YOU'RE ABOUT TO WASTE ANOTHER YEAR, YANKEE FANS...

And you should be pissed about that.

The most alarming thing about the Yankees right now isn’t any single injury, signing, or quote. It’s the overwhelming sense that nothing has actually changed. Strip away the hype videos, the spring optimism, and the buzzwords, and the 2026 Yankees look almost indistinguishable from the 2025 version—a team that already showed you exactly who it was.

This front office continues to operate as if baseball is played on spreadsheets instead of by human beings. Everything is optimized, projected, and simulated—except health, fatigue, and reality. That blind spot is now staring them in the face with Cam Schlittler. The Yankees practically crowned him the next Cy Young winner before he threw a meaningful pitch, and now he’s sidelined with mid-back inflammation. Aaron Boone told reporters Schlittler won’t be throwing off a mound for several days. They didn’t account for the fact that bodies break down, especially young ones pushed into oversized expectations.

Schlittler’s issue may not feel catastrophic today—but that’s the point. Yankees injuries never are, until suddenly they are. And it matters because Schlittler is one of only two reliable arms expected to be ready on Opening Day, alongside Max Fried, who led all of baseball in wins last season. Beyond that? The same fragile depth, the same question marks, the same crossing-your-fingers routine fans have endured for years.

The rest of the roster feels just as automated. The Yankees have become baseball’s version of a rerun factory—collecting familiar names, recycling narratives, and pretending it’s progress. Bringing back Paul Goldschmidt is the clearest example. Why, exactly? His 2025 season was a disappointment by any honest standard. He punished left-handed pitching but collapsed against righties, hit just 10 home runs in 146 games, and cratered after the All-Star break, batting .245 while losing at-bats to Ben Rice. That’s not a bounce-back candidate—that’s a warning sign.

@yankees Have you checked the Weathers today? #ryanweathers #yankees #springtraining ♬ original sound - Yankees

And yet, here we are again, complete with hype videos for a fifth starter like Ryan Weathers, as if the Yankees cracked some secret code that guarantees a title. Is this a joke? This is not how serious contenders behave. When teams fall short, they usually overhaul. They get uncomfortable. They get aggressive. The Yankees did none of that.

In the latest episode of his podcast, New York sports radio icon Mike Francesa said the quiet part out loud. The Yankees, he argued, are perfectly content. Winning 95 games and falling short doesn’t trigger panic—it triggers profits. “There is a satisfaction inside the Yankees that their fans don’t feel,” Francesa said. The organization isn’t operating in crisis mode because, financially, there is no crisis.

He echoed what fans—and places like Bleeding Yankee Blue—have been screaming for over a year: nothing changes until the money does. Empty seats. Empty luxury boxes. Fewer jerseys sold. Fewer $15 beers consumed. Until ownership feels it, complacency reigns.

And that’s what makes this all so infuriating. The Yankees are actively wasting the prime of Aaron Judge, one of the greatest players of his generation. Instead of building aggressively around him, they’re signing minor leaguers, patching holes, and pretending continuity equals competitiveness.

The Cam Schlittler injury may not derail the season today—but it’s a symbol. A reminder that this pitching staff is still hanging together with duct tape, that nothing structural has been fixed, and that the lessons of last year were ignored.

The bottom line is unavoidable: the 2026 Yankees are a mirror image of the 2025 Yankees. And teams with the same flaws, the same philosophy, and the same manager who still struggles to manage cannot suddenly become champions. Sorry to break it to you—but this isn’t a title team. 

It’s just another rerun and another year wasted.

JUST WHO DOES BRIAN CASHMAN THINK HE IS KIDDING?

The Yankees have been dreaming of a rematch with the Dodgers at the World Series. Brian Cashman thinks running the same team back on the field this season is gonna get the job done. Now he is trying to gaslight all of us into thinking the Yankees are gonna be better than they were last season....

And no one sane believes that. Great, the band is back together once Gerrit Cole returns. The magic will be back and suddenly everything is supposed to change. Oh and having a full season of Cam Schlittler is a big upgrade IF he can stay healthy and productive but Cashman is all in on this team. He's as stupid and delusional as ever and wants us to join him in delusion land. "We all understand in the postseason, you've got to bring your best baseball every series and if you don't, you're going home. It doesn't mean we weren't capable of great things. We just didn't get the job done in that time frame against the Toronto Blue Jays," Cashman said HERE.

And naturally Aaron Boone is his parrot and feels the same way. "At the end of last year, in so many ways, it's as good as I felt about our team heading into the postseason in the years I've been here," Boone said. "Obviously, we got beat up in the division round. It didn't go our way. That doesn't mean it's not gonna go our way the next time. We think we’re really good. That doesn’t mean we’re gonna win 94 games again. It doesn't mean we're gonna win 88. But we think we have the pieces." 

