IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT AARON BOONE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING

I’ve been saying it for years, and today just stamped it in ink: I do not understand why anyone—beat reporters, fans, or even the hot dog vendor outside Gate 4—still wastes their time listening to Aaron Boone. The man has mastered the art of saying absolutely nothing with as many words as possible. He’s a walking TED Talk on word salad.

Even Clint Frazier—yes, Clint Frazier, the guy who disappeared faster than Boone’s bullpen logic—once all but admitted Boone’s managerial style consists of nodding along to the analytics department while pretending he’s steering the ship. He also knows the Front Office is garbage. I feel bad for the Yankee players. 

Boone isn’t a manager; he’s the Yankees’ Siri. Ask him something, and he’ll spit out pre-programmed nonsense that sounds vaguely baseball-y but ultimately means zip.

Case in point: Boone went on WFAN today and let his hamster wheel brain spin out this gem about Aaron Judge: “I don’t think we’re going to see [Judge] back to throwing like he normally does at any point this year.” Translation: Judge is broken forever, goodnight everybody. Naturally, fans panicked, thinking either Judge was done as an outfielder this season or Boone just accidentally leaked the Yankees’ darkest secret.

But here’s the thing—I didn’t buy a word of it. Boone could tell me the sky is blue and I’d still go outside and double-check. And guess what? I was right. Judge himself had to come out and basically tell his own manager to zip it. Before the Rays series, Judge shot down Boone’s rambling, saying: “I don’t know why he said that. He hasn’t seen me throw for the past two weeks, so I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to [100 percent].”

That’s not just a correction—that’s a superstar calling his manager clueless in the politest way possible. If this were the movie Dude, Where’s My Car?, Judge’s line would’ve been, “I know my arm, dude!”

So here we are again: the fans frustrated, Judge frustrated, and Boone still squatting in the dugout like he’s earned the right to be there. When exactly will this guy be shown the exit? Because frankly, I miss Yankee Stadium. I want to go back. But I refuse to sit in those seats while Boone is steering this Titanic with a plastic spoon and a weather app.

That’s the bottom line: Boone’s gotta go. And the longer the front office keeps him around, the dumber they look.

ANTHONY VOLPE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED

Fantastic article about the future of Anthony Volpe in pinstripes, or should I say the end of him in pinstripes.

If you haven't figured it out, I am over Volpe.  He's not a major leaguer and he was rushed up with the hope that the Yankee fans would welcome him with open arms in the hopes to mask the bigger problem... the Yankees need a real shortstop... someone that went through the proper ranks to eventually perform at the highest level to play in the major leagues. Not a kid from high school with no college experience all because his old man knew some people in the Yankee organization.  

This whole Volpe experiment has gone horribly wrong, and it really does go back to what Clint Frazier said yesterday on the Foul Territory podcast... "“I do feel like they hired a few too many rocket scientists to try to like make the lineup.”

That is all you need to know about how this all works in Yankeeland and why Anthony Volpe, or even worse, Austin Wells is in the lineup every day. It's not the eye test. It's analytics from college or high school with the idea that the player "can develop" or he could "become better" over time.  It's all bullshit. Many times, you need gut and feel to make a hard choice on who should be out there every day.  Volpe should not be, and now an article written predicting soon (and I hope within the next year), Anthony Volpe will be sitting every day.  Why? Because George Lombard Jr. is just better, plain and simple.

Heavy.com writes:  "Volpe, who the Yankees were hoping would be one of the better players on their roster when he debuted, just hasn’t shown enough in Major League Baseball. He won a Gold Glove award in 2023, but even his defense has taken a hit at times.

Some believe the Yankees could eventually replace him with George Lombard Jr., while others believe the Yankees will look to add another shortstop in the draft, who could eventually come up and take Volpe’s spot, or move over to second if Lombard pans out. "

Let’s be honest: the Yankees’ front office wouldn’t recognize talent if it sat next to them on the 4 train wearing pinstripes and a name tag that said, “Hi, I’m a future All-Star.” Their personnel decisions lately feel like they’ve been made by flipping a dusty binder of 2017 analytics and closing their eyes. And while they’re busy patting themselves on the back for being ahead of the curve, the rest of baseball is lapping them.

