THE YANKEES PUBLIC RELATIONS NIGHTMARE CONTINUES - BUT HAL DOESN'T CARE!

At what point, do the Yankees finally realize there is a serious problem and fix it? A problem that needs action to fix it and not just a bunch of "accountability" babble from Hal Steinbrenner. We've all been waiting for the day when hell freezes over....because that's when things MIGHT change. Maybe? Big fat maybe. Or maybe Hal needs to be blasted some more first.

He's certainly had enough blasting over the years, and especially lately. Here's a very recent breakdown of the Yankees getting criticized:

1. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez got the recent Yankee ridicule started the night the Rays eliminated the Yankees on the Fox Sports post-game show.

2. Then Paul O'Neill gave some pointed commentary to Bob Klapisch on NJ.com HERE.

3. CC Sabathia and Dellin Betances discuss the Yankees that have no standards or expectations of excellence, HERE. 

4. Joe Girardi calls out the Yankees for having no fundamentals and a culture problem HERE.

5. Jorge Posada feels "unwelcome" around the Yankees so he stays away HERE.

6. Last but not least Brewers Manager Pat Murphy calls the Yankees a "horseshit team" HERE.

Sure, Pat Murphy is backpedaling on the "horseshit" comment but he still thinks it. Next up we have Hall of Famer Goose Gossage sharing his thoughts HERE. It's not the first time he's shared his brutally honest thoughts but it is his latest contribution. Sometimes it sounds like he doesn't even like the Yankees anymore, but "I love the Yankees! Are you kidding me? It's this whole regime that I don't like."

Another thing we can all agree on. This regime sucks. No fundamentals, no coaching, lots of coddling and then failure. He's tired of watching it. "Yankees coaches aren't allowed to coach. You get on a player, you're gone. When I was there, I saw the fundamentals were gone and we all know what was going to happen. Look what happened. Gerrit Cole didn't cover first base in the World Series." He's tired of watching the Yankees not do the small things that need to be done over a long season to win.

The older not modern methods that worked are not allowed. The guys that used the old methods and proved that they worked because they won with them can't bring those back either. When they show up as guest instructors they just stand in the corner to watch the analytical nerd methods that produce the same results over and over again.

More and more backlash coming from Yankees past. It all paints the same bad picture - but Hal continues to stand by and do nothing. Is this what rock bottom looks like? Serious question!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

CLEAN HOUSE. LOSER CASHMAN’S YANKEES ARE A FAILURE.

AI Generated

Brian Cashman built this mess. Aaron Boone keeps explaining it. And Yankees fans keep getting charged championship prices to watch an organization congratulate itself for coming up short.

Enough.

The 2027 Yankees need a demolition crew. Start with the front office’s arrogance, work through the manager’s office, and stop treating disappointing players like priceless family heirlooms.

Austin Wells needs to be a backup catcher. Period.

A .186 batting average. A .624 OPS. Fourteen home runs and 32 RBIs. Those were his 2026 numbers. Somewhere along the way, the Yankees apparently decided an everyday catcher’s bat was an optional accessory.

Nobody is watching those at-bats and seeing Thurman Munson. They’re watching another Yankees development project whose reputation keeps arriving at the ballpark before his production does.

His defense has value. Fine. Make him the backup. A good glove should earn consideration; it shouldn’t grant lifetime immunity from hitting .186.

Cashman needs to find a starting catcher who can contribute offensively without requiring a presentation explaining why the contribution is secretly happening.

Anthony Volpe? Trade him. Immediately.

The Yankees sold fans a cornerstone. Four seasons into his major league career, the offensive foundation still looks like wet cardboard.

A career 83 OPS+ through 542 regular-season games is a substantial body of evidence. League average is 100. How much longer are we supposed to applaud the possibility that he eventually gets there?

The hometown story was lovely. The marketing department must have loved it. Unfortunately, the opposing pitcher doesn’t care where you went to high school.

My assessment of Volpe now? A reserve infielder. A guy backing up second base in Cincinnati. That’s an opinion about his role, not a report about a Reds trade.

The Yankees presented him like a destination when he was still a question. Then they made questioning him feel like a violation of team policy.

Fans deserved an honest evaluation. Instead, they got a sales pitch with pinstripes.

Trade him while another organization still believes it can unlock what the Yankees keep insisting is in there.

Then fire Aaron Boone.

No farewell tour. No discussion about how much the players love him. No more treating clubhouse approval like the final score.

A manager can have good relationships with his players and still demand excellence. With Boone, the reassurance is easy to find. The consequences are considerably harder.

From the outside, he looks like Cashman’s preferred spokesman wearing a uniform. The puppet criticism survives because the arrangement keeps producing the same spectacle: the roster fails, Boone explains, Cashman remains above the wreckage.

What, exactly, would constitute failure serious enough to change this?

