of the bullpen.

His explanation?

“There’s no denying he could be good out of the pen, but we’re certainly not gonna rush him to fill a need… as he logs some innings and it becomes a real need… anything is possible.”

Translation: the bullpen is thin, so we might shove the kid there if things get uncomfortable.

This is classic Yankees prospect management. A young pitcher proves he can start. He shows starter stuff. He develops like a starter. And then—because the big league roster has a temporary hole—the organization starts thinking about turning him into something else entirely.

It’s baseball’s version of buying a Ferrari and using it to deliver pizza.

Lagrange isn’t some soft-tossing middle reliever in waiting. He’s a legitimate starting pitcher. The eye test alone tells you that. The fastball is explosive, the presence is there, and the ability to handle hitters multiple times through a lineup is exactly what he should be developing.

So the solution is painfully obvious. Send him to Triple-A and let him start.

Not warm up in the fifth inning. Not appear in random bullpen experiments. Start. Every fifth day. Build innings. Refine the secondary pitches. Let him develop like an actual starter instead of some emergency bullpen patch. And here’s the other part of the equation nobody in the Yankees’ decision-making circle ever seems to acknowledge: a Yankees starter getting hurt this season is practically a calendar event. It happens every year.

When that inevitable injury pops up—and history says it will—then you call up Lagrange. Let him make his debut the right way, sliding into the rotation where he belongs instead of trying to reinvent him on the fly.

But that would require common sense.

Instead, fans are probably about to witness the usual Yankees routine: a talented young pitcher earns a role, the organization gets nervous about roster needs, and suddenly the kid is bouncing between assignments that have nothing to do with his long-term future.

Lagrange is a starter. The arm says starter. The results say starter. The development path says starter.

So naturally, there’s a real chance the Yankees will try to make him something else.

Because when it comes to young pitchers, the Yankees’ favorite hobby seems to be overthinking things until something breaks. 

THE YANKEES WILL RUSH VOLPE BACK & BREAK THEIR "TROPHY" SHORTSTOP

The minute Anthony Volpe finishes his rehab assignment, you can practically hear the gears turning in the New York Yankees front office. The plan is obvious: activate him, plug him right back in at shortstop, and pretend everything is perfectly fine. Business as usual in the Bronx.

But here’s the problem—why rush it?

Volpe is coming off shoulder surgery. Surgery. That’s not exactly the kind of thing where you dust yourself off after a couple of rehab games and suddenly operate at 100 percent. Even if he says he feels great—and players always say they feel great—it’s unrealistic to think he’ll be at full strength the moment he steps back onto a big-league field. Plus, let's not sugarcoat it, he's not a great player.

And the Yankees actually have a perfectly capable solution already standing there: José Caballero.

Caballero has proven he can handle shortstop defensively, he’s reliable, and—most importantly—he’s healthy. That alone makes the situation pretty simple. Let Caballero hold down the position while Volpe finishes shaking off the rust somewhere less chaotic than Yankee Stadium. In other words, the place designed for that exact purpose: Triple-A.

Volpe still has minor league options. There is absolutely nothing wrong with letting him spend time in the minors after rehab to find a rhythm. In fact, it’s the logical move. But logic and the Yankees’ handling of Volpe haven’t exactly been close friends since the day he arrived.

Because let’s be honest—this whole situation has felt like a long-running attempt by the Yankees to prove they were right about Volpe. Draft him, rocket him through the system, hand him the starting shortstop job, and then spend the next few seasons convincing everyone that the plan was flawless.

Except the results haven’t exactly cooperated. Look, Volpe is not the answer. Hurt or not hurt. You looks like a dude that didn't earn the spot and the dad's hanging in the suite with Cashman cause they once ran into each other at the car dealership and became fast friends. That is not true by the way... It's a made up story because for the life of me, I don't know who the hell in that Yankee scouting system actually looked at Volpe and thought he was EVER Major league ready.  It makes zero sense and now we are in year 4.

Across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Volpe’s offensive production ranked among the worst start-to-finish performances by a full-time player anywhere in the league. That’s not nitpicking—that’s reality. When your everyday shortstop is scraping the bottom of offensive leaderboards, the “future star” narrative starts to feel more like a marketing campaign.

Which brings us back to the present moment. If the Yankees truly want to discover what the “real Volpe” looks like—whatever that phrase even means—they should slow down. Let him stay in Triple-A after rehab. Let him actually refine things without the daily microscope of the Bronx. Maybe even let him sit and learn from someone who has been doing the job well, like Caballero.

But that would require patience. And patience doesn’t sell jerseys.

More likely, the Yankees will activate Volpe, drop him right back into the lineup, and cross their fingers that the production magically appears. It’s the same pattern we’ve seen for years: force the narrative, defend the decision, hope reality eventually cooperates.

Meanwhile, one of the best players on the planet—Aaron Judge—is in his prime, doing everything possible to carry the franchise on his back.