Take Gleyber Torres. Remember him? The kid was accused of not figuring it out. Well, now he’s not just surviving in Detroit—he’s thriving. He’s the Motor City Monarch. King Gleyber of Comerica. Meanwhile, Yankees fans are stuck watching a lineup that too often looks like a group project gone horribly wrong.

Anthony Volpe. Look, the kid tries hard. He’s got a baby face and the hustle of someone who’s afraid to lose his job—which, frankly, he should be. But let’s call it what it is: Volpe looks like a little leaguer who accidentally wandered into Yankee Stadium. This isn’t about “growing pains” or “high upside.” It’s about performance. And if he can’t hit, can’t field consistently, and can’t carry the weight of being a shortstop in New York, then the Yankees need to stop pretending otherwise.

They could turn to a guy like George Lombard Jr., who at least looks the part of a smoother, more complete player. Or maybe, just maybe, they could explore the radical idea of signing an actual star shortstop in free agency. But that would mean admitting their golden child isn’t gold—it’s fool’s gold.

And of course, the Yankees don’t love to admit when they’re wrong. Their egos are practically on the payroll. But unless Volpe turns it around—and fast—he’s going to have to pack his bags and find a smaller ballpark to grow up in. Maybe Pittsburgh. Maybe Colorado. Somewhere with less pressure and fewer eyes watching every booted grounder.

Bottom line: Volpe isn’t a major leaguer, like, AT ALL. And the Yankees, with their stubborn loyalty and broken compass, are once again showing they don’t know how to build a roster. 

They let Gleyber go, they cling to Volpe, and they continue to live in the past. It’s 2025. Time to act like it. I thought we were going to put the best players on the field every day, Boone? You're not!

CLINT FRAZIER JUST CALLED OUT THE YANKEES

Thank God someone said it.

If you ever doubted that Aaron Boone is basically just the Yankees’ middle manager in pinstripes—a guy who gets handed a lineup like it’s the lunch menu at summer camp—well, Clint Frazier just handed us Exhibit A.

Frazier, the once-hyped “future Yankee star” who ended up being another name on the long list of Bronx busts, is now airing it out. And bless him for it, because someone had to finally say the quiet part out loud: the Yankees are being run by a team of Ivy League spreadsheet warriors who treat baseball like it’s a chemistry lab.

“I do feel like they hired a few too many rocket scientists to try to like make the lineup,” Frazier said during a refreshingly honest appearance on Foul Territory. “Instead of just like letting a former player or a guy that has more experience write the lineup.”

Boom. That’s the mic drop.

Frazier went even further, painting the Yankees as an organization so deep in its own numbers soup that it forgot to trust what’s happening on the field. “I could go 55-for-55 and they would be like, ‘he’s not hot, he’s going to cool down.’ They believed you were what you were.”

Translation: If you weren’t one of the golden ticket holders (read: big contracts), then no amount of hustle, production, or on-field fire could crack the daily lineup. And Frazier felt that hard. “I was just highly offended, man... I felt like I was one of the guys there trying to push the envelope. That felt personal.”

And let’s be clear—this isn’t just some bitter ex-player griping for clicks. Clint Frazier is offering a first-person glimpse into how the Yankees operate, and it’s not a pretty picture. Analytics are great, but when they’re used to the point of ignoring common baseball sense, what you get is a lineup dictated by formulas, not feel.

Boone? Well, according to this account, he’s not so much managing as he is... implementing. Someone upstairs scribbles the numbers, Boone posts them on the clubhouse wall, and voilà—the day’s lineup. Rinse, repeat, and ignore the guy hitting .400 on a hot streak because a pie chart says he's “due” to fail.