The Yankees dismissed Joe Girardi on October 26, 2017, after an ALCS Game 7 loss. Cashman cited problems connecting and communicating with players.

Apparently, the organization solved the communication problem by hiring someone who can explain disappointment indefinitely.

Chicago moved on from Joe Maddon in September 2019 after a collapse cost the Cubs a playoff berth.

Accomplished managers lose jobs. Boone keeps getting another opportunity to tell us how close this group is.

Fire him. The Yankees need leadership with enough authority to make standards matter.

Jazz? Gone. We're done with the antics. We're done with the BS.

Trent Grisham? Pack up.

His 2026 salary was $22.025 million. His production: .211, 18 homers and a .703 OPS.

Twenty-two million dollars bought the Yankees another hitter fans needed to be talked into appreciating.

Cashman’s ability to spend enormous money and still leave obvious holes should be studied. Every winter brings another complicated explanation for why something underwhelming was actually clever.

Let Grisham walk. Stop paying for the memory of a better season.

David Bednar? I’d move on—but the numbers deserve an honest hearing.

He recorded 35 saves in 39 chances with a 2.47 ERA. That’s good pitching.

It also doesn’t obligate the Yankees to make him another expensive attachment while the lineup needs repairs.

My preference is to spend elsewhere and build a replacement plan. A good closer can protect a lead. He cannot manufacture a functional offense or repair Cashman’s judgment.

The closer’s entrance music should not be the most dependable part of the organizational plan.

Giancarlo Stanton? Confront reality already.

The healthy version of Stanton has been tremendous entertainment. The problem is that the healthy version has become somebody the Yankees keep expecting to visit.

Three calf strains cost him more than five months in 2026.

You cannot keep reserving a central place in the offense for a player whose availability requires crossed fingers and a medical briefing.

His contract makes an exit difficult. Releasing him would still leave money owed. Cashman has to deal with that reality instead of using it as permission to repeat the same gamble.

Stanton’s body has repeatedly failed him. The front office fails the roster when it keeps budgeting for a version of him it cannot reliably put on the field.

And that brings us to the man who should be answering for every inch of this:

Brian Cashman.

He evaluates the talent. He constructs the roster. He chooses the manager. He oversees the system that is supposed to develop the players.

Yet somehow, whenever the finished product disappoints, responsibility gets scattered until nobody can find it.

A player didn’t develop. Somebody got hurt. October is unpredictable. The roster looked good on paper.

Who keeps buying the paper?

Cashman cannot claim credit for the organization’s sophistication and then act like its recurring flaws are unfortunate weather.

If the same weaknesses keep surviving different rosters, examine the person assembling them. If the same excuses keep surviving different seasons, examine the people accepting them.

That includes Hal Steinbrenner. Ownership enables this comfort. Cashman has room to keep defending the process because the man above him keeps accepting the explanation.

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge keeps getting older.

That is the unforgivable part.

The Yankees have a player whose greatness should define an era. They are burning through his championship opportunities while debating whether another disappointing season really warrants an uncomfortable decision.

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have publicly questioned the organization’s approach. CC Sabathia has joined the criticism of its leadership and direction.

These are men who understand what winning here requires. The Yankees would be wise to spend less time defending themselves and more time considering why those voices are dissatisfied.

This franchise should be embarrassed.

Embarrassed by the excuses. Embarrassed by the complacency. Embarrassed that fans can identify the problems and still expect the offseason press conference to explain why most of them are coming back.

Change Wells’ role. Trade Volpe. Let Grisham leave. Make hard decisions about Bednar and Stanton.

Fire Boone.

And stop pretending Cashman deserves permanent protection from the results of his own work.

Because if Judge finishes his Yankees career without a championship, the organization will have plenty of time to celebrate his individual achievements.

It will also have to live with the fact that he gave them greatness—and they kept handing him this.

SABATHIA, BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE & A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT

Some Yankees become favorites because of what they do on the field. CC Sabathia was that guy from the moment he put on pinstripes. He took the ball, carried the pressure, and helped bring a championship back to the Bronx.

But at Bleeding Yankee Blue, our connection to CC and Amber Sabathia became more personal than a box score.

BYB was still young when the Sabathias gave us their time HERE. That was our interview from 2013. We talked about baseball, of course. We also talked about their family, their work helping kids through the PitCCh In Foundation, and how much New York had come to mean to them. They let our readers see the people behind the famous name.

At the end, we asked Amber if they read Bleeding Yankee Blue. She said yes and thanked us for the support. That was a huge moment for us. We were building this place one story and one reader at a time, and the Sabathias knew we were there. 

We will always love this clip of CC speaking about BYB to a reporter years ago is another reminder of that connection. Their generosity toward a growing fan site is something I’ve never forgotten.

We’ve been rooting for the Sabathias ever since. CC gave Yankees fans a pitcher they could count on, but he and Amber also showed us why they were so easy to admire as people. That’s why this honor feels personal to BYB.