That’s the part that should frustrate fans the most. The Yankees have a generational superstar leading the team, and instead of building a ruthlessly efficient roster around him, they keep running experiments and protecting organizational pride.

If the goal is to win another World Series, the decisions should be simple: play the best, healthiest players available and stop forcing narratives.

But if the goal is proving the front office was right about Anthony Volpe… well, then expect to see him back at shortstop the moment he’s medically cleared. Rust, recovery, and common sense be damned.

Look, I know none of you want to hear this. You think I'm a true hater. Nope. I am a true hater of a dysfunctional front office that believe numbers are the future. By the way, Numbers? They are your Catcher and Shortstop starting for the New York Yankees. How's that working out?

This is no longer a serious franchise. They have lost their way.  Having one of the best records in Spring training means absolutely nothing folks.  A World Championship? That's all that matters in this game. 

Open. Your. Eyes.

AUSTIN WELLS: OUR OVERHYPED CATCHER

Let’s be honest for a minute. I’ve been saying it for a year now, and apparently, I’m not the only one seeing it: Austin Wells is not exactly the gold standard behind the plate. And before anyone says this is just another cranky Yankees rant, there’s now a little something called evidence.

Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report ranked Wells as the No. 19 starting catcher in Major League Baseball. Nineteenth. Not elite. Not top-tier. Not “future cornerstone of the franchise.” Nineteenth. Which is a polite analytical way of saying: middle of the pack, with homework still due.

Reuter acknowledged that Wells played a role in baseball’s highest-scoring offense last year, noting that he built on the counting numbers from his rookie season — 13 homers and 55 RBIs in 2024. The problem is that the deeper numbers went in the wrong direction. His strikeout rate jumped from 21.0% to 26.3%.

In other words, the résumé still has a few blank spaces.

And here’s where things get uncomfortable.

For all the talk about Wells being a “two-way contributor,” the reality is that the offensive production has been… let’s say uninspiring. A .219 batting average is not exactly the stuff of Yankee folklore. This is a franchise built on the ghosts of hitters who used to treat .219 like a bad week in May, not a season-long résumé.

Most of the criticism aimed at Wells has centered on what scouts politely call a sophomore slump — though calling it a slump almost implies he tripped over something. In 2025, the numbers weren’t just down, they cratered. His chase rate ballooned, the contact disappeared, and by August of 2025 he was statistically one of the worst hitters in baseball over a month-long stretch. That led to reduced playing time and louder whispers that someone else — like Ben Rice — might deserve more innings behind the plate.

Ironically, the one area Wells has received praise is defense. His pitch framing improved. His game-calling drew positive reviews from pitchers. But that’s where the irony comes in: defense was the exact thing scouts worried about when he was drafted.  Look, when the New York Yankees selected Wells out of the University of Arizona, many evaluators projected him as a bat-first catcher with questionable defensive tools. Some didn’t think he would remain a catcher at all, predicting a future move to first base or designated hitter.  If you watch closely, you can understand why that projection existed.

The arm isn’t overwhelming. The athleticism behind the plate is adequate but hardly elite. And when the bat is producing a .219 average, the entire “offense-first catcher” label starts to wobble like a folding chair at a tailgate.

Which brings us to the real question — and it has less to do with Wells himself. Prospects struggle. Young players develop unevenly. That’s normal.

But what continues to puzzle many fans is how the Yankees’ front office keeps selling these players like they’re guaranteed stars before they’ve proven much of anything. Every prospect is introduced like the next cornerstone. Every young player is described as “elite.” Every flaw is explained away as part of a master plan. And then reality shows up with a stat sheet.

The issue isn’t that Wells is developing slowly. Plenty of catchers take time to figure things out. The issue is the sales pitch. The Yankees have mastered the art of marketing potential as certainty — and the fan base is expected to applaud the reveal every time.

At some point, though, the numbers start talking louder than the press releases.

If the Yankees want to push past the ALDS and actually make a serious run at the World Series, the production behind the plate has to improve. A catcher hitting .219 simply isn’t enough for a lineup with championship ambitions.

And that leaves the organization with two choices: Either Austin Wells becomes the player they’ve been advertising, or fans will eventually start asking why the label on the box never seems to match what’s inside. Put it this way, when a former catcher in Ben Rice is actually replacing the actual cather in the lineup, you need to worry as a fan. It means someone's not paying attention in those scouting meetings, or they just don't get it entirely.

I FEEL LIKE THE YANKEES WILL TRADE JASSON DOMINGUEZ THIS SEASON

It's a gut feeling, nothing more.

What I have noticed is that the New York Yankees have become incredibly good at one thing over the past decade: marketing prospects like they’re blockbuster movie premieres. Development? Well… that part sometimes feels like it happens after the merchandise orders are placed.