Look, Frazier’s story is hardly unique in the Bronx. He’s just one of many talented guys caught in the Yankees’ black hole of “analysis paralysis.” But he is one of the first to speak this directly and this bluntly about the dysfunction, and that’s worth noting.

Whether or not you were ever in the “Free Frazier” camp, you have to respect the guy for calling it how he sees it. He didn’t burn down the house, but he definitely lit a match—and honestly, the Yankees might need to smell some smoke before they realize how much they’ve lost their way.

So, here’s to Clint: not a villain, not a bust, just another talented player swallowed by the machine. And he’s finally telling the truth about it.

CLINT FRAZIER IS BACK AT IT!

I was always a fan of Clint Frazier. I was thrilled when the Yankees got him from the Indians, and I wanted him to blossom in the Bronx. The Yankees had too many contracts to deal with and ultimately those contracts took a front seat and what happened next to Clint Frazier is a tragedy in New York. They treated him poorly and, in the opportunities he was given, he really didn't deliver. I mean, how can you? Injuries didn't help either. You just get going just to stop and wait. It's tough for a young kid in the biz.  He's bounced around since then, but now he's got another shot and good for him.  Clint Frazier has signed with the Charleston Dirty Birds.

The New York Post writes:

Clint Frazier, welcome to the Dirty Birds family 🔥 🤝 😎
Join us in giving Clint a big welcome to Charleston 😆 #staydirty #DirtyBirds pic.twitter.com/sj65A77jmV

— Charleston Dirty Birds (@dirtybirdscwv) May 9, 2024

"The former Yankee signed with the Charleston Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League on Thursday after failing to catch on with an MLB franchise this spring... The 29-year-old outfielder is looking to get back to the big leagues after a tumultuous start to his MLB career."

It's good to see this guy still trying to fulfill his dream. I wish the guy well.

RANGERS SNATCH UP 'RED THUNDER'

 Just when you thought you would never hear about Clint Frazier, or er... Jackson Frazier again, you're wrong.

Clutch points writes:

"The Texas Rangers agreed to terms with 5 players on minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training, per the Rangers’ PR Twitter account. Notably, Texas agreed to terms with former New York Yankees’ top prospect Clint Frazier and former Kansas City Royals’ star pitcher Danny Duffy. Additionally, the Rangers brought in OF Travis Jankowski, RP Ian Kennedy, and RP Reyes Moronta...

Outfielder Clint Frazier was once regarded as a top prospect. The Yankees acquired him from the Cleveland Guardians and expected Frazier to serve a big role for them at some point. But things never panned out for him in New York."

Just recently Frazier signed with the Toros del Este, read CLINT FRAZIER JUST SIGNED WITH A DARK HORSE.... Now however, he appears back in the bigs, and to be honest, I'm thrilled for him.

CLINT FRAZIER JUST SIGNED WITH A DARK HORSE...

 Oh yeah and apparently, Clint goes by another name now too.

I don't know what to make of it. I couldn't really find it in the mainstream press, but I found the story none the less and I am really waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's a weird one, but I guess it's a good one for him and whatever man, I was always a fan of Frazier's, I just want this guy to be happy and playing baseball.

A publication called Momento Deportivo reports that Frazier is on his new club:

"The Toros del Este continue to make moves to climb the leaderboard and announced the signing of Major League Baseball outfielder Clint Frazier...

"Frazier is a bat that will help us in the production of runs, he has extra-base power and we will have him ready to debut on the weekend," Raymond Abreu, general manager of the Toros, said at the time of announcing the signing.

Jackson Frazier, as he calls himself now, has seen action with the Yankees' big team since the 2017 seasons spent 2021 and signed as a free agent in 2022 with the Chicago Cubs, but an appendicitis process limited his playing time last season. Injuries, specifically concussions, have affected him in the past but the Decatur, Georgia, native is healthy and ready to help the Bulls."

New name, new team, clean slate? Hey, I welcome it. 