Now No. 52 has been retired, and CC has a plaque in Monument Park. The rest of the baseball world sees a Hall of Famer getting the recognition he earned. I see that, too. I also think back to a Christmas morning, an interview we were proud to share, and a family that made time for Bleeding Yankee Blue when we were finding our way.

That’s full circle. Congratulations, CC. You and Amber have always been part of the BYB family. Love you guys!

THE YANKEES FAILED OSWALDO CABRERA

There are Yankee moves that make you scratch your head. Then there are Yankee moves that make you wonder if anybody in that front office actually remembers what building a baseball team is supposed to look like.

Designating Oswaldo Cabrera for assignment falls into the second category.

The Yankees DFA’d Cabrera Wednesday to clear a 40-man roster spot for Clarke Schmidt. Technically, that’s the transaction.

But this is bigger than a roster spot.

This is about how the Yankees continue to treat certain players like disposable parts while seemingly giving others every opportunity imaginable to prove they belong.

And Cabrera deserved better.

This is a guy who did whatever the Yankees asked him to do.

Third base? Sure. Second? No problem. Shortstop? He’d do it. Outfield? Give him a glove. Sit on the bench for a week and then suddenly get thrown into the lineup somewhere he hadn’t played in a month?

Oswaldo Cabrera would smile and say, “Let’s go.” Was he a superstar? Of course not. That’s not the point.

Cabrera was exactly the kind of player championship teams need — a versatile, energetic utility player who understood his role, never complained and was willing to do just about anything to help the New York Yankees win.

And after battling back from that horrific ankle injury, Cabrera went to Triple-A and hit .288 with a .790 OPS this season.

His reward? DFA. Beautiful.

Meanwhile, we continue to hear about Anthony Volpe. 

CC Sabathia recently talked about Volpe’s “perseverance and determination,” and look, I understand CC’s point. Volpe didn't quit when the Yankees finally sent him to Triple-A. He worked. He made adjustments. He learned second base even though he didn't want to. He hit the baseball down there.

Good for him. Seriously. But perseverance cannot become another excuse for pretending the previous four years didn't happen. Volpe entered this latest opportunity with an 85 wRC+ across parts of four major-league seasons. This year, before his demotion, he was hitting .240/.325/.322 with one home run in 56 games.

At some point, Major League Baseball has to be about major-league production. And let's also stop rewriting the reason Volpe came back.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. hurt his thumb and went on the injured list. The Yankees suddenly needed another second baseman. José Caballero had already stepped in at second, but Caballero's value to this roster is his ability to move around the diamond.

So Volpe got the call. That's roster necessity. That's different from the Yankees suddenly deciding Anthony Volpe had conquered Triple-A and earned his triumphant return to the Bronx.

Maybe Volpe has figured something out. Who knows. I really don't care anymore.

The Yankees' fascination with making Anthony Volpe happen has gone on long enough that fans have every right to question why the standards appear different depending on whose name is on the back of the uniform.

Because that's what bothers me about Cabrera. Oswaldo Cabrera earned the right to be useful to this team. He accepted every role. He played everywhere. He came back from a devastating injury. He produced in Scranton. And the Yankees still decided he was expendable.

The Yankees decided preserving their pitching depth and keeping their other roster possibilities open was more important than keeping Cabrera on the 40-man roster.

That's their right. But fans have the right to call it what it looks like, too. Another good Yankee gets squeezed while the organization continues bending over backward to find roles and opportunities for players it has decided are part of the plan.

That's the problem. It's not that Anthony Volpe shouldn't have been recalled when Jazz went down. The roster situation made the move understandable.

It's that Oswaldo Cabrera seemingly never received the same runway.

One player gets patience. Another gets DFA'd. One gets talked about in terms of determination and development. The other does everything asked of him, fights his way back from a gruesome injury, hits .288 in Triple-A and gets shown the door.

Oswaldo Cabrera wasn't Aaron Judge. Nobody ever claimed he was. He was something every good baseball team needs. A good Yankee. A useful Yankee. A selfless Yankee.

And once again, the Yankees somehow found a way to make that guy the expendable one. Maybe another organization claims Cabrera and actually appreciates what he brings to a roster.

I hope they do. Because Oswaldo Cabrera earned his opportunity. The Yankees just decided someone else deserved it more. And we've seen that movie before.

CC SABATHIA COMMENDS VOLPE'S PERSEVERANCE WHILE FANS CONDEMN HIM!

We don't need a reminder about how brutally honest the New York Yankee fan base is, and neither does CC Sabathia. Fans didn't hold back when he was playing, and they still don't. The only difference now might be that there may be more CC's out there to support those underperforming players.

That's what he is doing now, he's supporting Gary Sanchez, Miguel Andujar and last but not least Anthony Volpe, read more HERE. These guys were given "labels" from the fan base, which happens a lot when you don't meet expectations underneath New York's bright lights. For years we have been writing about how the Yankees coddle their players and but now CC wants the Yankees to also help them adapt to this demanding environment.