Enter Jasson Domínguez, better known as “The Martian,” a nickname that the Yankees’ marketing department embraced with the enthusiasm of a kid discovering a new toy. Martian jerseys, viral highlights, breathless hype—Domínguez wasn’t just a prospect, he was practically a brand.

And yet, barely a few seasons later, I feel like there’s a very real chance the Yankees could trade him.

Start with the roster mess they created. Aaron Judge obviously isn’t moving from the outfield. The Yankees then handed a massive contract to Cody Bellinger, effectively locking up another spot. Defensive specialist Trent Grisham is around, and the designated hitter role still belongs to Giancarlo Stanton whenever he’s upright and swinging.

So, the once-untouchable Domínguez suddenly looks like the odd man out. I would rather him in the outfield and Grisham off the bench, but Boone uses him as a lead off, so no chance of that.

It doesn’t help that Jasson's defense in left field has been shaky, posting ugly metrics that make a supposedly defense-conscious organization nervous. Meanwhile, his bat still has questions—especially after struggling against right-handed pitching last season. That being said, Dominguez is making a huge argument to keep him around this spring. The dude's raking and impressing, but so is Spencer Jones and as you can see from Jones being sent down the minors this week, you can be a Babe Ruth hitting prospect and it doesn't matter. 

But my point is, the marketing if too much, overhyped.  All of this creates the perfect storm: a team desperate to win during Judge’s prime, a crowded outfield, and a still-valuable prospect whose reputation might be worth more on the trade market than on the roster.

If the Yankees do move Domínguez, it’ll be another classic Bronx storyline—build the hype, sell the jerseys, then trade the player before the development is finished. And if the Martian eventually becomes a star somewhere else, Yankees fans will probably watch those highlights and wonder why the organization that hyped him the loudest didn’t have the patience to actually let him become great.

See that word? Patience.  They do it with dud Volpe. Why not do it for a guy like Dominguez?

DEVELOPING OR WASTING? SPENCER JONES TO THE MINORS AGAIN

The New York Yankees made their first meaningful spring training cuts, and one of the names heading back down the highway to the minors was outfielder Spencer Jones. Along with him went right-hander Elmer Rodríguez.

The official explanation? A crowded roster, some plate discipline that still needs polishing, and the ever-popular phrase used by front offices everywhere: long-term development strategy. Ah yes… that phrase. The baseball equivalent of telling someone “we’ll circle back.”

Let’s start with the obvious. Jones didn’t exactly embarrass himself this spring. The 24-year-old went 6-for-18 in Grapefruit League play with three home runs, a double, and three stolen bases. He walked four times and struck out six. In other words, he looked exactly like what he’s been advertised as for years now: a massive power threat with some swing-and-miss baked into the recipe. Sound familiar? It should. The Yankees employ a rather large gentleman named Aaron Judge who built an MVP career doing something pretty similar.

Yet despite the loud spring showing, Jones was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he’ll begin the season once again waiting for the call that never seems to come. And that’s where things start to get… weird. Because here’s the thing: Jones has been in the Yankees’ system for four years now.

Four.

At some point, you stop developing a player and start aging him like a fine bottle of cabernet that nobody ever opens. If you listen to the Yankees’ front office, the reasoning makes perfect sense. The big league roster is crowded. The outfield already features Judge, former MVP Cody Bellinger, and defensive specialist Trent Grisham. Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton has the designated hitter spot locked down like a parking ticket on a New York windshield.

So where exactly would Jones play? That’s the practical argument, and on paper it’s fair. Jones was never realistically making the Opening Day roster unless somebody showed up to camp with a pulled hamstring and a doctor’s note. But here’s the bigger question: if there’s never room for him, what exactly is the plan? Because prospects don’t exist in a vacuum. Development is great, but eventually development has to lead somewhere other than Scranton.

Jones isn’t some fringe organizational player quietly putting up decent numbers in the shadows. The guy has legitimate thunder in his bat. We’re talking about the kind of power that makes scouts start using words like “towering” and “prodigious,” which are baseball code for “that ball may still be traveling.”

At Triple-A last season, Jones flashed that power repeatedly. But he also showed the same issue that followed him throughout the minors: strikeouts. And yes, the Yankees want him to improve his plate discipline. That’s fair. But again… let’s not pretend the Yankees are allergic to strikeouts. They all strike out... a lot!

Judge strikes out. Bellinger has had swing-and-miss periods. Stanton practically has a reserved seat in the strikeout column. Modern baseball accepts strikeouts as the cost of doing business when the power is real.

And Jones’ power is very real. So when the Yankees say this is about “refining his approach,” some fans understandably hear something else:

“Let’s keep him parked in Scranton until we absolutely have no other choice.”

The organization insists patience is part of the process. Maybe they’re right. Maybe Jones truly needs another stretch of Triple-A reps to tighten up the swing decisions and lower the strikeout rate. But here’s the problem with patience in baseball.  Sometimes patience turns into paralysis. And let's talk about contradiction when it comes to the Yankees. Anthony Volpe was NOT ready for the major leagues, but he zipped through the minor leagues.  So, give me a break Cashman.