Frazier had some issues and when he was with the Yankees, there is no shot because they just had too many outfielders and Frazier got pushed aside. They really screwed him. But I always rooted for this guy. 

Bottom line is this story is legit and I have no reason to believe it's false, I am happy for Frazier! I wish the guy well. Hey, maybe I'll reach out and see if I can get an interview with him for Bleeding Yankee Blue. I'd love to see what he says about how everything went down with him and the Yankees. 

Good luck Clint, or Jackson... You know what? I'll just call him Frazier!

GONZO! SO LONG, ANDUJAR

No big surprise here, but Miguel Andujar is officially gonzo!

Andujar got a new home, just like he wanted. Maybe not exactly like he wanted, it took quite a while but it did finally happen. His most recent request to be traded happened back in June and honestly I wanted him to get his wish which is why I wrote I'M TEAM ANDUJAR BECAUSE THE YANKEES MAKE BAD DECISIONS! It was sickening to watch Andujar get passed over for worthless scrubs like Joey Gallo and Aaron Hicks but things have a way of working themselves out.

So now Andujar is a Pittsburgh Pirate and I hope it works out for him. He deserves to get some playing time ad not be stashed away in the minors as a 27-year old infielder / outfielder fill in. Is he the greatest baseball player? No, hardly. He's a far cry from where he was back in 2018 but he's not getting any younger and he has no opportunity as a Yankee. 

It's funny to look back now and think about how the Pirates asked the Yankees to include Andujar and Clint Frazier in a trade to get Gerrit Cole and the Yankees said NO. The Yankees considered Andujar to be untouchable at the time, and here we are four years later and the Pirates got him for free.

Now Andujar gets to reunite in Pittsburgh with several other ex-Yankees including Manny Banuelos, Greg Allen and Ben Gamel just to name a few. Hopefully this is the only similarity that Andujar sees on his new team because he deserves a clean slate.

So this is it....it is finally the end. It was a long time coming, too. I really think the Yankees should've cut the strings sooner and it is only being done now to free up roster space because it's just another thing the Yankees can't seem to manage properly. Andujar can finally pack his bags, get a fresh start and stop thinking about the Yankees.

Good luck to you, Andujar. I am sorry it didn't work out for you here, but best of luck to you in Pittsburgh.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

SALTY & UNEMPLOYED CLINT FRAZIER

You know what the problem is with Clint Frazier? He's forgotten that playing baseball is a privledge and that it's a business.  He needs to stop running his mouth and do the best he can to stay on a roster. My opinion.

Sports Illustrated writes:

"Ahead of what was supposed to be his first appearance against his former team, outfielder Clint Frazier slammed the Yankees’ appearance policy that requires players to be clean-shaven with short hair.

“You had to be a cookie-cutter version to be on that (Yankees) team,”

“If not, then you were like a really bad distraction, it seemed like. So I don’t miss being told how I had to look for the last five years,” Frazier said."

Frazier would suck in the military. I guess he doesn't understand what rules for organizations are. Look, I don't care for the hair policy either but it's tradition and that's how the Yankees run it. You sign with them you follow the rules. You don't? You go away. Clint went away and ran his mouth on the Cubs. Then this happened. MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"The Cubs announced a series of roster moves to reporters... outfielder Clint Frazier has been designated for assignment. The DFA of Frazier opens a spot on both the active and 40-man rosters for (Chris) Martin."

Frazier probably wishes he would shave right about now huh? Karma's a bitch.  Keep your mouth shut, keep working hard and be happy you have (or had) a job in baseball.  You sound privleged, Clint.  Stop it dude... bad look.

CLINT FRAZIER BROKE UP WITH THE YANKEES & HIS RAZOR TOO!

Obviously Clint Frazier's turbulent tenure with the Yankees is over and while some fans aren't missing him at all, it appears he's not missing us either. He's moving on....sort of.