I agree with that to a point. New York is a tough place to play for established veterans, let alone when you are a young kid like Volpe was making it onto the big stage as an everyday player. There should be some mental preparation there for players, but it should also be prepared with the confidence of pairing that with good fundamentals to help you perform at a high level under those bright lights. If you have that track record of faltering (like Volpe has) that's when the Yankees need to be more hands on. It's exactly what the Yankees haven't done well.

Everyone in life needs feedback. It's what helps us improve and hone in on our craft. The Yankees do need to look for new ways to help guys deal with the pressures in the bright lights but maybe that doesn't look like what CC is suggesting. Maybe it's a more real-world scenario that the rest of us deal with since we don't make the big bucks playing a kid's game for a living.

The Yankees coddle; I call it the Aaron Boone approach. He's warm and fuzzy. The Bronx, however, is not a warm and fuzzy place. It's as real as it gets. Why aren't we giving that fair, but realistic approach to these guys? This isn't a sunshine and rainbows environment. This isn't a "safe space." This is a 'pull your big boy pants up and be tough' environment and get the job done. Figure it out and use your resources. The Yankees have lots of resources and patience. The fans don't have the patience, and we shouldn't be expected to have patience.

You can still give honest feedback that is firm but fair. It builds character. Hugs are not included on the side here. That's what Boone and the Yankees do. They give hugs, but they don't give reality. Give these guys a real environment to adapt in and help them through the bumps and they will perform better, period. If they don't, then they get sent down to the minors like Volpe did or traded. 

Only the strong survive here, and the Yankees need to figure that out. The coddling isn't working. Not everyone is cut out to play here so it's time to be honest about that. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE FALSE REALITY OF WHAT MAKES CASHMAN GREAT

Something is seriously wrong with Aaron Boone.

But the Yankees don’t just have a manager problem. They have a general manager problem too. And before the Brian Cashman defense squad starts printing Hall of Fame plaques, let’s revisit a little thing called history — something Aaron Boone clearly treats like optional reading.

The Yankees dynasty wasn’t born the second Cashman sat in the GM chair. That’s revisionist history wrapped in pinstripes.

The foundation of the dynasty was built by Gene Michael — “Stick” Michael — from 1990 through 1995. He was the stubborn architect who refused to trade away the young core when everybody else wanted shiny new toys. No Derek Jeter deal. No Mariano Rivera deal. No Andy Pettitte tossed away for some fading veteran. Stick protected the future while the rest of baseball played checkers with Yankee prospects.

Then came GM Bob Watson in 1996. The pieces were already in place. The engine was built. Watson helped guide the Yankees to a championship while the Core Four era officially arrived.

By the time Brian Cashman took over in 1998, the Yankees were essentially a luxury sports car with the keys already in the ignition. From 1998 to 2000, they dominated baseball — but pretending Cashman created the dynasty from scratch is like giving the guy who watered the lawn credit for building Yankee Stadium.

That’s why many people around baseball — and many Yankees fans — view 2009 as Cashman’s one undisputed championship. Why? Because that team had George Steinbrenner and his fingerprints all over it. And how did the Yankees win that title?

By opening the vault like a casino owner on New Year’s Eve.

CC Sabathia.
A. J. Burnett.
Mark Teixeira.
Nick Swisher.

The Yankees didn’t “develop” their way to that title. They went on a shopping spree that looked like George Steinbrenner had discovered unlimited credit. And to Cashman’s credit, it worked. But since then? A whole lot of headlines, analytics buzzwords, and October disappointment.

Which brings us to the recent Brandon Tierney-Aaron Boone exchange — a conversation that accidentally exposed why Boone always sounds like the last guy in the room to realize the fire alarm is real. Brandon Tierney was wrapping up the interview and talking about the Yankees’ roster depth and urgency this season when Boone decided to launch into a full infomercial for Cashman.

Boone called Cashman a Hall of Famer.

Tierney, probably wondering if he accidentally switched studios and wandered into a Yankees PR meeting, before politely pushing back.

Because here’s the reality: Hall of Fame executive? Based on what exactly? One championship in the last 16 years? An endless parade of expensive contracts that aged like milk in July? Constant playoff exits? A roster-building philosophy that too often feels like fantasy baseball run by a hedge fund intern?

That’s not greatness. That’s surviving in New York while owning an unlimited budget. Cashman is not a hall of fame GM.

Boone, of course, doubled down.

“He’s great at it, BT. He’s really good at it,” Boone said.

And that’s when Tierney hit the brakes.

“Great’s a little bit of a stretch. 2009’s been a minute, Booney.”

Correct. Completely correct.

The Yankees haven’t been starving for resources. They haven’t been rebuilding in a small market. They haven’t been operating with limitations. This is the Yankees. The standard isn’t “pretty good.” The standard is championships. Parades. Rings. October dominance.