We’ve seen it before with the Yankees — prospects hovering just below the majors for years while the big club patches holes with veterans and statistical experiments. Meanwhile the clock keeps ticking.

Jones is already 24. That’s not old, but it’s not the age of a raw teenage prospect either. Plenty of star players are already establishing themselves in the majors by that point.

Which brings us to the real, unspoken truth. Jones will probably get his shot. Just not because the Yankees planned it. It’ll happen the way these things usually happen in the Bronx: someone gets hurt. A hamstring pops. An oblique complains. Suddenly the phone rings in Scranton.

“Pack your bags, kid.”

And then we’ll finally see what Spencer Jones actually is. A future star? A flawed slugger? A guy who needed just a little more seasoning? Right now, nobody really knows. Because after four years in the system, the Yankees are still treating one of their most exciting prospects like a concept rather than a baseball player. And if you’re a Yankees fan watching this slow-motion waiting game unfold, you can’t help but wonder:

Are they developing Spencer Jones…

or are they quietly wasting him?

THE VOLPE "INJURY" NEVER MADE SENSE TO ME

It's been bothering me, and so when I read Volpe's quote today about his shoulder and "treatment" I at least believe now more than ever that the Yankee cover stuff up. My opinion of course. Like let me see if I’ve got this straight.

We’re supposed to believe the saga of Anthony Volpe’s shoulder unfolded like this: he supposedly felt a “pop” on May 3, 2025… kept playing… nobody heard a peep about pain, discomfort, limitations, or anything resembling an injury… and then—poof—on September 2025 the New York Yankees casually announce Volpe has been dealing with a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder the whole time.

 But that was not an injury update in my opinion. That was a plot twist.

All we heard from Boone and Cashman was “his shoulder’s a little cranky.” Cranky? My shoulder gets cranky when I sleep on it wrong. A torn labrum is not cranky. That’s the kind of thing that usually involves words like shutdown, imaging, and IL stint.

Instead, Volpe kept running out there every day while Boone loudly insisted he was, and I quote, “F-in elite.” Boone used him constantly, almost like the Yankees were trying to prove a point to the baseball universe. Then the season ends and suddenly—surprise!—he’s been playing through a significant shoulder injury all along.

Sure. Now fast-forward to Volpe’s recent quote to the New York Post:

“I feel like I’ve been able to handle everything thrown at me so far. Every day is better, even if it’s a very small amount. Whereas last year, you do a bunch of treatment and you just don’t respond or you feel worse.”

Hold on.

A bunch of treatment?

That’s interesting phrasing for someone whose shoulder was supposedly just “cranky.” Treatment usually means injections, therapy, strengthening programs, maybe even imaging sessions every other week. In other words, treatment is what you do when something is actually wrong, not when your shoulder is mildly annoyed. Which raises a pretty obvious question: if Volpe was getting “a bunch of treatment,” why did nobody mention it until September?

Not Boone.
Not Cashman.
Not the Yankees.

Nothing. So yeah, forgive the skepticism. When an organization suddenly reveals a partially torn labrum five months after the fact, it’s fair to wonder whether the story we’re getting now is the same one that existed in May.

And honestly, I’m a little exhausted with the whole routine. The Yankees have spent years shoving Volpe down everyone’s throat as the next franchise cornerstone when, in reality, he hasn’t earned that pedestal yet. Meanwhile there are other options.

If the Yankees just need someone to hold the fort, give the job to José Caballero full time. Let him grind through the season. Play competent defense. Do the little things. And while that’s happening, let George Lombard Jr. keep developing—because the reports coming out of the minors are hard to ignore.

Scouts rave about Lombard’s physical tools. His arm is stronger than Volpe’s, which means he can make those deep-in-the-hole throws that separate good shortstops from great ones. Defensively, he’s already being described as a wizard with impressive range and instincts.

Then there’s the bat.

Lombard’s swing is faster and more explosive, producing better exit velocities and more raw power potential. In other words, the ceiling is simply higher. That doesn’t mean Lombard is a finished product—but the upside is obvious.

So, here’s a simple plan; Let Caballero handle shortstop for now. Let Volpe sit, heal, and maybe watch how major leaguers go about their business for a while. Then when September rolls around, call Lombard up and see what the kid can do. Have Volpe slide to the end of the bench, you know, by the bathroom.

Because if Lombard's development continues the way it’s trending, the future might look something like this:

• Lombard at shortstop in 2027

• Caballero back in a utility role

• And Volpe… maybe getting a back-up job somewhere like San Francisco or Miami. At this point, that outcome wouldn’t be shocking.