Frazier agreed to a one year deal with the Cubs prior to the lockout and he sounds like he is very happy to be out of New York. Check out his latest tweet:

Frazier posted a photoshopped image of him in his new uniform and joked that he was "leaving my razor at home" obviously making a dig at the Yankees longstanding anti-facial hair policy. I wonder if we will see his longer hair make a come back. Frazier cut his hair after the 2017 season after Joe Girardi said his hair was a "distraction." He also poked fun at the Mickey Mantle rumor from a while back that he had allegedly requested to wear number 7, which is obviously retired. 

After that some fans had some mean tweets in response and now some of them have been deleted. One fan went as far as saying he was glad he was gone, which Frazier agreed with.

I said at the end of the 2020 season that I felt like Frazier was in a "make it or break it" stage with the Yankees. If he didn't breakthrough and find a way past his defensive and health issues that his time with the Yankees would be over. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. The Yankees were patient, they gave it more than enough time but he never lived up to their big expectations when they traded for him back in 2016. It sucks, but it happens. 

Now Frazier gets a new start. He gets to try and prove himself on a low-risk one year deal with the Cubs and maybe he can finally be an effective everyday player. I think Frazier had a lot of potential when we got him, it just never came to fruition. Maybe it can with the Cubs. Not everyone can handle New York, and we've seen that many other times before.

New York isn't a fit for everyone. I think it was time for the Yankees to move on. I also think it is time for Frazier to move on and get a fresh start. I wish him well. I hope he does succeed and he gets the opportunity that he is looking for.

So I guess the Yankees and Frazier have mutual feelings and it can be a clean breakup. We can find another outfielder....and Frazier can reunite with his hair and also breakup with his razor. It all works out in the end. Good Luck to you, Red Thunder.

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

 

COULD FREDDIE FREEMAN BE A YANKEE IN 2022?

It is no surprise that Freddie Freeman is one of the top, if not the top, free agent in this year's cohort. The 2020 NL MVP and World Series Champion first base man is being pursued by the Yankees and division rival Toronto Blue Jays. Could Freeman be a Yankee in 2022? Why not!

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network's Tweet on Tuesday afternoon, "Teams are trying to pry superstar 1B Freddie Freeman from Atlanta. Some say they still don’t think it will happen but r surprised he’s still free. Dodgers, who lost Seager and could move Muncy to 2B, may have best hope for SoCal product, NYY, TOR (h/t Carlos Baerga) reached out." Would the Yankees even want to bring in another first baseman when they need a shortstop and likely a center fielder, not to mention more starting pitching? Stranger things have happened.

"Freeman is one of the game’s most consistently productive hitters, having been at least 32 percentage points better than average at the plate (by measure of wRC+) in each season since 2013," wrote MLB Rumors. Even though that is an attractive reason to go for Freeman, plus he is an all around great guy and would add amazing chemistry to the Yankee clubhouse, the Yankees need to go after what they need right now: short stop, center field and a starting pitcher. 

MLB Network's Jon Morosi tweeted, "Free agent Chris Taylor is drawing broad interest and could sign by Wednesday. Dodgers would like to retain him. Blue Jays, Mariners, Angels, and Nationals also have been involved over the past week." What about Taylor, who can play outfield, shortstop and second base? He put up great numbers this past year and would be a better choice given the Yankees current needs. 

Could Freddie Freeman be a Yankee in 2022? Sure. Will he be? Not likely. Given the Yankees deficits, they need to stay focused on filling positions of high need. And with Corey Kluber, Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade and other players off the roster and on other teams, the Yankees need to start to fill the void with players who can keep the team competitive and fresh for a fight for the East and eventual World Series run. As much as I would love to see Freeman in pinstripes, they need to pass. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

SANCHEZ SURVIVES YANKEES FIRST CUT

Source: Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

If you have not heard the news, the Yankees parted ways with Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade and Rougned Odor on Friday. But somehow, Gary Sanchez was spared. Yet as the New York Post points out, "The Yankees clearly recognize they need to mix up their pool of position players, with Miguel Andujar and Luke Voit joining Sanchez on the endangered species list between now and the Dec. 2 non-tender deadline. Sanchez stands out because, as a catcher, he is the hardest to replace." Will the Yankees part ways with Sanchez? I hope so, but if not him than who?

Here is an interesting and innovative way to address the problem: What if the Yankees take the opener strategy in pitching and apply it to catching; meaning why not have an arsenal of catchers, well not an arsenal but carry three or four, who can play other positions as well. This idea is not that far off base.

"The thin free-agent group of catchers includes Roberto Perez, who performed poorly for Cleveland last season, and old pal Austin Romine, whose health and performance struggles the past two seasons validated the Yankees’ decision to keep Kyle Higashioka over him. Romine might have to settle for a minor league deal. The Yankees should make Higashioka a co-starter behind the plate and deploy their trademark arbitrage skills that just last summer unearthed Nestor Cortes Jr., Clay Holmes and Lucas Luetge to locate the other co-starter, be it one of the aforementioned free agents or someone else," reports the Post.

Source: Associated Press

Interesting. Right? Co-catchers which might give the Yankees more confidence in moving away from Sanchez slowly. Also part of the free agency is Yan Gomes from the Oakland A's who on paper is not much better and in some cases worse than Sanchez. "Gomes, 34, tallied a .723 OPS, seven points lower than Sanchez, as he split his 2021 season between the Nationals and A’s. His July (1.078) actually topped Sanchez’s June, if with far fewer plate appearances. More to the point, while his April (.556) ranked lower than any of Sanchez’s months, he exceeded .694 in three of the six months, adding a fourth (.646 in August) that surpassed Sanchez’s third-best month, April," reported the Post. 

Source: NJ.com

The most important takeaway from the Gary Sanchez saga or experiment is this: The Yankees need to pledge more of their resources toward player development than trying to fix a deficit that was clearly theirs. Home growing your players is the best bang for your buck and if you can't do that well, consistently than you will continue to "buy" your way into the playoffs, or just be ok with how things have been. 

The Yankees lack of synergy, athleticism and chemistry has been their undoing. So really this conversation isn't about who Sanchez has become but rather it's about who he could have been had the Yankees dedicated the time and resources necessary to help him realize his potential. Now we are left with platooning him with two or three other catchers and see what fits. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

TRADES & STRATEGIC THOUGHTS ON THE NEW YORK YANKEES

Last week you read A MUST READ ON THE STATE OF THE NEW YORK YANKEES. I was fired up... here's the second part of my thought process. A strategic look at fixing the New York Yankees.

We will then need to trade some of our current players if we ever want to make a run for anything in the future of this team!

Trade Luke Voit: Luke Voit will still have value as a lower salary guy that led the majors in homers in 2020. Then how about we get something for him. Prospects!

Trade Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar: Look, we all like these guys but it's time to cut bait on these two former top prospects. It’s not happening for them here in the Bronx. I realize value not very high right now, so not expecting much, but let’s get some future prospects and see what happens.

Consider a Gleyber Torres Trade: I am not opposed to trading Torres. The Yanks had a plan to put him at 2B, but this creates a problem if we sign a first baseman like Freeman for example. If DJ is not playing 1B and Gleyber is at 2B and a new shortstop is there, but a Seager, then the Yankees have only 1 spot for DJ and Urshela. I think I would consider dealing Gleyber and keeping DJ at 2B and Urshela at 3B. I wouldn’t give him away for nothing, but if we could land a decent catcher (more on that below), we may need to do that. The Yanks probably need to trade Gleyber or Urshela because no way DJ is not going to start and play every day somewhere on the infield.