Obviously both of these bozos believe we are so good we didn't need to make any improvements. We can just run the same team back out there and do it all again but win this time. Never mind that the rest of the division has made improvements and is stronger on paper. We can stay the same and maybe win 94 games again....or not. I'm leaning towards not because the left side of the infield is a disaster and Anthony Volpe is such a lost cause, but the Yankees will continue to foolishly stand behind him. The Yankees was us to believe he is the right piece? NOT EVEN CLOSE!

We are two weeks away from Spring training and Fangraphs have already made their predictions for this season and they disagree with the Yankees strategy, read more HERE. Not only do they think the Yankees are a LONGSHOT to win the division at 18.9%, but they only have a 41.1% chance at winning one of three wildcard spots. Hell, they even predict the Yankees to finish in FOURTH one game behind the Orioles. It hurts to read but I can't say I disagree.

I want to see this team get back to the World Series and win but we couldn't beat the Blue Jays last season. They owned us in the regular season so losing to them in the postseason wasn't a surprise to anyone with a brain....so of course that excludes Cashman and Baboonie. The Blue Jays have made improvements over the winter, so unless they regress A LOT and the Red Sox and Orioles massively underperform Yankee fans should be ready for a long and frustrating season.

These clowns need to stop gaslighting us. I'm sick of it!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

CASHMAN CAN'T WALK & CHEW GUM AT THE SAME TIME

It’s honestly astounding how aggressively unaggressive the Yankees’ front office has become. Once upon a time, this franchise hunted stars. Now, under the ever-comfortable watch of Brian Cashman and his circle of yes-men, they spent an entire offseason dumpster-diving for minor leaguers while dragging their feet on the one obvious move that mattered: getting Cody Bellinger back.

To be fair—credit where it’s due—they finally landed their big fish, and the news broke yesterday. Great. Applause. But here’s the problem: it never should have taken this long. The foot-dragging, the posturing, the “we’re totally fine as-is” routine—it all reeks of either penny-pinching or paralysis. Either the Yankees don’t want to spend money anymore, or Cashman has reached the stage of his career where multitasking is considered a hostile work environment. Neither option is comforting.

And while the Yankees sit on their hands, pitchers continue to come off the board. The latest? Freddy Peralta—now a New York Met. Let me be clear: I wasn’t pounding the table for Peralta. If anything, it felt like a potential Devin Williams 2.0 situation. I was cautious. Skeptical. But you know what was appealing? The idea that the Yankees might actually try to improve their team. That illusion, of course, vanished right on schedule.

Peralta is gone. The Mets acted. The Yankees watched. Again.

So now we’re left staring at a projected Opening Day rotation of Max Fried, Will Warren, Luis Gil, Cam Schlittler, and newly acquired Ryan Weathers. Intimidating? Only if you’re afraid of mediocrity. There’s no question the absence of another frontline starter will eventually grind Fried down and overwhelm rookie Schlittler. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón remain shelved, and pretending otherwise is organizational malpractice. A power arm early in the season isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. The fact that this seems invisible in Yankeeland is borderline deranged.

Even Yankees insiders see the problem. Over at Yankees on SI, Mitchell Cocoran laid out the dwindling options—many of which have already been discussed on Bleeding Yankee Blue. He’s right to bring them up though. As Cocoran wrote:

“Luckily for the Yankees, there are still options, but they are becoming few and far between.”

Cocoran suggests that one idea gaining traction is a trade for Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore, coming off a 2025 All-Star campaign with a 3.0 WAR, 185 strikeouts, and a 4.17 ERA. Another name floating around? Tarik Skubal—though even there, the Dodgers are reportedly lurking, because of course they are. According to Buster Olney, L.A. remains firmly in the mix.

And that’s the most disturbing part of all: the Yankees can no longer outmuscle—or even outmaneuver—the monster franchises. The Dodgers act. The Mets act. The Yankees issue statements.

This is the new Yankees brand: cheap, complacent, and painfully disengaged. Cashman responds to every question with a word salad about timing, fit, and how “trades are complicated.” No kidding. That’s the job. And right now, the job is screaming for a starting pitcher.

They needed one at the start of the offseason. They still need one now. Without Cole and Rodón, the pressure on Fried, Schlittler, and the rest of this thin rotation is enormous. One more power arm could be the difference between a playoff run and another October disappointment—maybe even the difference between a title and another wasted season.

Without it? This team will fall behind early. And if this is truly the plan, I’ll say it plainly: the Yankees will not win in 2026.

Sometimes common sense has to enter the room. Right now, it hasn’t. Cashman looks slow, detached, and completely unwilling to adapt. And honestly? I can’t stand it anymore.

THE YANKEES "BOLSTER" THEIR ROTATION... MAKING IT MEDIOCRE

Desperate Cashman has done it again.