What would be shocking is if the Yankees were actually transparent about injuries for once. But this team? Because of their front office? They've turned into a joke, and if you don't see this and are fooled by them trying to choke you with excitement with social media posts about Ryan Weathers and Anthony Volpe's return, you're being duped.  Wake up. This is not a serious franchise.

I GUESS WE'RE GONNA HAVE FUN WITH THAT RYAN WEATHERS PICK UP

Ryan Weathers took the mound today for his second start of spring training and, well… if the goal was to keep Mets hitters warm on a cool Florida afternoon, mission accomplished.

The left-hander lasted just two innings against the Mets, surrendering six runs—five earned—on seven hits and two walks as the Yankees cruised to a tidy 10-4 loss. Sure, the radar gun lit up at 99 mph, which is the kind of number that makes pitching labs and analytics departments start high-fiving each other like they just discovered fire. But the scoreboard had a slightly different opinion. But the Yankees see potential.

And that brings us to the Yankees’ favorite buzzword: potential.

Potential is the magical word that front offices love because it allows them to talk about what might happen someday instead of what’s actually happening right now. The Yankees’ decision-makers stare at projection models, spin rates, and charts that look like they were stolen from NASA, and suddenly a guy who just gave up a half-dozen runs in two innings becomes a “high-ceiling arm.”

Look, let’s keep it real. I wasn’t a fan of bringing Ryan Weathers in to begin with.

Was he decent at times with the Miami Marlins? Sure. But the Yankees aren’t supposed to be in the business of collecting “pretty decent sometimes.” This is supposed to be the franchise that hunts big game, not one that rummages through the baseball version of the clearance rack.

Right now, Weathers doesn’t look like a fifth starter. He looks like a sixth starter. You feel me? And no, the fact that his father is former major league pitcher David Weathers doesn’t move the needle for me. Baseball bloodlines are fun trivia, not a pitching plan.

The reality the Yankees won’t exactly highlight in their glossy social media clips is this: Ryan Weathers has never put together a full season of sustained major-league success. He’s battled injuries, struggled to consistently prevent runs, and bounced around the league as more of a depth arm than a rotation anchor.

Translation: he’s the kind of pitcher teams acquire when they’re hoping something clicks—not when they’re trying to dominate a division.

If the Yankees were truly serious about fixing their pitching staff, they would have gone out and landed a legitimate frontline arm. The kind of pitcher who makes opposing lineups sigh before the first pitch is thrown. Instead, they grabbed a “maybe.”

After the game, manager Aaron Boone shrugged it off and called the outing another step in Weathers’ buildup. Which, technically speaking, is true. Spring training is about ramping up.

But let’s also acknowledge what’s happening here: Yankees fans are once again being sold on the idea of development projects playing meaningful roles in the major leagues.

You’ve seen this movie before.

Austin Wells.

Anthony Volpe.

Now Ryan Weathers, and there will be more.

The Yankees will package it nicely, sprinkle in some Statcast graphics, post a few slow-motion bullpen clips, and suddenly the narrative becomes: just wait until the potential shows up.

Maybe it will.

Maybe it won’t.

But if you’re a Yankees fan who’s been around the block a few times, you might want to take the hype with a grain of salt like me. Do your own digging. Look at the numbers. Ignore the glossy propaganda.

Because in the Bronx these days, potential has become the most overused pitch in the organization. And unlike a 99-mph fastball, it rarely blows anyone away.

WHY CARLOS RODON IS IMPORTANT

For a while there, Carlos Rodón looked like a guy trying to assemble a complicated piece of IKEA furniture without the instructions. Lots of parts, plenty of effort… but something clearly wasn’t clicking.

When the New York Yankees signed Rodón before the 2023 season, the expectation was simple: this was supposed to be the guy who shoved. The fiery lefty who dominated with the Chicago White Sox and later the San Francisco Giants was supposed to slide into the Bronx and become a frontline monster.

Instead, his first season in pinstripes felt like watching a sports car stuck in traffic.  Rodón’s early Yankees tenure was defined by injuries, inconsistency, and plenty of frustration. The velocity wasn’t always there, the command wandered, and the results often looked nothing like the pitcher the Yankees thought they were getting.

Fans who expected dominance got turbulence instead. And in New York, turbulence doesn’t stay quiet for long.

But to Rodón’s credit, he didn’t completely fold. By last season, he began to show signs that he was finally figuring things out. The fastball had more life, the slider started biting again, and the confidence that once made him one of the more intimidating lefties in baseball slowly returned.

It wasn’t a full resurrection, but it was progress. Just when things started to stabilize, however, Rodón ran into another speed bump. During the offseason, Rodón underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow — never exactly the phrase a fanbase wants to hear when discussing a starting pitcher.

The procedure forced him to hit pause again.

Fortunately for the Yankees, the recovery appears to be moving in the right direction.

After another bullpen session on Saturday, Rodón received some encouraging news: he’s expected to face live hitters next week for the first time since the surgery.

