HEY HAL STEINBRENNER, WE HATE THIS TEAM RIGHT NOW!

The job of the trade deadline? Simple: upgrade the New York Yankees. And we needed starting pitching. So yeah—make the team better, fix glaring holes, stop the bleeding, do the thing where you act like a team that actually wants to win. But instead, what did Brian Cashman do? He showed up to the deadline with a pack of duct tape and a bottle of NyQuil. Relief pitchers. That’s what he brought. More middle relief, because apparently the Yankees are planning to bullpen their way to October golf.

And right on cue, Aaron Boone shuffled out with his usual glassy-eyed optimism and dropped this gem: “Devin Williams is still the closer.” Oh, great. Boone's the dumbest guy in the room every single time. That’s like saying the Titanic is still unsinkable after it’s hit the iceberg. Everyone watching this team knew exactly what Boone was feeding us—pure, uncut, grade-A B.S.

Let’s get real here: David Bednar is a legit closer. A weapon. A guy with ice in his veins and a fastball that makes grown men cry. He's born for the role and we all know this... and if you're going to trade him for that, use him for that! Then we have Luke Weaver. Despite the chaos in his resume, he's miles better than Devin “Changeup Over the Plate” Williams. So, when Boone said they’d “mix and match,” Yankee fans everywhere rolled their eyes.

And then came Monday night. Of course it went down the way it did. The Yankees blew the game, an 8-5 game Rangers win in extras. Shocker—Boone once again mismanaged the bullpen like he was drawing names out of a hat during a rain delay.

JOC IN A PINCH TIES IT! #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/s3cDe9RHJ0

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) August 5, 2025

Here’s what happened: Devin Williams took the mound in the ninth, trying to “lock it down.” Instead, he served up a batting practice changeup to Joc Pederson, who launched it 408 feet into the Arlington night. Tie game. Here we go. In the 10th, trade-deadline acquisition Jake Bird—who’s about as trustworthy as a broken umbrella—gave up a three-run nuke to Josh Jung. Ballgame. Loss number whatever. And it’s all avoidable if anyone in this dugout had a clue.

Aaron Boone is not a manager. He’s a vibes curator. He claps, he spits seeds, he looks surprised a lot. But managing? Not his thing. He’s a failed manager. Put it in context: Yankee fans don’t want wild cards, we want Division wins and a World Series Championship. We want parades. Aaron Boone has delivered none of that. Zero rings. Zero accountability. But you know who did win a title? Dave Martinez with the Nationals. And you know what happened when his team stunk this year? He got fired. Actions. Consequences. Novel concept.

But Boone? Still here. Still making the same bullpen mistakes he made in 2019. Yankee fans are stuck watching this horror movie on loop and nobody’s coming to change the channel.

This team is unwatchable. Directionless. There’s no urgency, no identity, no heart. If you’re a Yankee fan watching this right now, you’ve probably asked yourself the same question we all have: What is the damn point?

And here’s the kicker—Anthony Volpe is probably the happiest guy in the room right now. Why? Because nobody’s talking about the fact that he still doesn’t belong at shortstop. But don’t worry. Bleeding Yankee Blue didn’t forget. Volpe’s got hustle, sure, but a .218 average and punchless at-bats aren’t going to cut it in the Bronx. Not now. Not ever. I am watching.

Fans are begging for a shake-up. Somebody do something. This is the New York Yankees, not some sorry AL Central team just happy to be here. When the front office checks out and the manager becomes a walking motivational poster, what’s left?

And where the hell is Hal Steinbrenner?

He needs to speak. He needs to act. He needs to care. Because right now, Yankee fans are losing their minds watching the franchise they love sink into a pit of mediocrity while Cashman counts his job security and Boone draws smiley faces on the lineup card.

We’re furious. We’re exhausted. We HATE THIS TEAM. Not because we’re not fans—because we are. Because we know what this team should be. And this? This ain’t it. Fix it. Fire someone. Light a fire. Because if nothing changes… then what the hell are we even doing?

We are the Yankees. Start acting like it.

THE NATS HAVE THE BALLS TO MAKE THE MOVES THE YANKEES WON'T

I'm not gonna lie, the baseball fan in me is shocked and a little jealous about the moves the Washington Nationals just made. In case you missed it, the Washington Nationals just fired General Manager Mike Rizzo AND Manager Dave Martinez, read more HERE.