The New York Yankees actually did something — and somehow, it managed to feel even smaller than nothing. 

They “bolstered” their rotation by acquiring left-hander Ryan Weathers from the Marlins in exchange for a four-prospect grab bag: outfielders Brendan Jones and Dillon Lewis, infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus. A move happened. Technically.

Weathers now slides into a rotation that currently reads like a spring training split squad: Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Luis Gil, plus Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn lurking around like spare parts. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón aren’t ready for Opening Day, which means this rotation inspires exactly zero fear — unless you’re a Yankees fan afraid of how many bullpen games are coming.

This is the part where the front office wants credit for “addressing pitching.” No. This is rearranging deck chairs and calling it nautical engineering. If the Yankees were serious, they’d sever Brian Cashman’s contract, redirect that money toward an actual impact arm, and stop pretending hope and prayer count as roster construction.

There is nothing about this move that inspires confidence. Nothing about this offseason that suggests a plan. And nothing about the Yankees right now that feels remotely serious. They have somehow become the most embarrassing participant in an offseason where teams are actively trying to win — and succeeding.

And hey, does the name Weathers sound familiar? It should. Dave Weathers pitched for the Yankees in the late ’90s. So apparently, if we’re shopping for sons of former Yankees now, why stop here? If nostalgia is the strategy, how the hell can’t they land Cody Bellinger? Cause Cashman is asleep.

This isn’t roster building. It’s franchise cosplay. 

The Yankees aren’t acting like contenders; they’re acting like an organization killing time until spring and hoping the brand carries the load.

This has been a terrible offseason. And worse — it’s the kind of terrible that suggests the Yankees no longer know how to be anything else.

AN UNSERIOUS FRANCHISE WITH A WHOLE LOT OF NOTHING

It’s honestly wild watching the Yankee sports-writer industrial complex finally arrive at a place some of us have been yelling about since October. Welcome. I saved you a seat.

See, I don’t just think about right now. I think about what now does to later. Every move — or non-move — has a ripple effect. Do something today, you shape tomorrow. Do nothing today, and tomorrow shows up angry, impatient, and holding receipts. Doing nothing and assuming it’ll all magically work out is basically rolling dice in a casino and calling it “strategy.” Baseball offseasons are not supposed to be games of chance. They’re supposed to be statements of intent.

And right now, the Yankees are making a statement — just not the one you want. This is no longer a serious franchise. It’s not a bold one. It’s barely a competitive one.

You can listen to what Michael Kay chirped last week — that the Yankees’ offseason is totally fine because the players who signed elsewhere “weren’t guys they wanted anyway.” That’s the line that makes my blood boil. Why weren’t they wanted? Why is upgrading the roster suddenly optional? Why is ambition treated like a luxury item? By the way Kay, the Yankees aren't better because of that decision.  Ridiculous. Your time is up.

The most baffling move of all was extending a qualifying offer to Trent Grisham — the same Trent Grisham the Yankees practically tried to smuggle off the roster the year before. Sure, last season worked out better than expected. Fine. Golf clap. But there are better players available. And while I admire taking a calculated risk once in a while, this entire offseason has been one long shrug.

Because let’s be clear about what this team actually needs: pitching. A long-term deal for Cody Bellinger. And — say it louder — a new shortstop who can field and hit. That’s not greedy. That’s basic roster construction.

Instead, the Yankees appear content marching into the season with Max Fried, Luis Gil, Will Warren, and Cam Schlittler, fingers crossed like it’s a middle school science fair. They’re assuming Cam will be stellar again. They’re assuming Gerrit Cole comes back and immediately turns into Cy Young Gerrit Cole. They’re assuming Carlos Rodón — fresh off injury — suddenly becomes reliable regularly.

And Rodón, especially, is the ultimate mystery box. Sometimes you get dominance. Sometimes you get five runs in the second inning and a thousand-yard stare. Now he’s coming off an injury, and I’m supposed to believe this is the moment everything clicks? Based on what — vibes?

That’s how we will end up in early June in 2026, sitting in third place, with the same cast as last year and a bullpen of minor leaguers Brian Cashman can shuffle in like spare parts. Do you see the pattern yet? Because I’ve been screaming about it for months, and now — finally — everyone else is catching up.

Even Empire Sports Media, whom I respect, spelled it out plainly:

“The harsh reality of medical science and aging curves suggests the Yankees might be setting themselves up for a significant disappointment. While Cole’s work ethic is legendary, physiology is undefeated, and expecting a 35-year-old pitcher to immediately recapture Cy Young form after reconstructive elbow surgery is not just optimistic—it is dangerous.”

Exactly. One thousand percent correct.