Instead, Yankees fans have gotten aging rosters, bloated payrolls, analytics experiments, and postseason exits that arrive faster than Boone’s postgame line about how “the guys battled.” And Boone just kept talking — which is usually where Boone gets himself into trouble. He talks like a guy trying to finish an essay five minutes before class. More words don’t make the argument smarter.

Tierney ended the segment perfectly: “Go get a win.”

Exactly. Not 700 regular-season wins. Not another Wild Card appearance. Not another analytics seminar about launch angle efficiency. Win a championship.

That’s the job. If Cashman wants Hall of Fame talk, win another title. If Boone wants praise as a Yankees manager, stop managing October games like they’re spring training experiments in Tampa.

Until then, Boone can keep defending Cashman all he wants. Maybe he’s brainwashed. Maybe he’s loyal to a fault. Maybe he genuinely believes what he’s saying.

But one thing he definitely isn’t?

Right.

SEND RYAN WEATHERS BACK TO WHEREVER THE HELL YOU GOT HIM!

Let’s stop pretending the Brian Cashman master plan is anything more than a recycling bin of bad ideas dressed up as “strategy.”

First, it was the victory lap—mission accomplished!—after bringing in David Bednar, Jake Bird, and Camilo Doval… a trio that has turned late innings into a nightly horror show. And we were knocked out of the playoffs. Season over. Now we’re supposed to believe in the latest science experiment: Ryan Weathers, a guy who throws hard but hands out runs like it’s Halloween candy.

And somehow, the Yankees’ marketing machine keeps rolling these guys out like they’re headline acts instead of cautionary tales. It’s not roster building—it’s gaslighting with graphics.

Let’s call it what it is: this team hasn’t spent like the Yankees in years. They’re patching together a supposed contender with duct tape, crossed fingers, and whatever spare parts Cashman finds in the bargain bin. This isn’t the Bronx Bombers—it’s a clearance rack.

Remember 2009? That wasn’t luck. That was a front office actually acting like the New York Yankees. CC Sabathia, A. J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher—they went big, and guess what? It worked. Shocking concept.

Now? It’s a patchwork roster orbiting Max Fried, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger, hoping gravity alone keeps the whole thing from drifting into irrelevance.

This team isn’t good—it’s marketed to look good.

Ryan Weathers in pinstripes is the perfect example. The game starts, and even a kid can see it coming: “Weathers is pitching? That’s a loss.” Imagine being a Yankee fan and saying that? What the hell. When the fans can predict the outcome before the first pitch, what exactly is the front office doing—other than pretending everything is fine?

Five innings. Five runs. Four home runs. But sure, let’s celebrate the strikeouts. Because nothing says “ace” like getting shelled while occasionally missing a bat.

And here’s the bigger issue: you cannot expect a lineup to claw back every single night because your pitcher decided to implode in the first inning. That’s not resilience—that’s exhaustion. It’s bad baseball.

Six losses in the last seven games after a hot start tells you everything. This isn’t a slump. It’s regression to the mean of a mediocre roster.

Meanwhile, Oswald Peraza was out there last night for the Angels actually competing, creating pressure, forcing mistakes—doing everything his team should be doing. But by the time he makes an impact, the damage is already done. Good for him. Sticking a finger in Cashman's eye.

And in the dugout? Aaron Boone looks like a guy trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing. No urgency, no adjustments, and a bullpen strategy that feels like it’s being picked out of a hat.

You cannot expect Aaron Judge to carry this entire operation on his back every night. That’s not a plan—that’s a wish.

But don’t worry—the hype train is already moving. Anthony Volpe is being packaged like a savior, a franchise messiah ready to rescue the Bronx. What they’re not highlighting? A rough Double-A showing with 2 strikeouts that don’t exactly scream “immediate solution.” And for context, he batted against Zach Wheeler, an established major league pitcher.  So that just proves to me, he's not qualified to be on a major league field.  Pathetic.  

This is what the Yankees have become: a brand selling nostalgia while delivering mediocrity.

At some point, fans have to stop buying it—literally and figuratively. Because right now, the loudest thing in Yankee Stadium isn’t the bats.

It’s the disconnect.

ANOTHER REASON WHY BASEBALL IS NO LONGER ABOUT THE FANS

If you ever needed another reminder that the modern baseball business isn’t really about the fans anymore, congratulations — the 2026 season just handed you a perfect example wrapped in a streaming subscription. They will mask it like they are, but when your own local network, who is owned by the team doesn't get the rights to their own opening night game, you have to question it.

The New York Yankees will open their season on March 25 against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park… and you won’t find it on YES Network. Nope. The first Yankees game of the season — Opening Night, no less — will be exclusively streamed by Netflix.

Yes. The Yankees’ own network doesn’t even get the Yankees’ first game of the year. That promo? It's cool right? The concept... horrible for us die-hard fans.

Think about that for a second.

The reason? Major League Baseball signed a three-year streaming deal with Netflix reportedly worth about $50 million. The agreement gives the platform exclusive rights to certain marquee events from 2026 through 2028, and the Yankees–Giants matchup was chosen as a standalone national showcase. It’ll be the only MLB game played that day — a primetime event designed to bring eyeballs to Netflix’s first live baseball broadcast.

Great for Netflix. Not exactly great for the fans who actually follow the Yankees every night.

And it’s not like the Yankees didn’t see this coming. This isn’t a sudden thunderbolt from the sky. The team with one of the richest brands in sports somehow allowed its own Opening Night to get scooped away from its own network. The YES Network, the channel literally built around Yankees baseball, is now flying across the country just to broadcast… one game of the series.

Even Michael Kay didn’t try to sugarcoat it. He summed up the situation pretty bluntly, saying losing the pomp and circumstance of Opening Day “sucks.” He’s right. It does. But the issue goes deeper than that. Kay pointed out the awkward reality of the schedule: the opener is on Netflix, the finale is on Fox Sports, and the YES crew gets stuck with the middle game. So, the network voice of the Yankees is essentially boarding a plane to San Francisco to call exactly one game. That’s not just inconvenient. It’s ridiculous.

And for fans, the bigger problem is what we’re losing. When you turn on a Yankees broadcast, you expect the familiar voices — Kay, the analysts, the booth that lives and breathes the team every day. That connection matters. It’s part of what makes baseball feel local, personal, and rooted.

Netflix’s broadcast will instead feature a national crew including Matt Vasgersian, CC Sabathia, and Hunter Pence. Look, Sabathia is beloved in the Bronx and nobody’s complaining about hearing from him. But let’s be honest: a national broadcast crew is not the same as the people who call your team every single night. It turns the whole thing into something sterile. Less hometown baseball, more corporate presentation.

And that’s really the point here.

This deal isn’t just about one game. It’s about where the sport is headed under commissioner Rob Manfred. MLB has made it clear it wants to shift toward a nationalized media model — potentially bundling local digital rights by 2029 and selling them collectively.

Translation: fewer regional broadcasts, more big national streaming deals. In other words, the exact opposite of what built baseball’s connection with its fan bases in the first place.  Yes, baseball has always been a business. Nobody is naive about that. But once upon a time the business side stayed mostly behind the curtain while fans got to enjoy the game.

Now the curtain is gone. The business is the show.  Streaming deals. Exclusive rights. Platforms fighting over games like they’re tech assets instead of part of a community’s culture.

And Opening Day — the one moment that’s supposed to feel special for every team’s fans — is now being used as a tech launch event.

So call me crazy if you want. But when that first Yankees pitch of the year is thrown and the voices you’ve listened to for years aren’t there… you’ll feel it. That’s the moment you realize something about the sport has changed.

Shame on MLB for selling it that way. And honestly, shame on YES for not fighting harder to keep the Yankees’ own Opening Night where it belongs.

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: 

CC MONSTER GETS WHAT HE DESERVES

The Yankees are finally doing what everyone in the Bronx has known was inevitable: they’re putting No. 52 in permanent pinstripes.

On Sept. 26, before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees will retire the number of Hall of Famer CC Sabathia. And honestly? It feels less like an announcement and more like a formality. Of course, 52 was going up. The only surprise is that it didn’t happen five minutes after he walked off the mound for the last time.

Everybody knows I’m a huge CC guy. Not just because of the numbers — though 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts over 19 seasons will do nicely — but because of what he meant. Sabathia wasn’t just an ace. He was the ace. When the Yankees needed someone to grab the rotation by the collar and say, “Follow me,” CC was already laced up.

Let’s not forget 2009. The last time the Yankees actually finished the job and won it all. Sabathia didn’t just contribute — he anchored that staff like a battleship in October. Big games, short rest, hostile environments — didn’t matter. He wanted the ball. He demanded it. That postseason run is stitched into modern Yankee history, and CC’s fingerprints are all over it.

Beyond the mound, his popularity was off the charts. Teammates loved him. Fans adored him. The big lefty with the booming laugh and the bigger heart embraced New York, and New York embraced him right back. He didn’t treat the Yankees like a stop on a résumé. He treated it like a calling. His love for the franchise was obvious — in interviews, in charity work, in the way he carried himself as a leader in that clubhouse. He chose the Bronx, and he meant it.

When the Yankees retire No. 52, Sabathia will become the 25th player honored with a number in Monument Park. The franchise already leads the league in retired numbers — because when you’re the Yankees, you collect legends the way other teams collect bobbleheads.

And CC? He fits right in.

On Sept. 26, 52 goes where it belongs — up high, forever — a reminder of the last championship parade and the big lefty who powered it.

DID JASSON DOMINGUEZ FALL VICTIM TO THE YANKEES OVERHYPE MACHINE?

The answer is yes, but please continue reading.

Why haven’t the New York Yankees won a World Series since 2009?

Because blaming the players alone is the laziest take in baseball—and also the wrong one.

Yes, players have to perform. If you wear a big-league uniform, excuses don’t come standard. But let’s stop pretending the Yankees’ long championship drought is just a matter of underachieving athletes. The common denominator here isn’t the clubhouse—it’s the front office. Specifically, the decision-makers who keep betting big on spreadsheets while ignoring the messy, inconvenient truth that baseball players are human beings.

We’ve seen this movie before. Bad casting, bad evaluations, and blind faith in numbers that look great in theory and crumble in reality. Joey Gallo wasn’t an accident. He was a front-office decision. And he wasn’t alone. These moves all trace back to the same source: Brian Cashman and the machine around him.

Back in 2007, Cashman famously said the Yankees had “three years” to rebuild the system and chase another title. Well, congratulations—the system got rebuilt. Multiple times. The championships? Still stuck in 2009, collecting dust next to the old DVDs.

What did thrive during that time was the hype machine.

Stephen Parello of Yanks Go Yard laid this out perfectly when he walked through the Yankees’ long history of prospect inflation. Remember when Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy were supposed to save the franchise? Or when Eric Duncan was untouchable? Then came Jesús Montero—anointed as the next superstar with mythical scouting grades and zero follow-through. Parello forgot to mention the killer B's in Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman, but he didn't really need to, it's more of the same.

But then the Yankees did finally win in 2009—and notice how that happened: by opening the vault for CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett. Not hype. Not hope. Proven stars.

Fast-forward to now, and the pattern hasn’t changed—only the branding has. Today’s names are Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, and Jasson Domínguez. The jerseys sell. The slogans hit. The expectations explode.

Domínguez is the clearest example. A talented kid, no doubt—but the Yankees slapped “The Martian” on him and let the marketing department turn him into something he never asked to be. Even Joel Sherman called it out, noting that the nickname alone created absurd comparisons to Mickey Mantle—comparisons no other organization actually believed. That wasn’t scouting hype. That was New York hype.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: hype is profitable in the Bronx and you are all being fooled. If 100 fans buy a jersey, the team wins financially before the player ever takes a swing. If the kid struggles? He’s the problem. If he succeeds? The front office pats itself on the back and pretends it was genius all along.

Volpe might be the most glaring dilemma yet. Three years in, tons of merchandise sold, and very little return on the field. Internally, the Yankees know it. Publicly, they’re crossing their fingers and hoping surgery magically turns projections into production. But spreadsheets don’t heal players. And humans don’t reboot like software.

This isn’t “self-hating fandom.” This is realism—the same realism Bleeding Yankee Blue has preached for years. The Yankees’ definition of success has shifted. Second place is acceptable. “Almost” is good enough. As long as the money flows, urgency doesn’t exist.

That’s the real rot. So yes, players deserve blame when they fail. But who puts them there? Who overhypes them? Who markets dreams instead of building winners?

The front office.

And until that changes—until the GM is gone, Boone is shown the door, and the organization remembers that banners matter more than branding—the Yankees will keep selling hope instead of championships.

Don’t fall for it. This isn’t a dynasty in waiting.

It’s a business model built on “close enough.”

TYLER AUSTIN IS BACK!

Y’all remember Tyler Austin, right? Yeah — that Tyler Austin. A certified stud and a not-so-small part of the early heartbeat of Bleeding Yankee Blue. 

Back when Bleeding Yankee Blue was building and grinding, trying to carve out a voice, guys like Tyler, Ty Hensley, CC Sabathia, Brendan Ryan and David Robertson didn’t big-time us. They showed love. They backed us. And that stuff? You don’t forget it.

We’ve always respected the hell out of those guys, and we’ll always keep tabs on them here. Loyalty matters. Especially when it was real from the jump.

So yeah — Tyler Austin is back in the news.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Chicago Cubs just signed Austin to a one-year, $1.25 million deal. Not bad at all for a guy who took the long road and made it work.

Austin, now 34, spent the last six seasons in Japan absolutely mashing — slashing .293/.377/.568 with 85 homers and 236 RBI over 1,491 plate appearances. That’s not “hanging on.” That’s thriving.

We met Tyler and his mom, Kim, about 11 years ago when he was still climbing the ladder — minors to majors, dream very much in progress. With the Yankees, he showed legit pop, including 17 home runs in 2018, and he always felt like a guy who could’ve stuck if the breaks fell differently. Personally, I wanted him around longer. But instead of fading, he bet on himself, reinvented his game, and leveled up overseas. I respect the hell out of that.

So here’s a tip of the cap to Tyler Austin — always. Keep raking. Keep proving people wrong.

And hey Kim — hope you’re doing great.

Like this? Read This:

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TYLER AUSTIN... WONDERBOY

SABATHIA DEFENDS VOLPE, BUT THE ARGUMENT FALLS FLAT

Sure, I get why CC Sabathia is backing Anthony Volpe — I really do. CC’s a Yankee legend, a straight shooter, a guy who bleeds pinstripes. Of course he’s going to support the kid. But let’s not act like this is breaking news. It’s not. It’s not even a headline — unless you’re desperate to make it one.

Here’s the truth: CC is the best, but CC in my opinion, is wrong. And that’s fine. You don’t need advanced analytics, exit velocities, or “projected WAR” to figure this out — just use your eyeballs. Watch Volpe flail at the plate. Watch him get lost in the field. Watch Aaron Boone drool over his golden boy like he’s the second coming of Derek Jeter. Even the beat writers who’ve covered this team for decades know Volpe isn’t it right now — many just won’t say it out loud, some do, and I respect that.

The other night, Boone finally benched Volpe and started José Caballero at shortstop. Guess what? Caballero didn’t do much hitting ninth, but at least shortstop wasn’t a circus act. That was the smartest move Boone’s made all year. And yesterday? Volpe’s back in the lineup. That’s not just bad managing — that’s malpractice. The kid needs a week on the bench. A full mental reset. But no, Boone can’t quit his obsession.

Now, CC’s telling people to relax, using Miguel Andújar as an example — you know, the guy the Yankees jerked around for years, switched positions on, didn't allow to have consistency and eventually they dumped him. And somehow, after a long road, he’s still in the Majors. Good for Andújar. Really. But comparing him to Volpe? Nonsense. Andújar never got consistent at-bats or a stable role until he found a team to allow him to blossom. Volpe’s been handed both on a silver platter and still hasn’t figured it out. In other words, the Yankees have been consistent letting Volpe play, but Volpe isn't good, but they still give him chances.  they never did that to Miguel.

CC even tossed out Gary Sánchez’s name, saying with patience he could’ve still been the Yankees’ catcher. Yeah, about that — Sánchez got run out of town because he didn’t hustle, couldn’t block, and looked allergic to effort. He had plenty of chances; he just didn’t care enough. That’s not Volpe’s issue — but it’s still the same result: too much rope, not enough production.

Look, Volpe’s not a rookie anymore. He’s had flashes, sure, but consistency isn’t just lacking — it’s vanished. If you’re out there every single day and you’re still awful, that’s not a slump, that’s who you are right now. And if Boone refuses to adjust, that’s on him too.

So yeah, CC’s saying the “right” things publicly. He’s a company guy. He’s not going to blast a young player in front of cameras. But behind closed doors? There’s no way the competitor in CC doesn’t know the truth: Volpe needs to sit. The kid’s not good right now, and no amount of blind loyalty is going to change that.

My opinion right now, and I love Sabathia!

SHOULD THE YANKEES PURSUE TRISTON MCKENZIE?

Look, I've said it at least 30 times in 3 weeks, the Yankees need pitching help. The offense has been great, but we cannot sustain this. It's pretty simple.  Now comes a suggestion for pitching help and it's interesting.

They’ve lost Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Marcus Stroman to injuries. That’s not a crack in the rotation; that’s a full-on pitching apocalypse. So, what now? 

Once upon a time, Triston McKenzie was the next big thing. A first-round pick in 2015, he was billed as the future ace in Cleveland’s lineage of Cy Young hurlers—think CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee. Instead, he’s now the guy looking for a second (or third?) chance. As Indians skipper Stephen Vogt put it, “It was a difficult decision. It wasn't easy.” They DFA'd him. Translation: we really hoped this would work, but… yikes.

Enter MLB analyst Andrew Wright of Newsweek, who floated an intriguing idea: go get Triston McKenzie.

"McKenzie can be traded or placed on outright waivers any time prior to Friday,” Wright wrote, “and if he clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team. A landing spot for the young right-hander? The New York Yankees."

And honestly, why not?

McKenzie, 27, isn’t exactly riding a heater—unless you count the seven runs, seven hits, and seven walks he gave up in just 5 2/3 innings this year as a hot mess. That ballooned his ERA to a bumpy 11.12. No, that’s not a typo. It's just ugly.

Still, maybe all he needs is a change of scenery. Maybe Matt Blake—the Yankees’ pitching whisperer—can unlock something the Indians couldn’t. And look, the Yankees aren’t exactly in a position to turn their noses up at anyone who can throw a baseball without spontaneously combusting.

This isn’t about McKenzie being perfect—it’s about the Yankees being desperate. They need arms. They need depth. They need something, anything, before Aaron Boone starts pulling fans out of Section 205 to pitch the seventh.

Andrew Wright may be onto something. Or maybe he’s just the only one saying what nobody in the Yankees front office wants to admit out loud: this rotation needs help. Whether you want to believe it or not.

So, Triston McKenzie? Sure. Why not?