Consider Trade of Gary Sanchez: A very tough call here...what to do at catcher? In a perfect world, the Yanks need to upgrade defensively over Sanchez. His defense is very bad and he is not hitting enough (.204 or lower in 3 of the past 4 years) to make this bad defense worthwhile. The problem is there is not a clear alternative. Higashioka is a very good defensive catcher, so he is probably our best alternative, but he hit .181. If Yanks could get a Wilson Contreras from the Cubs, perhaps in a trade that includes Sanchez (plus more of course), it might be worth doing. The Yanks probably need to move on from Sanchez, but they are not going to do it if they don’t feel there is a viable alternative that can hit over .200. I think if they get all the offense that I suggested, it would be fine to cut bait with Sanchez (perhaps even non-tender him) and go with Higashioka as their top catcher next season.

Other thoughts on 2021:

The Bullpen: I really loved our bullpen by the end of the season. Britton is gone, but Chapman seemed to return to form and after that was a lot of depth. Loaiziga is amazing. Green had some rough games, but is still a very good reliever. Clay Holmes looked amazing and was a great find by Cashman (his best move of the season was getting Clay Holmes) for nothing. Michael King was great as well and his future as a reliever looks very promising. I liked what I saw from Wandy Peralta as a lefty out of the pen as well. Yanks have a lot of depth and options here to have a great bullpen in 2022 without having to make any additions. Chapman, of course, was shaky at times, but he will close again in 2022 but with numerous options to take his closer role (likely Loaiziga) if he falters.

The Starters: After Cole, the Yankees will seemingly finally get Severino back in 2022 as a real #2 starter. They have plenty of options here for the 3, 4 and 5 starters with the surprising year from Nestor Cortez (2.90 ERA), solid work from Jordan Montgomery (3.83 in 30 starts), and some good work at times from German and Taillon. Since they probably won’t follow my plan to fix the offense with Seager, Freeman and Marte, they may try to go get another top starter. Interesting that Verlander, Kershaw, and Max Scherzer will be available as free agents, so that might be something they consider. 

After Cole, the other starters had trouble going deep into games. Cortes was basically a 5 inning pitcher and Montgomery not much more than that. The Yanks could use someone aside from Cole to get them 7 innings regularly to preserve that great bullpen and keep them fresh for October. Hoping Sevy can get to that point next year, but hard to predict that. Obviously, the most important thing the Yanks need with pitching is for Cole to be dominant like he is supposed to be (unlike his final two starts this season, including his terrible Wild Card performance).

Philosophy: After 5 years of failure in the post-season, the Yanks philosophy has not worked! 

The idea of loading up with guys that hit dingers and strikeout a lot is a bad approach. It's why getting Gallo made no sense when you are adding him on top of Judge, Stanton, Voit, and Sanchez. It's why DJ was so great for the Yanks in 2019 and 2020 because he was not that kind of hitter. The Yanks need to get away from this approach. They need more athleticism and speed. I love watching Tyler Wade play because he brings that different style of play to the Yanks that they are utterly lacking when he isn’t in the game. It’s why someone like Marte would help  this team. It’s why someone like Seager is a great fit. It’s why we need to trade Voit and try to replace Sanchez. 

I'm not sure if Cashman realizes this yet or will just keep trying to succeed with his philosophy. If he doesn’t change the philosophy, we will be back here again next year having this same discussion.  Just my opinion of course.

--Douglas Solomon

BYB Guest Writer

THE YANKEES NEED TO SAY BYE TO BOONE THE BONEHEAD!

I'm still sitting here stewing. It's going to be a long winter and I don't want to sit here and be aggravated about the state of the Yankees the entire time, but unless major changes happen many fans will be aggravated. We are Yankee fans, we have high expectations....VERY high expectations actually.

The Yankees didn't win the World Series. The Yankees tanked the first ten games of the season and then chased everyone in the division for the rest of the season. The team never clicked and it's frustrating to see a huge payroll filled with a bunch of underperformers.

And on top of the underperformers, a manager who just doesn't know how to manage and get the best out of his team is the biggest concern for me. Brian Cashman thought Aaron Boone was the right man for the job for his ability to communicate and connect with players. We've had four seasons with Boone in the dugout now, we should've seen his great skills translate with someone on this team. The sample size is large enough for that, so what will it take for Hal Steinbrenner to realize that Boone's skillset isn't a fir for the job?

Hopefully NOW, but I am not going to hold my breath. Boone relies solely on analytics and not actual strategy or instinct. Every call comes from someone in analytics. Every lineup or bullpen move is predetermined. A good part of a managers job is done behind closed doors, something we never get to see. If Boone is so good at what he does (like Cashman says) why hasn't that translated to wins on the field? Why haven't we seen breakthroughs with Gary Sanchez or Gleyber Torres? And what about Clint Frazier? This was supposed to be his year. Boone even called him a starter in Spring Training. If he's supposed to be a players manager, why hasn't he helped improve these struggling players? It's not all his fault or even the players fault....but a good communicator and baseball mind will find ways to win and improve.

What have we really accomplished under Boone? Nothing. I don't care that he has won 328 games because none of those games gave us a championship. We went from being one win away from the World Series under Joe Girardi to four years of disappointment. The Yankees made the choice to walk away from Girardi and even Joe Torre before him when their contracts were up and now it is time to do the same again. This leadership is not getting us back to being champions.

I don't think the Yankees are ready to move on to another manager, but they should be. It's clear that things under Boone haven't worked and adding more high priced talent isn't going to change that. Even Boone said on Tuesday night that the entire league has "closed the gap on us" and that's under part of his watch....so why shouldn't he take the blame for that? We haven't been to the World Series in 12 years but the Yankees haven't gotten any closer in the 4 years he's been skipper. He's not the only one to blame BUT you have to start somewhere. 

Right now on the top of my offseason wish list is getting rid of Boone. The Yankees can just walk away from him and regroup unlike with Cashman....but there's more to come on that later. The Boone experiment didn't work. The Yankees have lost some of their mystique, and this is the first move to get it back.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Senior Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE DARK TRUTH ABOUT FRAZIER'S FUTURE

There are bad breaks and then there are really bad breaks.  No one appreciates a kid like Clint Frazier more than me. He works his ass off, and is competiting against teammates and fighting to stay in a crowded Yankee lineup every single day.  But now it looks like he may not be sticking around much longer in the ENTIRE GAME, unless he and doctors can figure out what to do about his vision. It's sad and disturbing and I really feel for this kid.

ESPN writes:

" Yankees manager Aaron Boone isn't certain that Clint Frazier will be able to play baseball again after the outfielder was pulled from a minor league rehab assignment Monday amid continuing issues with his vision.

"We'll see," Boone said when asked whether Frazier would play again. "Obviously, he's been through a lot and been through a lot of seeing a lot of people and a lot of testing and everything. We'll just try and continue to follow and support him where we can. But as of right now, a little holding pattern. I know he feels well today, so we'll just see."

And right there isn't enough information for you and me. That's because Boone isn't a doctor and doesn't know the extent of this. All we know is this is troublesome.

NJ.com writes this from back in mid July:

"Boone added, “I think they found some things with how his eyes move and how that affects how he processes different things, but I think some of the larger, more serious things have been ruled out.”

Frazier went on the 10-day injured list with vertigo, but Boone said that also has been ruled out.

The slugger pulled himself out of the second inning of a June 30 game against the Angels, complaining of dizziness."

Syracuse.com writes this August 16:

"The 26-year-old Frazier began a minor league rehab assignment last Tuesday after missing nearly six weeks due to dizziness and other symptoms consistent with vertigo. He went 4 for 10 over three games, but Boone said Frazier felt unwell prior to Sunday’s game with Double-A Somerset and took himself out of the lineup."

And now I ask this... when Cleveland traded him, did they know he had these issues? Obivously this guy's health is pretty major, but a big, big question in the business realm. Did the Indians know any of this? It's a fair question... I really want to know the answer.

In the meantime I can't help but feel for this dude... he's a gamer. 

I wish Clint well.