That’s a meaningful step forward. Rodón has said the elbow feels good and his range of motion has improved considerably, but there’s still some rust to shake off. He admitted he's still “trying to figure out how everything moves again and just find the pitch shapes.” Translation: the arm works — now he just needs to make the baseball behave again. Here’s the reality for the Yankees.

If Rodón is right, he can still be really good. Not “serviceable.” Not “fifth starter who eats innings.”

Good. We’ve seen the version of Rodón who overpowers hitters and racks up strikeouts in bunches. That guy is still in there somewhere, and if he shows up in the Bronx this season, the Yankees rotation suddenly looks a lot more respectable.

But if he doesn’t?

That’s where things start getting uncomfortable. Right now, the Yankees rotation has one thing going for it: Max Fried at the top. Cole? Not back yet.

Behind him? It gets shaky in a hurry.

There’s a lot of talk about depth, internal options, and young arms waiting for their shot. But depth on paper and depth on the mound are two very different things.

For example, the Yankees are not simply handing a rotation spot to Carlos Lagrange. Prospect hype is great for spring conversations and spring training headlines, but it doesn’t guarantee big-league readiness, especially if you're on the Yankees. Most likely they will keep you in the minors and waste you. Then there’s the growing drumbeat around Will Warren, who the organization keeps promoting as the next promising arm ready to help stabilize the staff.

Maybe he will be.

But right now? That remains more projection than proof. Which brings us right back to Rodón.  For all the hype about prospects and depth charts, the Yankees’ rotation might ultimately hinge on whether Rodón can stay healthy and pitch like the guy they thought they were signing.

Because if he does, the Yankees have a legitimate weapon.

If he doesn’t… well, suddenly that rotation starts looking a lot thinner than anyone in the front office would like to admit.

And in a division where every win matters, thin rotations have a nasty habit of turning October dreams into September autopsies. 

IKF DROPS A TRUTH BOMB & BOONE IS BAFFLED

The New York Yankees have become the baseball version of a corporate meeting that should’ve been an email. A roster full of Aaron Judge and surrounded by players chosen not because anyone actually watched them play, but because a spreadsheet somewhere blinked green. The front office has become so obsessed with numbers that they’ve forgotten the basic human element of the game — instincts, toughness, and whether a guy actually looks like he belongs on a big-league field. My opinion of course. Sure, come at me and tell me the Yankees are the winningest team in baseball in spring training all you want. I'll tell you to pump the brakes... it's spring training.

And that’s the real problem. The Yankees used to build teams with feel. Now they build them with algorithms.

I’ll go one step further: I don’t believe the Yankees will win another championship under the current regime. Not with Aaron Boone managing, and not with the current brain trust building the roster. In fact, I’ll make a prediction right now — the Yankees won’t win a World Series for the remainder of Aaron Judge’s career in pinstripes. Bold? Maybe, but I don't think I'm wrong.

Why?

Because the people running the show don’t know their ass from their elbow.

And apparently, former Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa agrees more than he probably meant to.

After signing with the Boston Red Sox, Kiner-Falefa was asked about how the Toronto Blue Jays viewed the Yankees late in the season before the American League Division Series. His answer was refreshingly honest — the kind of honest that rarely comes out of players because everyone in that clubhouse seems trained to speak like they’re being monitored by HR.

“We thought it was a better matchup for us the other way to face New York,” Kiner-Falefa said. “We were watching that series and we were watching Garrett Crochet just dice up.”

In other words: the Yankees looked like the easier path.

Let that sink in.

A team that once terrified the league has now become the matchup opponents hope they get. Kiner-Falefa went further.

“They asked the question — I just gave the honest answer. I love the guys over there. I have nothing bad to say about anybody over there. It was just a matchup thing. Crochet is an unbelievable pitcher, and we did not want to face him after he went eight innings against us… he kind of had everybody’s number.”

Fair enough.  But the truth tends to sting — especially in the Bronx, where honesty is often treated like a foreign language and Boone is dumber than a stump.

According to Joseph Randazzo of New York Yankees on SI, Boone was reportedly “surprised” by the comments and responded with a frustrated “whatever.” Which is honestly the most Aaron Boone reaction imaginable. Confused, mildly annoyed, and completely missing the point.

Because IKF wasn’t wrong. Not even a little.

The Yankees have spent years assembling a roster in a laboratory. Players are selected by analytics departments tucked away in offices, where executives debate launch angles and exit velocity like they’re building a robot instead of a baseball team. And the result? A error-riddled shortstop who batted .212, but is still considered a star by Yankee brass. 

Meanwhile, the game itself — the instincts, the adjustments, the feel — has been pushed aside. That’s how you end up with a team that looks talented but plays flat. A team that constantly loses games it should win. A team opponents openly admit they’d rather face in October.

And the irony here is rich when it comes to Kiner-Falefa. In New York, IKF was treated like he had personally sabotaged the franchise. Boone and Brian Cashman bounced him around the diamond like a utility spare part, the fan base dissected every mistake under a microscope, and he was blamed for problems that were far bigger than him. Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe — the golden child of the analytics department — was making many of the same mistakes while receiving far more patience and protection.

IKF became the scapegoat.

Volpe became the project.

And the Yankees kept spinning their wheels and still are. IKF has moved on been successful in the MLB and earned the right to take a shot at the Yankees.  I have mad respect for that.

The bottom line, if Kiner-Falefa wants to keep talking, honestly, I hope he does. Because sometimes the clearest view of a dysfunctional organization comes from the guys who were inside it.

The bottom line is this: the Yankees are wasting the prime of Aaron Judge.  They keep choosing the wrong players. They keep losing games they should win. And they continue to run it back with a manager who often looks like he’s managing by suggestion box.

This franchise used to set the standard for baseball excellence. Now it’s starting to look like a team run by number nerds in a conference room, trying to solve baseball like it’s a math problem.

And until that changes, the parade down the Canyon of Heroes isn’t coming back anytime soon and that's the honest truth.

JURICKSON PROFAR TESTED POSITIVE FOR PEDS....A SECOND TIME!

Here we go....again. The new face of cheating and stupid choices is Jurickson Profar after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs a SECOND time. So much for the "I would never willingly take a banned substance," speech he gave us in March of 2025 after accepting his 80 game suspension.

This is a real problem in Rob Manfred's world. Major League baseball officially announced a 162 game suspension for Profar. The Atlanta Braves now how to figure out how and when they add to their team now that Profar will not be a factor. Losing Profar is a big blow for Atlanta after a disappointing injury riddled 2025 season and then they had a very quiet winter. They were counting on Profar adding some stability to the lineup. In addition to missing the 2026 season, Profar will not be allowed to participate in the World Baseball Classic and represent the Netherlands. Play stupid games....win stupid prizes, Profar.

Testing once is bad, but this is now the second positive test in two years. It's a huge black mark to add to Manfred's already messy record. It's even uglier when Profar claimed he was innocent the first time around. Clearly, he hasn't learned anything or he's just too stupid to think he would never be caught again. It's bad enough we still have guys like Jenrry Mejia and Alex Rodriguez to talk about and remember.....but now we get one more moron to add to the list.

How much more of this do we have to endure in baseball? Seriously, it's frustrating to watch this continue to happen with just a slap on the wrist for Profar and the backing of the Players Association who are reportedly filing a grievance to challenge his suspension which is stupid. Profar doesn't need to be defended. He needs to admit he screwed up again, and take his punishment like a man. He was caught cheating twice. Years ago he was the top prospect in all of baseball, but obviously he couldn't make it on just his talents. This should not be overlooked, but this is Manfred's world so it will. 

I'm sick of this. All I keep hearing is "if he does it again he is banned for life!" and that's not the answer. We shouldn't accept that and make that a normal reaction. Guys like Profar ruin the integrity of the game and then fans like me get mad hearing about it after we see teams through stupid amounts of money to put them on their teams and play....which we also end up paying for in the grand scheme of things.

When it comes to cheating - it shouldn't be a "three strikes and you are out" ruling. This isn't a plate appearance. This is a bad choice in your job that is a massive character flaw. It's just a bigger mess in Manfred's circus and I am tired of it!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MUSHNICK MISSED THE MARK

Phil Mushnick has made a late-career hobby out of wagging his finger at modern baseball, and his latest swipe at CC Sabathia feels less like sharp commentary and more like someone angrily shaking a fist at a game that passed him by somewhere around the invention of the fifth bullpen specialist.

Let’s be clear: Mushnick’s larger argument—that Major League Baseball has loosened Hall of Fame or honor standards over time—isn’t completely absurd. There’s a fair debate to be had about evolving benchmarks in a sport reshaped by analytics, expanded playoffs, specialized bullpens, and load management. Fine. That’s a conversation.

But using CC Sabathia as your Exhibit A? That’s where the argument collapses faster than a hanging slider in the Bronx.

Sabathia wasn’t some compiler who accidentally wandered into October relevance. He was an ace. A stopper. A bulldog. And most importantly for those of us who watched every high-stakes inning in the Bronx — he delivered when the pressure was suffocating.

And Phil? This is where you sound less like a critic and more like a man yelling at a cloud.

When Sabathia signed that massive contract with the New York Yankees before the 2009 season, he didn’t just arrive with a big arm. He arrived with expectation bordering on hysteria. This wasn’t Cleveland. This wasn’t Milwaukee. This was the stadium where legends are measured in rings and October innings.

And what did he do in Year One?

He led the Yankees to a World Series title.

In 2009:
19–8 record
3.37 ERA
230 innings
197 strikeouts

ALCS MVP
3 postseason wins in the ALCS alone
He was the ace the Yankees paid for — and he pitched like it when it mattered most.

Over 11 seasons in pinstripes:
134 wins
3.81 ERA in the AL East pressure cooker
Over 1,700 strikeouts as a Yankee
Multiple 200+ inning seasons
3 All-Star selections

Veteran leader during multiple postseason runs

And this wasn’t empty calorie pitching. He transitioned mid-career from power flamethrower to craftsman, reinventing himself with a cutter when his velocity dipped. That’s not lowered standards. That’s pitching evolution. Before New York, Sabathia was already elite with the Cleveland Indians and had one of the most ridiculous stretch runs in modern history with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008.

Career totals:

251 wins
3,093 strikeouts
3.74 ERA
3,577 innings pitched
6× All-Star
2007 AL Cy Young Award winner
World Series champion

Those aren’t “lowered standards” numbers. Those are Hall-of-Fame-caliber numbers in any era — especially the steroid-era offensive explosion he pitched through.

And let’s talk about that Milwaukee stretch in 2008. Sabathia practically carried the Brewers to the postseason on short rest, throwing complete games like he was pitching in 1975. That wasn’t analytics babying. That was dominance.

Here’s what critics like Mushnick often miss because it doesn’t fit neatly into a stat column: leadership.

Sabathia became the adult in the Yankees’ clubhouse. The bridge between eras. The mentor to young arms. A stabilizing force during the transition from the Core Four era to the Baby Bombers.

In a city that chews pitchers up and spits them into the East River, Sabathia stood tall. He owned bad outings. He reinvented himself. He confronted personal struggles publicly and returned stronger. Teammates respected him. Fans trusted him.

That matters.

Look, I’m Casey of Bleeding Yankee Blue. I’ll be the first to admit I can get cranky about the Yankees’ front office. I’ve bitched. I’ve moaned. I’ve questioned decisions like it’s my side hustle.

But when it comes to the athletes themselves? I respect the grind. The game is hard. The Bronx is harder. And what CC Sabathia accomplished under that spotlight cannot be dismissed because someone nostalgic for 1968 thinks only 300 wins should count.

Phil Mushnick built his reputation in a different media era — when sports columnists were gatekeepers and outrage was printed on paper once a day. Today’s sports landscape has moved on. The conversation is broader. The analysis is deeper. The audience is smarter.

Taking shots at Sabathia doesn’t make you a standards warrior. It makes you sound disconnected from how the modern game works — how workloads have changed, how bullpens evolved, how run environments fluctuate.

If MLB standards have shifted, it’s because the sport itself has shifted.

Sabathia didn’t lower the bar. He met it. He exceeded it. He thrived in the toughest market in baseball and left the mound with over 3,000 strikeouts and a ring. That’s not diminished greatness. That’s greatness adapted to its time. And no amount of grumbling from an aging columnist changes that.

SHOP FOR GREAT BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE GEAR DEALS: 

THE YANKEES HAD A CHANCE TO TRADE VOLPE & THEY FAILED!

It certainly took a hot minute for this nugget to come out, but now that it has it is both fascinating and infuriating at the same time. Over the winter, the Yankees had the opportunity to trade Anthony Volpe and actually get a guy that could field and hit his weight for average....but they foolishly backed down.

You have to have a paid subscription to see this, but check it out HERE. It's certainly compelling. The Yankees and Red Sox were both talking to the Texas Rangers about Corey Seager. The Rangers were willing to make a move and are still in process of reworking their finances. They are still dealing with significant operating losses and are trying to reduce payroll and moving Seager would've helped. The Yankees need a shortstop upgrade, and the Rangers are looking to shed some payroll....on paper it looked like a match.

Internally, Marcus Semien and Seager were also not getting along with some clubhouse drama mentioned in reports. They helped the Rangers win the World Series but things behind the scenes had reached a breaking point. It ultimately led to the Rangers keeping Seager and trading to the Mets instead because the Yankees were not willing to meet the Rangers trade request. There a wide range of rumors out there about what and who the Rangers were looking for but it sounds like the Yankees were not willing to negotiate.

And so here we are.....still with awful Volpe. So now we know the Yankees are willing to acknowledge that Volpe is not the answer but they are hoping for a miracle and a deal to fall out of the sky that isn't going to happen. The are of the negotiation isn't there right now. So we'll be seeing Volpe soon.

And hoping that Volpe's conversation with Bucky Dent moves mountains and creates a divine miracle, read more HERE. It's year four of the Volpe experiment and instead of a capable shortstop like Seager we get VolpE the error machine. I'm really hoping that Jose Caballero plays so well that the Yankees just can't find room to play Volpe....here's hoping the baseball gods hear me.

Volpe just isn't the answer. He was "supposed to be" but it didn't work out. The Yankees are trying to fit a square peg into a round whole. The sooner they stop doing that and realize Volpe NOT playing is what is best for the team, the better chances we have at winning.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj