BREAKING: CASHMAN SNAGS A BIG PIECE!

Well, look who's awake.

After what felt like an eternity of watching the offense sputter and hearing fans beg for reinforcements, Brian Cashman finally reached for the caffeine. The Yankees have acquired first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals, giving a lineup in desperate need of life another weapon.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that the Yankees were pushing hard to get a deal done, and they did just that. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Nationals will receive four players in return. USA Today's Bob Nightengale identified right-hander Yovanny Cruz as part of the package, while The Athletic's Spencer Nusbaum reported that right-handers Jack Cebert, Ben Grable, and Jake Bird are also headed to Washington.

Make no mistake—this is a good baseball move.

The Yankees weren't going to slug their way into October with wishful thinking and lineup cards that looked more like crossed fingers than a plan. They needed more production. They needed another bat. Most importantly, they needed to show the clubhouse—and the fan base—that they weren't content watching the offense disappear every other night.

Funny enough, we just posted about this. Just a short time ago, BYB published a piece asking whether Brian Cashman was finally waking up from his deadline nap. Turns out the alarm clock worked.

Garcia Jr. may not solve every problem in the Bronx, but he represents something the Yankees have been missing lately: action. And for a team chasing wins instead of excuses, that's a welcome change.

REACTION TO OUR BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE ARTICLES.

Episode 1: Cashman Deadline Desperation?

FALLING BACK DOWN TO EARTH

The Yankees have a pattern. They start the season off strong, and then when the dog days of summer arrive they hit a wall and take a nose dive. We've seen that in July and as frustrated as I get when I see it, I still know it's likely. But....it's middle of may. We are ahead of schedule. The Yankees just dropped three series in a row we should've beaten. Are we already free falling?

We knew the bullpen needed an overhaul. Cashman made some interesting moves and back in March they were rolling and we asked DID CASHMAN FINALLY GET SOMETHING RIGHT? I said I wanted to see Camilo Doval, Jake Bird and David Bednar adapted and performed over the next six months before celebrating a good start of the season. I think we can officially say we don't need six months. We can't afford six more weeks with what is going on....

These guys are complete busts! Our "needs" list is growing longer and longer by the minute. Once again, this is not a team built to win a championship. It's a team that is going to hit a wall and come up short while the National League contenders plow through them. The Yankees need to make some moves, take on some payroll and right some wrongs here.

The bullpen trio has to go. Right now, I only trust Tim Hill. That's it! Bednar is not a real closer, and Doval and Bird are gambles that are almost a guaranteed failure. Unless our starters can go eight innings, we are setting ourselves up for a blown game like we saw last night against the Mets. These games just can't happen, especially now that our starting rotation took a hit losing Max Fried. There's just no confidence.

The Yankees also need a catcher because Austin Wells isn't it! The Yankees don't want to use Ben Rice behind the plate and honestly, I am not feeling good with Paul Goldschmidt the rest of the season getting more reps at first base. The Yankees need more stability. It's a patch job.

It's no secret Anthony Volpe is a disaster and he's back up again because Jose Caballero is injured. When Caballero is healthy again, he needs to come back to shortstop, and the Yankees just need to cut their losses with Volpe. He's not going to be our answer, maybe some other team can use him.

Honestly, the infield and the bullpen really concern me right now. These are big pieces that just have to function. The pitching and offense (when it shows up) can't make up for those voids. Championship caliber teams don't gamble like this. 

Cashman needs to fix this - because if he can't and he can't put together that winning team he doesn't belong here and the Yankees need to pull their heads out of their butts. Just like in any job, if you can't perform....it's time to move on.

This is a mess and we're all tired of it. Bandaged, flawed teams are not what we expect in the Bronx. No more mediocrity - stop the freefall! Fix it, already!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE YANKEES & ASTROS SWAP NOBODIES!

The Yankees get better and better at frustrating fans and now players alike. Back in February, the Yankees designated Braden Shewmake for assignment to clear up a spot on the 40-man roster. But he sat in limbo waiting....and waiting until yesterday.

On Sunday, after waiting two and a half months, Shewmake was traded to the Houston Astros for pitcher Wilmy Sanchez. The shortstop that had no clear path to the majors and just sat around cleasring up a 40-man roster spot for all of last season is officially gone. This is what frustrates me about the Yankees. We had no where to put him, and he was not a clear upgrade over Anthony Volpe but let's just let him hold on to a valuable spot that anyone else could have and we could've used. That's the New York Yankee way.

And there was no reason to keep Shewmake as long as we did. He was bad at Scranton last season with a .244 BA and he was on pace for more of the same this spring. Even an extensive injury history in the infield would not have given him a golden opportunity at the big league level. We just like to hold onto scrubs.

The Astros, unfortunately need him. They have significant injuries they are dealing with and let Mauricio Dubon walk over the winter so now they are desperate and get the Yankees leftovers. Not that we are left with much better.....

So now we have Sanchez, the Astros leftovers. He's going to be the latest reclamation project for the Yankees. We all know how much Brian Cashman loves those. Now Matt Blake gets another pitcher he has to try and tune up. I will say if Blake can work his magic there COULD be an upside but it is a gamble. In 61 innings pitched last season he only gave up six home runs so it will be interesting to see if he can keep that success in New York. He also recorded 75 strikeouts so he has potential....but he does have some serious command issues holding him back but at 22 years old, he's still young enough to mold and get him ready for big league play.

Potential is always nice, but we are all tired of watching the Yankees go dumpster diving for projects. This strategy has blown up in our faces now with Camilo Doval and Jake Bird. Not to mention, there is still some trauma lingering from the failures of Clay Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr and Jonathan Loaisiga and honestly I could continue with this list but I am gonna save myself some PTSD....it's going to be a long season.

The Yankees and Astros swapped nobodies this weekend. As we sit and wait for the Yankees to make a deal for a difference maker, we all age a little more and grow more frustrated. These are not the moves of a contender, but a pretender.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED & THE 'FAKE NEWS' WORLD OF BRIAN CASHMAN

The Yankees had the blueprint for a clean, stress-free win: Max Fried on the mound, a slim lead, and momentum on their side. Naturally, it all went sideways. Why? Because the bullpen once again treated a lead like a polite suggestion instead of a responsibility.

And the wild part? This wasn’t supposed to be an issue anymore. Cue the flashback—July 31, 2025. Brian Cashman steps up after the trade deadline and essentially stamps the roster with a big “Mission Accomplished.” Reinforcements had arrived: David Bednar, Jake Bird, and Camilo Doval. Three arms, one promise—problem solved.

Except… not even close.

Bird’s already been rerouted to Wilkes-Barre like a package marked “return to sender.” The others? Let’s call it aggressively average. Sprinkle in a few more spare parts, and somehow the bullpen still operates like it’s held together with duct tape and crossed fingers.

Meanwhile, yesteday Fried actually gave them a chance. He settled in, found a groove, and carried a one-run lead into the sixth looking every bit like the ace. Then came the turning point—because of course it did. Former Yankee Oswald Peraza ties it with an RBI double, and Fernando Cruz follows that up by turning a crack into a crater with three more runs.

From there, it became a parade of “who’s that?” and “why now?”—Angel Chivilli (I don't know who this is) and Ryan Yarbrough—and just like that, the wheels weren’t just off, they got lost. The offense, for dramatic effect, vanished right on cue.

So yes, they got run over by an Angels team that isn’t exactly a juggernaut. And the question keeps coming back: how does a team that stockpiles bullpen arms like collectibles still end up with a relief corps that can’t close a door, let alone a game?

I’ll give you the short answer—because the guy in charge thought the job was already finished. “Mission accomplished,” remember? That’s starting to look less like confidence and more like the moment the GPS lost signal.

And it’s not just the bullpen. This is part of a longer résumé that raises eyebrows: the Carlos Rodón deal that hasn’t delivered co-ace results, the gamble on Frankie Montas that came with a warning label attached, a roster that seems permanently one tweak away from the injured list, and an offense that lives and dies by the long ball—usually dies when it matters.

At some point, it stops being bad luck and starts being a pattern.

And if you zoom out? Brian Cashman only really has one unquestioned crown jewel—2009. The rest? All of it traces back to the foundation built by Gene Michael. Since then, it’s felt more like maintenance than mastery.

Yesterday was just another episode in a very familiar series: shaky bullpen, silent bats, and a team that looks less complete the closer you examine it.

And the best (or worst) part? It’s only April 17. Plenty of time for things to improve… or for the same script to keep running on repeat.

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.

DID CASHMAN FINALLY GET SOMETHING RIGHT?

It's an interesting question in a very early season. I like to give credit where credit is due and I do when it is earned. Some folks are praising Cashman early on but let's get closer (much closer) to the dog days of summer before we go breaking out the trophies and medals for "most improved" categories.

The bullpen was a serious weakness last season. We knew it needed an overhaul so that's why we said LET THE YANKEES BULLPEN BLOW UP BEGIN! The Yankees experiment with Devin Williams was a disaster and even Luke Weaver crashed and burned in epic fashion that I never expected. He didn't address his problem with tipping pitches and that helped him lose his job. Both guys are playing for that other New York team now, and Cashman has made over the bullpen.

That new bullpen has a 3-0 start after sweeping three from the Giants with their perceived weaker bullpen. Four relievers combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings to finish off Saturday's 3-1 win to make it 11 shutout innings in the opening series. All three of the Yankees 2025 trade-deadline additions played key roles in the series and now it has the baseball world asking if Cashman outsmarted everyone. Read more about what NJ.com had to say HERE.

Last season the bullpen ERA was 4.37, 7th worst in MLB and 11th best in the American League. That was a big drop from the 2024 World Series season when their 3.62 bullpen ERA ranked third in the league and sixth overall. The Yankees did look sharp after losing some bigger names over the winter but it's easy to look sharp in the first series of the season. Everyone's rested!

The Yankees don't NEED big names to be successful. We had that last year and it didn't work well for us. The Yankees do need good strategy, guys with good fundamentals and rest! How many times have we seen the Yankees bullpen just get taxed and absolutely drained after being used to much and too often? It's one of the Yankees biggest faults. It happens every. stinking. season! The Yankees change their roster but they don't change the way they operate and it annoys me.

So yeah, right now Cashman may look like a genius to some. It is way too early to start celebrating. I want to see how Camilo Doval, Jake Bird and David Bednar adapt and perform over the next six months. That's a grind! We caught a glimpse of success now, but we need to see long term results. Not to mention, odds are pretty good that Cashman will look to add new reinforcements by the trade deadline so those guys will also need to be evaluated.

I am not going to toot Cashman's horn just yet with the existing bullpen. I will say the Yankees made smart additions by subtraction by getting rid of dead weight. 

That's as far as I will go....for now. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

BOONE SENDS DOWN BIRD, BUT NOT VOLPE? NOTHING WEIRD ABOUT THAT

The Yankees managed to implode again, and guess what? Aaron Boone—our baseball-life coach in a hoodie—found a way to deflect the blame faster than a checked swing on a full count. This time, the fall guy is Jake Bird, who got shipped to Triple-A like he was caught shoplifting sunflower seeds. This guy was with Colorado since he was called up in 2022, but now suddenly he needs to disappear, for something, dare I say that was not his fault.

Let’s get something straight: Devin Williams should never have been on that mound in the ninth last night. Everyone with eyes, ears, or the ability to yell at a TV knew that David Bednar should’ve been the guy. He’s an actual closer. You know, the kind who doesn’t require a therapy dog every time the Bronx gets loud.

Bednar isn’t just some throw-in bullpen arm—he’s a beast. He had 17 saves this year for the Pirates, posted a 2.37 ERA, and struck out 51 guys in 38 innings. That’s elite closer stuff. That’s "give the Yankees a damn win for once" stuff. And Boone... said, “Nah, let’s try the Brewers guy.”

Devin Williams is talented, sure. He’s got the NL Reliever of the Year trophy from his Brewers days and a changeup that looks like it’s breaking the laws of physics. But closing in Milwaukee is not the same as closing in the Bronx. Let’s not act like the pressure’s even remotely the same. Yankees fans throw verbal bricks. You need a backbone made of tungsten, not tofu.

Instead, Boone chose Williams, who promptly coughed it up. Then Jake Bird came in and that went about as well as giving Boone a clipboard and a pencil and asking him to manage a bullpen. Bird got torched. Yes, but you know what? He shouldn't have been in that spot to begin with. Blame the manager, not the mop-up guy.

But nah, Boone couldn’t take the heat. So what does he do? Sends Bird down the next morning. Real classy. Real leadership. Hey Jake, thanks for being a warm body in a no-win situation—now enjoy Scranton.

Bird has four years of MLB experience and a serviceable track record. He was thrown into a fire because Boone’s closer roulette landed on “flaming wreckage,” and now he’s the scapegoat. Meanwhile, certain players in Boone’s clubhouse get the velvet rope treatment no matter how often they soil the pinstripes.

Enter Anthony Volpe, stage left, batting .219 and still treated like Derek Jeter’s long-lost godson. Boone continues to coddle him like a toddler learning to ride a bike. At this point, if Volpe tripped over first base, Boone would call it “grit.” The dude's numbers are comparable to Pete Gray, and Pete had one arm. But Volpe? He plays every day. Why? Because Boone has decided he's untouchable. Same with Austin Wells. It’s like Boone thinks they're part of his Build-A-Player workshop and no one’s allowed to question their progress. What's next, a threesome of watching Boone's homer of the insignificant 2003 ALCS with wax on their nipples? I'm being dramatic and graphic, but let's keep it real... there is a double standard, and it is fucking weird.

But Jake Bird? Boom. Gone.

And the kicker? Boone is now today waffling on Devin Williams' closer status. You can't make this up. "We’ll do what we need to do,” Boone said, adding, “I got to make decisions that are trying to put guys in the best position to be successful to win a ball game.”  

Buddy, you did the opposite of that. Everyone screaming from the upper decks knew Williams wasn’t the guy. Bednar was ready, Doval is an option with 15 saves and a 3.09 ERA—but no, Boone had to flex his genius again and then flush the blame down to Triple-A.

So what now? Boone gets to keep babysitting his precious prospects while hard-working vets like Bird get kicked to the curb. And fans are supposed to keep eating this garbage sandwich and pretend it's a rebuild?  Wrong move. Wrong guy. Wrong manager.

At this point, the Yankees don't just need wins. They need accountability, and it has to start at the top. Boone doesn’t get to keep playing favorites and dodging blame like a slippery Little League coach who won’t bench his son.

Jake Bird isn’t the problem.

Boone is.

Do better, or kindly pack up your sunflower seeds and hit the road. Preferably before the next good arm gets thrown under the bus.

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.

JAKE BIRD'S A YANKEE, RIGGIO'S GONE & VOLPE LIVES ANOTHER DAY

Another day, another bewildering decision from the brain trust in the Bronx. The Yankees, in their infinite wisdom (read: full-blown delusion), just traded one of their most promising prospects, Roc Riggio, to the Rockies for… wait for it… Jake Bird. A middle reliever with a glorious 4.73 ERA. I'm dead.

Jake Bird is the kind of guy you pick up off waivers in a panic at 2 a.m. after your bullpen gets torched in a 14-inning game. It is my opinion that Bird's not the guy you trade one of your best young hitters for. Yet here we are. And somehow, the people running this team think we should be excited about this.

Let’s break this down.

Bird had a shiny little 2.63 ERA through June, which looked halfway decent. Then July came along, and he exploded like a cheap firework—14 earned runs in just over five innings. His ERA ballooned like the Yankees' expectations every spring. This isn’t depth. This is damage control. Thanks alot Brian Cashman.

But here’s where it really gets infuriating: they traded Roc Riggio but are still hanging on to Anthony Volpe like he’s Derek Jeter reincarnated. I mean—what is going on here? What dirt does Volpe have on Aaron Boone? Because the obsession is getting downright bizarre.

Let’s be honest—Volpe has been awful. The kid can’t hit, he makes throwing errors like he’s allergic to first base, and every time you think he’s figuring it out, he stumbles back into another week-long slump. But hey, Boone loves him. Boone adores him. Boone talks about Volpe like he’s his long-lost son who can do no wrong. Meanwhile, Roc Riggio—a kid with legitimate pop, fire, and improving defense—gets jettisoned to Colorado because… what? He’s not in Boone’s inner circle? And we gave him up for Jake Bird.

It makes zero sense.

 

Riggio was having a monster 2025. He was showing real power, a .542 slugging percentage, and 18 home runs in the minors already this year. He was improving defensively, he plays with a chip on his shoulder, and he’s homegrown. That’s the part that stings the most. He was the kind of second baseman with a bat that plays and a personality that could’ve thrived under the lights of Yankee Stadium.

But no, the Yankees kept the guy hitting .210 and launching throws into the 15th row. It’s not just bad talent evaluation—it’s cult behavior. It’s like Boone decided Volpe was going to be a star and now no one in the building is allowed to disagree, no matter how many times he boots a routine grounder or goes 0-for-4 with three Ks.

Meanwhile, Riggio had every right to be in the same conversation. Arguably? A better offensive profile than Volpe. I'm not kidding. More contact, more pop, and fewer delusions. 

 
And here’s the kicker—Riggio could have played second base very soon. Hell, they rushed Volpe up to suck at short, they could have rushed Riggio to do a decent job at second next year if they wanted to! He could’ve been Volpe’s double-play partner! But apparently, that was too much competition for Boone’s golden child to handle. I kid, I kid.

So instead of upgrading the middle infield with a rising bat and a gritty edge, we’re throwing Riggio into the thin air of Coors Field and crossing our fingers that Jake Bird doesn’t completely fall apart in pinstripes by mid-August. Because, yeah, bullpen relievers from Colorado always thrive in the Bronx. Sure. That tracks.

 
The Yankees aren’t just playing checkers while the rest of the league plays chess—they’re flipping the board over and gluing the pieces to the ceiling. The decisions make no sense. They’re clinging to the idea of Volpe being “The Next One” while shipping off someone who might’ve actually been the better player in the long run.

It’s a bizarre, frustrating, Boone-fueled fever dream, and we’re all stuck watching it spiral deeper into absurdity.

Jake Bird, welcome to the madness. Just don’t unpack too much—you’ll probably want out of here by August 30th.