The Nationals have been struggling. The Yankees have been struggling for almost a month now. You can't compare the Yankees and Nats but, at the end of the day this is all about winning and the Nationals are 37-53 and in last place in the NL East, so they aren't winning. The Yankees are 49-41 and three games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East now. That series was a punch to the stomach, and after being swept they have no one to blame but themselves.

The Yankees have high expectations. The expectations and the results just don't match. The same is true for the Nationals, and I didn't expect them to be at the bottom of the NL East. The difference between these two franchises is the Nationals were smart enough (and brave enough) to make the move. If it isn't working, you gotta make the move.

The Yankees and the Nationals have something else in common. They both have really struggled to develop their own talent. Seriously, the Nationals haven't developed their own talent. When I think of their homegrown talent, I think of Stephen Strasburg and Juan Soto....that's it. The Yankees developed the Core Four back in the day. Aside from that, Aaron Judge is the next prominent name many years later. That's it.

It's interesting to see how two different teams, have some of the same challenges. But this is where the Nationals prove they are willing to make tough choices in hopes to move forward. The Yankees practice a business model of insanity, doing the same things over and over again hoping for a magical change in their underachieving ways. It's what I call "wash, rinse and repeat." It's ended the same way since 2009. The Nationals on the other hand, made the uncomfortable choice of parting with both their GM and manager to rebuild with new leadership. 

I'm just tired of the free pass that Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone have. The Yankees had one hell of a freefall from the AL East standings. That is a result of poor leadership. It comes from Cashman not knowing how to build a championship caliber team, and it comes from Boone coddling his team, and being soft. This is not how you win.

The Nationals are smart enough to realize that, but the Yankees aren't....and it will continue to cost them. I only hope the Yankees come to their senses and do the same thing. I'm not gonna hold my breath though....

Robert Casey has a piece coming out at noon today that you need to read! Enough is Enough.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

HAL'S SEARCH FOR YANKEE MANAGER CONTINUES

Kathy Willens/AP Photo

The first weekend without baseball.....and it sucks. I am ready for some hot stove and moves to be made so feel free to announce Brian Cashman's new contract anytime now. Then maybe we can finally get this new Yankee manager signed too and get the 2018 Yankee team in motion. The sooner these things happen the faster baseball officially comes back....right?

Photo: Gabe Kapler / Getty Images

Well, it's wishful thinking anyway. The field of Yankee managerial candidates dropped by a few in the past week:

• The guy I thought was one of the top favorites for the gig, Joe Espada has a new job as third base and bench coach for the World Champion Houston Astros.

• Former LA Dodgers director of player development, Gabe Kapler is now the new manager for the Philadephia Phillies

• Another former bench coach and World Series Champion, Dave Martinez says Goodbye to the Chicago Cubs and heads to Washington as the new Nationals manager.

So who is still in the running? Well, new rumors are swirling after a veteran major league scout talked to NJ.com and said he thinks that Brad Ausmus is going to be Cashman's next choice despite all of the predictions of some saying the Yankees will hire a young, analytical guy that Cashman has close connections to.

This scout believes the Yankees will hire a guy with major league experience with another team and has "thick skin." Sounds like this scout likes a guy that can coddle and kick a guy in the pants if needed....and he thinks Ausmus is that guy.

On paper, Ausmus may not look like the ideal candidate to replace Joe Girardi. After all, Girardi had a 910-710 record as Yankees manager and won a pennant and won a World series title. Ausmus on the other hand managed the Detroit Tigers from 2014-2017 posting a 314-322 record and 2015 and 2017 he finished with losing seasons. How could that possibly translate to a good candidate to replace Girardi?

Honestly, I think Ausmus wasn't set up for success in Detroit and Peter Gammons agrees, you can read that HERE. Ausmus had an aging roster that was inconsistent and a subpar farm system. He simply didn't have the right team to work with yet he was expected to win. Dave Dombrowski should share some of the brunt of the failures here. He was in charge of giving Ausmus the tools to help him win and he simply didn't do it. Gammon's quote of  "Dombrowski has long viewed his role not as trades and acquisitions, but organizational-building" is an eye-opening account of what he and perhaps other outsiders perceive what his role was in the Tigers organization. I don't care how much organizational-building" you do....if you don't have the right people you aren't growing at all. The GM did not give his manager the tools he needed to do his job which is especially hard to ignore when Ausmus had no previous managerial experience.

Photo: NJ.com

I don't foresee that happening in New York. Cashman has been very clear on his expectations and how he plans to accomplish them and he has followed through on them. He has a very different approach and maybe Ausmus is the guy for the job. One MLB scout thinks so and Ausmus is certainly trending in the news so maybe the Yankees are interested?

Who knows if there is any truth to Ausmus and his connection to the Yankees but as the pool of candidates get smaller the rumors become harder to ignore.

Would you want to hire Ausmus and give him a chance here? Tell us why or why not.



--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

WOW! KEVIN LONG'S ON THE MOVE...

Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America

Kevin Long ended up being with the Mets the last few years.  Then, there were rumors circling that when Joe Girardi was not asked back to manage the Yankees, and brass told all the teams they could interview their coaches, it was clear the Yanks were looking to perhaps upgrade their coaching staff... and many indications were a reunion with Kevin Long in some capacity. But that's not true...

The latest is Long just signed on with the Nationals.  He will be their hitting coach next season.  SNY has the story:

Photo: New York Daily News

"Former Mets hitting coach Kevin Long has been hired by the Nationals to serve in the same role, the team announced.

Long, whose contract expired this off-season, had been expected to leave the Mets once the team decided to hire Mickey Callaway to fill their managerial opening.

He will coach under new manager Dave Martinez..."

Oh well.

2017 WAS A BIG CHANGE, BUT BIGGER CHANGES ARE COMING

Source: Abbie Parr/Getty Images North America

I'm not ready for the long winter's nap that is now here. I don't embrace other sports like I do baseball. I can't believe it's all over until February. I may go crazy by then but I really hope not. I never imagined it to end this way but regardless, congratulations to the Houston Astros.

Photo: Getty Images

If it couldn't be us I am glad to see another young team go out there and get their first World Series title.

So here we are, first day in the off-season. The only thing that will keep me sane (for now) is to start thinking about 2018 and what will be different. I thought 2017 was going to be the year of change and as different and new as this Yankees team was I don't think it will compare to what we will see next year.

Photo: Getty Images

This team will have a serious makeover and not just players. We already know that Joe Girardi is out and that could mean that the entire coaching staff is turned over. The Yankees already gave their coaches permission to speak to other teams and their contracts technically expired yesterday. That doesn't necessarily mean anything but it is a professional courtesy every team grants when they change managers.

Source: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America

As much as we have heard that Brian Cashman wants the next Yankees manager to be someone he has an existing relationship with I don't necessarily believe that means it has to be a former Yankee. There is a new trend in baseball and I think the Yankees will follow it. We have already seen Gabe Kapler and Dave Martinez hired with teams they have had no connections with. Recently Joe Maddon left Tampa for Chicago, and after winning in Boston Terry Francona was dismissed and landed in Cleveland. Baseball is looking for new blood. The Yankees are looking for a new analytical manager to work with our young players. I think we will see a lot more "NEW" this coming season.

Source: Brian Blanco/Getty Images North America

So that makes me wonder about Rob Thomson, the Yankees bench coach. He's been with the Yankees for 28 years now and 10 of those years working directly with Girardi. He is the in-house managerial candidate with the longest Yankee tenure. If the Yankees really are looking for a fresh start with new managers, is he out? It's hard to imagine him not being a part of the organization and I hope that isn't the case. He's got a good reputation for being an effective communicator and working well with young talent. We have a lot of that, I hope he's still a part of it but I wouldn't be surprised if our coaching staff is entirely new.

Photo: Getty Images

And my off-season predictions are that Masahiro Tanaka does end up opting out of his contract and Jacoby Ellsbury actually ends up getting traded. After watching Tanaka pitch like an ace in the postseason his stock rose despite the ugly start to the season. He did well in the second half and the playoffs he was an ace. His demand rises a little more especially after Yu Darvish basically tanks in the playoffs. He and Jake Arrieta are the most desirable free agent starts and Darvish's stock just dropped a lot.

Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America

Jacoby Ellsbury is also less valuable at this point. He appeared in 6 of the Yankees 13 postseason games and there's no nice way to explain why....the Yankees have three better outfielders in Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge.

Photo: Getty Images

Oh, then there is that other big problem of finding a way to make room for Clint Frazier who is ready and waiting for his spot again after getting a taste of the action this season. Ellsbury has been phased out. I can see the Yankees making an expensive decision to eat a lot of contract and work around his no-trade clause. I think his days in pinstripes are numbered and even he knows it.

The Yankees made a strong statement by not re-signing Girardi. Who knows what will happen with our roster and managerial positions this season but this will be a very active off-season. Is this a "out with the old and in with the new" mentality? It might be.

MORE change is coming...



--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

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