The Yankees treat players like machines. They hoard data, worship spreadsheets, and completely ignore the human element — the soreness, the recovery, the mental grind of coming back from injury. A spreadsheet doesn’t tell you how Gerrit Cole feels when he wakes up. It doesn’t tell you what his elbow says in April. And the truth is uncomfortable, but unavoidable: we don’t know if Cole ever returns to Cy Young form. Pretending otherwise is reckless.

AIBat put it bluntly too:

“The pressure is on the Yankees management to find solutions that strengthen the team… With the start of the season drawing closer, time is of the essence.”

Yes, it’s obvious. And yes, it still apparently needs to be said. The Yankees haven’t made a splash this offseason. They haven’t even made a puddle. It’s embarrassing.

Brian Cashman talked about being “aggressive.” That was a lie. Full stop. And while I genuinely like some of the players on this roster, nobody wants a rerun of 2025 — close enough to dream, far enough to fail. Sometimes teams need a shakeup. Sometimes complacency is the real enemy.

Running it back with the same guys invites stagnation. Volpe and Wells look overmatched. Judge is aging in real time. Can we please help this man win a championship before the window slams shut? And Max Fried? He’s stranded on an island, surrounded by question marks and medical reports.

So if this sounds like panic, it’s not. It’s disappointment. Yankee fans aren’t unreasonable — they’re exhausted. They want a team that actually tries to win, not one that hides behind models and probabilities and hopes the humans behave like robots.

This isn’t how you go into 2026.
The Yankees need to be better.
That’s it.

BLACKBURN RETURNS IN THE NEWEST CHEAP CASHMAN MOVE

 The Yankees did it again. Because of course they did.

Saturday night, the team agreed to re-sign Paul Blackburn on a one-year, $2 million deal. And if your first reaction was “wait… why?” congratulations — you’re still paying attention. There is absolutely nothing worse than a franchise bringing back a player that no fan wanted, asked for, or even remembered. Blackburn checks all three boxes.

Naturally, the New York Post tried to slap lipstick on it.

According to the Post, this is why fans should calm down:

“That is of note because Blackburn offers the ability to start — which the Yankees might need early in the season as they await the returns of Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole — but also can provide innings out of the bullpen.”

Please. Stop. Just stop.

That’s not a selling point — that’s a cry for help. “He can start, or he can be bad somewhere else” is not roster construction. It’s survival mode. And it’s exactly the kind of nonsense spin you get when expectations have fallen through the floor.

Let’s be honest: this move wasn’t smart, bold, or strategic. It was cheap. And that’s why Brian Cashman loves it. Low cost, low commitment, low accountability. Blackburn has zero upside. None. 

And now he’s back. Because mediocrity apparently gets second chances in the Bronx, as long as it’s affordable.

This is what complacency looks like. Cashman isn’t chasing championships anymore — he’s managing payroll optics. And worse, he’s clearly handcuffed by Hal Steinbrenner, who continues to show he is not a serious baseball owner. Hal runs the Yankees like they’re a quarterly earnings report, not a historic franchise built on dominance. Spend just enough to say you tried. Compete just enough to sell tickets.

And Cashman? He’s comfortable with that. Which is exactly why he should resign. Today would be fine.

Now take a look at the 2026 rotation as it currently stands:
Max Fried
Cam Schlittler
Luis Gil
Will Warren
Ryan Yarbrough

If that doesn’t scare the hell out of you, then by all means — keep buying tickets and enjoy another early playoff exit. For me? I’ll always support the players. They didn’t ask for this mess.

But I cannot — and will not — spend another dime supporting this franchise as an institution. The standards are gone. The ambition is gone. And the front office thinks fans are stupid enough to believe that Paul Blackburn is a meaningful move.

They’ve ruined it.
And this signing is just another loud reminder of how far the Yankees have fallen.

WOAH! THERE'S A MICHAEL KING BIDDING WAR HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

It's almost Christmas and one team is about to get an early present. Michael King is ready to return to the AL East, now we just wait and see who he pitches for.

According to SI.com HERE, the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and the Yankees are all finalists in the Michael King sweepstakes. I really don't know how I feel about the idea of King coming back. I guess I am indifferent compared to Casey who wrote I REALLY HOPE A MICHAEL KING REUNION IS NOT IN THE CARDS. I have nothing against King, I guess I just am not itching for a reunion. I am looking for new shiny options.

On the other hand though....the Yankees NEED options. Both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are going to miss time at the beginning of the season and let's face it you can never have enough pitching. This is true for ANY team but especially the Yankees who seem to have the most untimely injuries partnered with a very ineffective training and medical staff that exasperate everything.

King is very familiar with the Yankees so there's one plus to consider in all of this. We know some guys just can't handle the bright lights and expectations here and that is not a concern here. Also, it would take some of the pressure off Luis Gil and Cam Schlittler who could slide down in the rotation. It would also allow the Yankees to use Will Warren in more of a swingman role. There's some strategy here that could work.

As far as our other AL East rivals, this could get interesting. The Orioles are on a quest to find strong pitching after upgrading its offense with the Pete Alonso signing. King would instantly be the strongest arm in their rotation and would make the Orioles a stronger team in 2026 then they were this season. Boston on the other hand is a bit of a head scratcher. Right now, their rotation is full especially after adding Sonny Gray.

If the Red Sox do sign King, it could be part of a strategy used to then trade some of their up and coming arms for an impact bat similar to what the Orioles just did. Adding the impact bat also makes the Red Sox a stronger team which could make the battle for the AL East that much tougher. Last year it was a race between the Blue Jays and us but now this could become even more difficult on the Yankees. 

So now we wait and see what happens. Does King reunite with the Yankees or do the Red Sox have a shot at snagging the guy that grew up in Rhode Island and went to Boston college? It's not something I was interested in. Now that I see how it can change the landscape in the AL East....I'm paying attention.

Do you want King back? Comment and tell us what's on your mind.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

CASHMAN WON'T ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING TO IMPROVE THE YANKEES...

Cheap, cheap, cheap. 

If Brian Cashman were a bird, he’d be a bargain-bin parrot squawking “familiarity!” every offseason. The man treats the free-agent market like it’s a clearance rack at a yard sale: “Who can help the Yankees win—but only if they’re dented, dusty, or someone we already know so I don’t have to, you know… scout?”

Let’s be real: there is no master plan in Cashman’s office. There’s barely a Post-it note. And with Hal Steinbrenner clutching his checkbook like the Yankees are one bad quarter away from holding a bake sale, fans are stuck listening to the same tired sermon: “We’ll be competitive.”
Competitive with who? The Toledo Mud Hens?

We’ve got a shortstop who plays like a malfunctioning Roomba, two top starters rehabbing like full-time hospital residents, and Max Fried stranded on an island staring at the ocean like he’s trying to Morse-code for help. Meanwhile, the Yankees are out here praying Cam Schlittler is the next secret weapon—as if that’s a strategic plan and not blind optimism dressed in pinstripes.

And poor Aaron Judge. The man is aging like fine wine—except the Yankees are storing him in a paper bag under the sink. No rings, no support, just an MVP dragging around a roster held together with discounted duct tape. It’s the biggest waste of generational talent since someone let Mike Trout live in permanent baseball purgatory.

The Yankees franchise isn’t serious. It’s complacent. It’s hesitant. It’s allergic to pulling the trigger on actual stars. And fans? We’re not annoyed anymore—we’re exhausted. The Yankees keep kicking the can down the road, and at this point the can has more dents than their infield.

And now the latest nonsense? Cashman isn’t chasing Sandy Alcantara or Tarik Skubal. No. He’s poking around the idea of bringing back “Old Yankee Face” Michael King because—of course—he’s familiar, and he requires zero imagination.

MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch even laid out the parade of mediocrity: Trent Grisham accepting his qualifying offer, Tim Hill back, Ryan Yarbrough returning… the whole “Cashman Special Value Menu.” Not one superstar. Not one bold move. Just three guys who sound like they’d be great at assembling office furniture.

Hill? Solid. Grisham? Fine. Yarbrough? A science experiment Cashman thinks will make him look like a mastermind. Not one of them moves the needle—unless the needle is pointing to “meh.”

Then there’s King, the latest rumor. Had a nice season in San Diego, sure—3.10 ERA, 277 strikeouts, missed time but still solid. But San Diego is not the Bronx. Coming back to New York and repeating that isn’t a guarantee—it’s a coin flip, and Cashman loves a gamble if it lets him skip paying real money.

Meanwhile poor Max Fried is probably in his living room staring at the ceiling thinking, “How do I escape this roster of bubble gum, thumbtacks, and budget decisions?”

So here we are, careening toward the Winter Meetings, praying that Cashman finally makes a real splash. But we all know how this shakes out: some broken-down bargain pieces, a shrug at the podium, and the annual sermon: “The market was tough… we tried… but we really like our group.”

Yeah. We’ve heard it. We’ve lived it. We’re tired of it.

Cheap. Familiar. Not competitive.
Your 2025 New York Yankees, ladies and gentlemen.

Pathetic.

SONNY GRAY FOUND HIS BALLS!

Or did he? You can find lots of opinions about it on social media. That's one thing that is never in short supply on social media.....lots and lots of opinions. Sonny Gray had lots to say. Some people took it more offensively than others and then there's me, who laughed hysterically and is still chuckling as I write this.

In case you missed it, the St. Louis Cardinals traded Sonny to the Boston Red Sox. He was introduced to the Boston media yesterday and he already fits right in. He sounds like he was born and raised there. Translation....he hates the Yankees. SHOCKER oh and....I couldn't care less!

He's excited to be directly involved with the biggest rivalry of sports. "It feels good to me to go to a place where it's easy to hate the Yankees," Sonny said HERE. Some fans are enraged because once upon a time he said this:

That was almost 10 years ago. What was he supposed to say when he was asked about it....that he was mad as hell? Let's not forget that Sonny disagrees with the approach coaches took with him. They wanted him to throw fewer fastballs in favor of pitches that had more spin. That is the Yankees analytics game after all. He didn't agree with the Yankees approach and in the end he couldn't handle the bright lights in New York.

So let the guy talk and say he hates us. It's cool....it doesn't change the fact that he couldn't hack it in New York and he better hope he's learned a thing or two (or 5000) from his Yankee tenure because he is gonna need it in Boston. The pressure is on and now that he is adapting to the rivalry he better talk the talk and walk the walk meaning his salty ass better pitch well....or Boston will eat him alive and I will laugh even harder.

He's just trying to revive the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry to a new level. I guess he's just pathetically following in Cam Schlitter's path. Cam did it better though so he should take notes. None of us have forgotten that the kid that grew up in Massachusetts and was a die hard Boston fan with his family. Now he is a big part of our team and loving it. Oh and his family converted naturally. I guess that's what happens when the Yankees draft you and your hometown team doesn't. Their allegiance switched, just like Sonny's.

So I don't care about Sonny and his big mouth hating on the Yankees. Isn't that normal? Everyone hates us. I'm not gonna get bent out of shape over it. I also am not gonna give Sonny credit for talking tough. I'm just gonna laugh and enjoy it. Save the tough guy routine for the mound, buddy. Oh and, be ready for the Boo birds when you return to the Bronx. It's how we say WELCOME HOME!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

NOW WE'RE JUST THROWING CRAP AGAINST THE WALL TO SEE IF IT STICKS...

And I'm the moron who falls for it.  Look, I love the rumor mill like anyone, but some of the crap that's coming out are just ideas, some provocative ideas and many have no legs at all. But of course we read about it. And that's why this latest one sparked my interest even though I know that it is not going to happen and there is no real story here... it's a guess, it's click bait... it's bullshit.  Let's have fun anyway.

Fansided’s Christopher Kline floated the idea that Jacob deGrom could become the Yankees’ next high-profile science experiment. According to him, the Yankees might actually consider a rotation headlined by Gerrit Cole (fresh off the Tommy John Spa & Wellness Retreat), Max Fried, and Jacob deGrom. Sure—and I might wake up tomorrow as the Sultan of Brunei.

Kline basically asks: Are the Yankees willing to foot the bill? Spoiler: this is the same franchise that still pretends the luxury tax is some kind of mythical, fire-breathing dragon. Theoretically, the Yankees could use another ace to stabilize their rotation—mostly because their current “stability” is held together with athletic tape and crossed fingers. Cam Schlittler’s breakout might convince them not to completely torch the payroll, but you never really know with this front office. They love shiny objects, even when those shiny objects come with warning labels.

Yes, deGrom did his best work in New York—just across town with the Mets, which would make this a particularly painful plot twist for Queens. And sure, his 12–8 record with a 2.97 ERA this past season looks nice if you don't read the medical file attached.

And oh, that medical file. Folks, this man has spent more time in operating rooms than most actual surgeons:

• Oct 2010: First Tommy John surgery

• Sept 2016: Season-ending ulnar nerve surgery

• 2021: Elbow inflammation, forearm tightness, shoulder trouble—the injury trifecta

• 2022: Stress reaction in the right shoulder—missed months

• June 2023: Second Tommy John, because why stop at one?

Look, deGrom is incredible when healthy… which is basically whenever Halley's Comet passes by. And yes, Brian Cashman is desperate. We all know it. He’s operating like a man trying to plug leaks on the Titanic with decorative napkins. So on paper, this is exactly the kind of move he’d talk himself into.

But in reality?
No. Nope. Not happening. Not even close...in my opinion of course.

The Yankees desperately need improvement, but that improvement starts in the front office—not the dugout. Until the front office stops playing Mad Libs with the roster, nothing changes.

Will a gamble like deGrom ever come to life?
I don't see it.
But stick around—this is the Yankees. They always find new and creative ways to surprise and disappoint us.

Stay tuned.

PLAY IT AGAIN, HAL

Are you listening to Brian Cashman’s end of the year presser? WHY?! Why do it again? It’s like the same awful Christmas sweater that you bought in a pinch 10 years ago to make it a friends Holiday Party! Now you keep dusting it off to re wear each year. Throw it away! Donate it to Goodwill! Better yet don’t go the the next “Bad Christmas Sweater” get together…those parties are worse than fruitcake.

The Yankees are now like that Christmas sweater in a way. Sure, they’re still the NEW YORK YANKEES. They are synonymous with big time sports like the Tree at Rock Center is with Christmas. But the magic is gone! It feels like the years after we were told Mom and Dad were Santa (Though I’m still investigating that one).

Who changed it all? Well, it seems to be the 3 UNWISE MEN! Hal isn’t a baseball man or a competitive titan like his father was. He is a silver spooned bank teller who reads from a Steinbrenner script…but he can’t sell it. George NEEDED to win. He believed he owed it to New York. Hal hears about all the subways in the city and probably thinks they just have a lot of low-rate, chain sandwich shops! He isn't NYC.

It's like that movie “Funny Bones” with Oliver Platt and Jerry Lewis. The great comedian and his unfunny son. “There are some that can read funny, and there are those with funny bones…you’re neither.” See it. It’s great and sums up the massive gap between “The Boss” and “The Bust”.

Cashman is a clown. He was the wunderkind under the Stick Michael regime and just a figure head while the Dynasty was playing and winning. Then he took the massive checkbook at his disposal and found a way to get it done in 2009…still with Mo, Jeter and company.

He constructs bad teams! He makes dumb moves. Sure, the sun shines on a dog’s ass now and then but…well hell, I'll just shout Ellsbury and leave it there! He is defiant every year when the press asks why the Yankees are a broken record of broken teams. He needs to go! FOR THE SAKE OF CHANGE!! They canned GI Joe Girardi and he was good! Cashman is like 10-week-old milk at this point. He stinks and you’ll get violently ill if you drink any of his nonsense. Hit the Deegan, Brian. You need to move on.

Then we have Boone. I like Aaron Boone. Had the chance to meet him a few times, He is genuine. He loves the game, and I KNOW he gets that he is the skipper of the greatest franchise in sports. He has been ok. Not great. Not the main reason they fall short. He’s been ok. But this is NEW YORK! Like Colin Quinn once said about New York audiences, “I don’t care if Jack Nicolson gets up on that stage…if he isn’t funny within the first 5 minutes he’s gonna get booed.” 

 

 

Boone is a nice guy…but my Uncle Jack is a nice guy, and he shouldn’t manage the Yanks either. I think Aaron would be better suited skippering the DBacks or Pads. He’s a So Cal guy and they can skate by with the laid back thing. NOT IN THE BRONX.

Sadly, ZERO will change. The great player we have…and we have 1…will be another year older and edging closer to the Pat Ewing, Charles Barkley club. Pitching is touch and go. Max is good, Cam could be great, and Cole is on a new elbow. They are selling a dream, and we haven’t shown interest in buying into it for years now.

Change is the only thing in life that is guaranteed…somehow the New York Yankee Brass is the exception to the rule. They won’t for yet another year. Firing a bullpen coach named Mike Harkey? He was the problem???

Look, I still believe in Santa. I stopped believing in the Yankees…and that is more of a kick in the head to my childhood than fading faith in a jolly elf from the North Pole, gang.

That's the bottom line.

--Mike O'Hara
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @mikeyoh21

THE END WE KNEW WAS COMING

 Flat. Weak. Complacent.  

Sure, the Yankees showed some life at times, but ultimately Aaron Boone couldn't lead the Yankees to a championship, just like so many of us have believed this season as well as the previous ones. Losers are not winners overnight, and Aaron Boone will never be a champion as a Yankee manager. Why? He lacks the stones, the courage and the mindset to lead a team of stars. He doesn't command respect. In fact, he's a caricature of himself at this point. He's a goon.

The decision-making this season was a dumpster fire wrapped in pinstripes. The daily lineups? A tragic guessing game gone wrong. Watching Aaron Judge step to the plate in the post season became a desperate prayer — “please, Judge, hit one 600 feet so we can pretend everything else isn’t collapsing.” And the bullpen? Forget it. They fell apart like a cheap lawn chair in a hurricane.

And look, I called this back in January 2025 — the Yankees’ started pitching was never as “reliable” as the front office wanted you to believe. Maybe they did know it and that’s why they went rummaging through the bargain bin for “foreclosures” at the trade deadline. Either way, this team didn’t have the horsepower, the depth, or the guts to go deep into October. Period.

Sure, there were some nice moments this year — but for me, this was one of the worst seasons to endure as a fan. I didn’t rush to buy tickets. I didn’t care to go to the Stadium. Why? Because this front office and this manager have mastered the art of complacency. For the Yankees, 2025 wasn’t about championships — it was about cash registers. As long as the seats were full and the beers were $16, who cares about the standings, right? You all kept spending. And what did you get out of it?

I’m sorry, but I can’t keep feeding the beast. I love the guys on the roster, I really do — but I cannot, for the life of me, understand what Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone are doing every single day. It’s embarrassing. And as the Blue Jays popped champagne on our turf tonight, the truth stared us in the face: they were the better team. All season.

You can lie to yourself and say the Yankees were “great,” but anyone who watched this team knows the truth. Anthony Volpe was handed shortstop duties like a participation trophy, delivering automatic outs daily. This post season he struck out 14 times. Austin Wells? Bless him, but watching him claw his way to a .219 average was painful. Meanwhile, better bats collected dust on the bench because Boone preferred his “marketing plan” players — the faces on the posters, not the ones who could actually produce.

This wasn’t a great Yankees team, folks. It wasn’t even a good one. Hal Steinbrenner spent August and September playing the quiet game — not a word, not a statement, just radio silence while his empire smoldered. And give it a few days — he’ll surface, mutter something like, “The fans deserve better,” and then… poof. Nothing changes.

The fans do deserve better. Tonight was ugly, but honestly, so was the entire ALDS. Even when Max Fried was dealing, it didn’t matter — the offense flatlined. And how fitting is it that the one guy fans pinned their hopes on in Game 4 was Cam Schlittler, the rookie? Kid’s got guts, no doubt, but this isn’t Disney. He’s young, he’s learning — and this organization was banking on him to save them.

This season never had consistency. And that comes back to leadership — or in our case, the lack of it. No one on this team looks ready to run through a wall for Aaron Boone. He’s not a motivator; he’s a nap with a lineup card. If he had any real grasp of the game, Anthony Volpe would’ve been benched months ago.

But here we are. The game is over. The series is over. The season is over. And the Yankees, once again, are not winners.

This team needs to tear it down and rebuild the coaching staff from the ground up. Boone has to go. Cashman needs a sabbatical — preferably one that lasts forever. Because what we’re watching isn’t the Yankees of pride and power — it’s the Yankees of participation ribbons and postgame excuses.

To all the Bleeding Yankee Blue fans who suffered through this season with me — I feel you. You listened to my rants about our weak shortstop, our clueless manager, and our front office that’s allergic to accountability. You stuck around, and that means everything to me.

We may be frustrated, angry, and exhausted, but we’re Yankee fans. That still means something. We love this team too much to stay quiet. We demand better — and we won’t stop until they finally give it to us.

Bleeding Yankee Blue forever. Yanks forever.

Fire Boone! The worst and softest manager I have ever seen.

JUDGE WAKES UP & THE YANKEES ARE STILL ALIVE!

Set the pigeons free! The Yankees finally made some magic happen. I guess it's just like they say...it's better late than never? We live to see another day. A day....but I'm praying to the baseball gods that is turns into more than just one day.

We've played three games in the ALDS and we witnessed terrible starting pitching in ALL of them. I thought Max Fried was bad on Sunday but Carlos Rodon was a disaster! It looked bleak after he allowed 6 runs after 2 2/3 innings. It looked like winter was starting early....until the Yankees were given a gift.

Thankfully, Shane Bieber had a rough night also. He had a short appearance too, he was removed in the third inning after allowing three runs on five hits, one walk, and two strikeouts. He struggled against the Yankees top of the order, giving up back-to-back doubles in the second inning and being pulled with the Blue Jays up 6-3. The Blue Jays thought he would be an advantage for them. He has experience pitching at Yankee stadium, so the Blue Jays hoped he could put an end to the series. His elevated pitches did him in and the Yankees clearly read him well. They had some hard hit balls against him.

Then finally, Aaron Judge had his huge playoff moment that the Yankees (and all of us!) have been waiting for. He ran into a 99.7 mph fastball for a three-run homer off the left-field foul pole to tie the game at six. After that, everything seemed to fall into place as the Yankees stayed hot and the Blue Jays crumbled under bad defense.

Last night, the Blue Jays looked like the 2024 Yankees. Former Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa started the trend in the bottom of the first, booting a ground ball at second base. It helped the Yankees score a run. In the fourth inning, Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger, missed a routine fly ball from Austin Wells with one out and nobody on. Barger was a pinch-hitter in the game and I thank the Blue Jays so much. Without his addition in the game, two batters later we may not have seen a Judge home run. The mistakes didn't end there. In the sixth inning, Anthony Santander couldn't catch a line drive from Cody Bellinger and gave the Yankees a double and an eventual run from the Yankees to pad their lead to 9-6.

This feels good now, but the Yankees can't celebrate this today. The Blue Jays are a good defensive team. What we saw last night is not typical and we can't rely on a sloppy game from them again. We need to swing the bats, move runners, play strong defense and PLEASE.....have a good start from Cam Schlittler.

The Blue Jays are approaching today as a bullpen game, but we have Schlittler! It's a lot of pressure for him, especially after what he just did against the Red Sox. 

We CAN tie this up today....I'm crossing every possible body part I can and praying to the baseball gods. Please Schlitt....keep us alive!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj