BURN IT DOWN: BOONE, CASHMAN & FISHMAN HAVE TO GO

Let’s not sugarcoat it—the 2025 Yankees are a goddamn embarrassment. OK fine, make a huge deal that we snapped a losing streak and beat the Mets, but let's face it... it's the Mets. This isn’t just a bad stretch or a team “trying to figure things out.” This is a full-blown organizational meltdown, and it starts right at the top with Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman, and Michael Fishman—the Bermuda Triangle of baseball incompetence.

We’ve said it before here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, and we’ll keep saying it louder for the people in the back: these three are destroying the Yankees from the inside out.

Let’s start with Aaron Boone. A manager is supposed to lead. He’s supposed to get the best out of his players, make smart decisions, manage a bullpen, and inspire a clubhouse. Boone does none of that. Zero. Zilch. The guy looks like he's watching the game from the dugout, not managing it. His bullpen usage is a disaster. His in-game strategy is nonexistent. His postgame interviews? A masterclass in shrugging off accountability. He’s supposed to be the field general—he’s acting more like a substitute teacher who lost the lesson plan.

Now don’t come crying that Boone can only work with what he’s given. Because that brings us right to Brian Cashman—the architect of this dumpster fire. Yes, he made some “moves,” but most of them were cosmetic at best, reckless at worst. Devin Williams? That guy’s about as intimidating as a water balloon in the ninth inning. Still no real third baseman. Still relying on broken veterans and “bounce-back” candidates who haven’t bounced back since 2021.

And when he does address a hole—like third base—he fills it with someone like Jeimer Candelario, who’s hitting worse than Anthony Volpe. That’s like patching a leaky roof with paper towels. Meanwhile, the rest of the league is making meaningful additions.

But the real shadowy villain behind it all? Michael Fishman and the analytics cult. This guy has turned the Yankees into a case study in overthinking. Baseball isn’t just math, it’s feel. It’s rhythm. It’s human instinct. And yet, every decision—every lineup, every pitching change, every trade—is filtered through spreadsheets and predictive models that completely ignore the realities of the field.

Cashman might be the face of the dysfunction, but Fishman is the puppet master in the back room whispering bad ideas into everyone’s ears. (Read this from 2023) And it’s not working. It hasn’t been working for a long time. Yet here we are, watching the same flawed roster construction, the same blind faith in data over baseball IQ, and the same crash-and-burn season play out again.

Yes, the Yankees might sneak into the playoffs. Who cares? This team isn’t built to win a championship and that's the most important thing. They won't win with Boone asleep in the dugout. Not with Cashman making panic moves that solve nothing. Not with Fishman turning the Yankees into a lab experiment gone wrong.

Yankee fans aren’t stupid. We see it. We feel it. We’re fed up. And frankly, it’s insulting that Hal Steinbrenner continues to let this show go on. The standard used to be winning. Now it’s spin rates, exit velocity, and hopes and prayers.

We don’t want tweaks. We don’t want reassurances. We want heads to roll.

Boone has to go.
Cashman has to go.
Fishman has to go.

It’s not optional anymore. It’s mandatory. You want to win in New York? You want to restore the Bronx to what it used to be? Then clean fucking house.

The fans are finally banging the drum. Now it's time to blow the horn and burn it down.

NOT REALLY AN UPGRADE AS IT IS JUST MORE OF THE SAME

Well, well, well… look who finally decided to do something about the infield. Too bad that “something” feels like tossing a wet sponge at a five-alarm fire. After months — months! — of Bleeding Yankee Blue screaming from the rooftops that this team’s infield was a house of cards held together with bubble gum and blind faith in Anthony Volpe’s “potential,” the Yankees, in true last-minute, panic-button fashion, have made a move.

Except, it’s the wrong move. Again.

Jeimer Candelario — yes, that Jeimer Candelario — has been scooped up on a minor league deal. Not exactly the cavalry riding in, huh? This is the same Candelario who just got kicked to the curb by the Cincinnati Reds, and for good reason. The man’s been battling injuries like it’s his second job and is hitting a not-so-glorious .207 over the last 134 games. If you're trying to plug a leak in your boat, maybe don’t grab the bucket with holes in it?

But hey, what else would we expect from Aaron Boone’s Yankees? This is the same guy who plays Volpe every day while Oswald Peraza collects dust on the bench. Newsflash: Peraza is probably the better all-around infielder, but Volpe gets the VIP treatment despite his .222 batting average — and we’re supposed to keep pretending that’s normal?

This has been the Bleeding Yankee Blue gripe since last December. We begged. We warned. We said, “Hey, Cashman, the infield is a mess, and you’re doing nothing.” Crickets. Now it’s July, and the "big move" is grabbing a guy off baseball’s clearance rack. Candelario isn’t an upgrade — he’s a Band-Aid with no adhesive. And just like always, Boone will blindly slot him into the mix, analytics will say it’s fine, and no one will actually stop to watch the game and realize it’s not working.

Meanwhile, trade season is heating up and actual options are out there — Eugenio Suárez, Luis Urías, Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario — names that might actually contribute something meaningful. But instead of swinging for one of those, the Yankees went for Candelario, who has the excitement level of cold toast.

At this point, it’s painfully obvious: the Yankees have a leadership problem, an analytics addiction, and a manager who couldn’t lead a duck to water. Boone plays favorites, Cashman clings to broken strategies, and nobody seems to understand the value of grit, consistency, or letting talented guys like Peraza actually play.

This team doesn't need more spreadsheets. It needs guts. Hustle. A manager who makes decisions based on what he sees, not what a computer tells him. 

But until that day comes, fans like my buddy Joe are boycotting the Bronx. As Joe put it, sipping his beer on the 4th of July, “I’m not paying a dime to watch that loser team until Boone is gone and they stop running this franchise like a fantasy league.”

Amen, Joe. Amen.

And to the rest of you — we told you so.

WE NEED A MANAGER THAT CAN NAVIGATE WHEN OUR YANKEE TEAM IS CHALLENGED

This is the panic the Yankee front office didn't want to happen. They thought when the Yankees were red hot out of the gate, last year would all be forgotten.  But it's the same team with the same useless manager and the same mentality.  Nothing has changed except for the great Juan Soto.  

When teams play well, teams feel off each other. When teams play terrible, losing is contagious.  It's just a fact of the human psyche.  It's very hard to play well when you are overthinking and worried and not lose.  It's easy to play well when everything is going well, cause you're just not thinking, you're playing.  It will break you down and eat you up if you're losing consistently.  What does it take to change that?  Well... you know where I stand.  It takes a good leader to rally the troops.  And so here we are with Aaron "Word Salad" Boone and the Tale of the Empty Vessel that can't Lead Players.  It ain't no children's book. It's a non-fiction biography real time about a manager that cannot manage when things are bad but thinks he's a great manager when the team can't lose.  I will say this again... write this down.

When teams are red hot, it is a team collectively that has found their rhythm and feed off each other because the right guys are in the right place to bring a team to victory.  The moment the losing streak comes, you need a strong leader to motivate, make hard choices and FIND ways to win to dig a team out of a hole.  The game is very phycological. You really need someone to guide you when things are rough.  And for the 50th time over the past 18 months I will tell you... THE YANKEES DO NOT HAVE THAT IN AARON BOONE.

And maybe some fans are getting it. Look at this guy. He's making a Fire Boone night at Yankee stadium.  HAHAHA.

It's not farfetched. Boone needs to go.

The sweep against the Reds was embarassing. But the team is not feeling good about themselves, this is true. 

The New York Post writes of yesterday:

"A day dedicated to booms gave way to significant boos in the ninth inning.

On an afternoon the Yankees allowed three home runs and were no-hit until there were two outs in the fourth inning, the loudest jeers were heard when the contest was just about over.

A many-hop single approached center fielder Trent Grisham, who waited for the slow roller to reach him, one-handed it and booted it.

Jeimer Candelario safely took second base because Grisham didn’t hustle.

On a July 4 when the Yankees didn’t hit or pitch well, that clinched the trifecta: Aaron Boone’s group is playing poorly in every way....

The Yankees (54-35) have lost 13 of 17 and haven’t won a series in three weeks, since taking three of four in Kansas City from June 10-13.

The list of problems is growing."

And when asked about it, this "leader" says "Not good".  That's Aaron Boone. Well, no shit Aaron, how about you help navigate?

The bottom line is Boone is not capable, he never holds players accountable, he's not experienced, and the Yankees are in 2nd place, 2 games out of first and the Red Sox breathing down their neck.  Feels like last year... That's because if you look at this roster, it pretty much is.

Someone needs to press the Yankee front office.  Blogs and media need to be honest with this Yankee fan base like I am.  Stop catering to the team and to Aaron Boone just so you can have him on as a guest.  Instead, make hay.  Be annoyed... especially if you're a Yankee fan.  Fans want the truth and fans want honesty.  Fans are fed up with mediocre. We deserve better.

TWO SIGNIFICANT GUYS THAT CAN HELP THE YANKEES DOWN THE STRETCH

The Yankees are not sellers. They were never sellers. The fact that people think they are when they're only 8 games back is ridiculous.  Now look, there is no doubt that many Yankee fans don't see this team making the playoffs this year, and that's fair. They've been stinking up the joint, but that doesn't mean the front office gives up.  It's right about now that Cashman and company have to prove their worth because some of the guys he's picked up have all gotten hurt.  Frankie Montas comes to mind immediately.

If the Yankees can get a nice third baseman and extra outfielder, both with the potential to get on base, that may be all they need to really get over the hump and make the playoffs.  Inside the Pinstripes writes of Jim Bowden's prediction:

Another move that could make sense reportedly is a deal with the Washington Nationals for third baseman Jeimer Candelario and outfielder Lane Thomas...

An impending free agent, Candelario, 29, is having perhaps the best year of his career as he’s slashed .256/.336/.483 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs....

Thomas, 27, should have represented the Nationals in the All-Star Game as he’s having a breakout season, slashing .293/.341/.486 with 16 homers and 54 RBIs. "

And before you freak out about who we're giving up, the key to this is giving up a few prospects.  Remember, the Yankees can't give up, so they can't afford to give away solid players on their active roster. If they did, they'd be considered sellers, which they are not.

While it may seem strange, it might be the best way to improve our offense (and defense) and have a run.

All this talk about Cody Bellinger and Jack Flaherty is all fine and good, but I suspect doing that would give away more than we want.  Down deep I believe the Yankee front office wants to get the Yankees to the playoffs to say "well we did our job". Right now, Cashman is under a microscope.  Trust me when I tell you, if the Yankees don't make the playoffs, Yankee fans will lose their minds, and they should.  But Hal needs to do more if we miss... he needs to fire Aaron Boone and show Cashman the door.  It hasn't been a very fun season to be a fan.

Let's see what happens next.

FLIPPING DONALDSON FOR CANDELARIO. WAIT, WHO?

I love baseball insiders because they literally throw stuff against the wall and see if it sticks.  Enter Buster Olney. Between he and Jon Heyman, I feel like they need to co-author a book called "Fake News Baseball" and just list all the made-up stuff they come up with over the years. I know it works for their line of work, but they don't take several things into account when they write about potential trades that "make sense". 

Like for instance, if someone like Josh Donaldson absolutely sucks in the Bronx, clearly his value goes down.  So why in the world would the Yankees be able to trade them for a guy like Jeimer Candelario, a better hitter, maybe not as good defensively, but still a guy that will give the Yankees the win in that trade.  It's all bluster and speculation all so ESPN can have Buster come in to the head honcho's office  at the end of the month and they can say "Hey, you posted a lot of BS, but the readers are stupid and they all clicked, so you get to come back to work tomorrow."  I hate it, and trust me, I still click on these stories every day.  DAMN YOU, BUSTER!

Here's the latest made-up trade proposal from ESPN, and I'm stealing it from Fansided, because ESPN requires a subscription and there is NO WAY I'm paying for garbage like that.

"Olney lists that could replace Donaldson at third base is Jeimer Candelario of the Washington Nationals..."The infielder is having a nice season, with an adjusted OPS+ of 117 and a slash line of .256/.333/.446," writes Olney. "But he has only played third base this year. 'He might be a fit if [the Yankees] were ready to give up on Donaldson,' an evaluator speculated. Donaldson is hitting .143/.222/.464 in 18 games this season. Considering how thin the market is for position players, however, Washington GM Mike Rizzo might be inclined to set a high price tag for Candelario. 'Then you'd wonder: Would he be worth that?' an exec asked. 'Is he a difference-maker?'"

And Donaldson wouldn't be all, there is no question the Nationals would want more than just Josh and Cashman would need to think long and hard about who he would give up. But think about this for a second, while it might make sense, why bring a broken-down, sporadic player like Donaldson over from the Bronx, especially because he's really don't nothing this season and even though the Yankees will no doubt pay to get rid of him? Would the Nationals have those Orioles-type hitting coaches over there that think they can fix Donaldson? Having the Yankees pay for him to suck in the Nationals lineup is wasting a spot in that line up.  I just don't see it.

Look, it's a lot of chew on, and Olney does it better than most. I just don't subscribe to this kind of journalism (if that's what we call this) and I just don't see this actually being a thing. But, believe what you want.

Carry on.

I KNOW WHERE MIKE MOUSTAKAS IS GOING

I know, you've heard enough about Mike Moustakas. Well... I have some thoughts.  Here it goes...

Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Moustakas is in trouble in his quest to get a big, free agent contract. Look, he is a top 5 free agent and was expected to get a deal of 5 years, $85 million. Plus, he's coming off of a great season where he hit 38 homers for the Royals. But what's the deal?   Well, I see it as a real possibility that he is unable to get a long-term deal.  Here's why...

Third Base is already set on the following teams:

Photo: WEEI.com

--Boston Red Sox: Rafael Devers, a top prospect. By the way, the DH is also locked up.

--Cleveland Indians: Jose Ramirez. The DH is also locked up with Encarnacion.

--Detroit Tigers: Jeimer Candelario, a top prospect they got from Cubs for Justin Wilson. The DH is Victor Martinez.

Photo: AP

--Houston Astros: Alex Bregman. The DH is Marwin Gonzalez.

--Los Angeles Angels: Just signed Zack Cozart to play 3B.

Photo: USA Today

--Minnesota Twins: Miguel Sano. Now, the DH slot might be open, but if Twins spend money, it will be on pitching.

Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images

--Oakland A's: Matt Chapman, a top prospect. The DH is Kris Davis

--Seattle Mariners: Kyle Seager. The DH is Nelson Cruz

--Tampa Bay Rays: Christian Arroyo, a top prospect they just got from the Giants for Longoria.

Photo: Dallas Morning News

--Texas Rangers: Adrian Beltre. The DH is Choo.

--Toronto Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson. The DH is Kendrys Morales.

--Arizona Diamondbacks: Jake Lamb. He had 30 HR, 105 RBIs last year.

--Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant. Need I say more?

--Cincinnati Reds: Eugenio Suarez. 26 homers, 82 RBIs last year.

--Colorado Rockies: Nolan Arenado

--LA Dodgers: Justin Turner

Photo: Getty Images

--Milwaukee Brewers: Travis Shaw. 31 HR, 101 RBIs last year

--Philadelphia Phillies: Maikel Franco. He had 24 homers and 76 RBIs last year

--San Diego Padres: Chase Headley

--San Francisco Giants: Evan Longoria

--Washington Nationals: Anthony Rendon

This leaves only 9 teams that are potentially in the market for a third baseman. Of those 9 teams however, there are 4 that are clearly not going to spend money on a big free agent. Those are...

--Chicago White Sox: The youth movement is happening. They are unlikely to make a big money signing while they are rebuilding.

--Atlanta Braves: Youth movement – not spending money on big free agents

--Miami Marlins: Um. No.

Photo: Getty Images

--Pittsburgh Pirates: They are not seeking to contend after trading away Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen. So they won’t give out a big free agent contract now. Bottom line.

So what does this all mean? It means the only teams that are legitimate options for Moustakas are the following, listed in order of likelihood in my opinion:

--New York Mets: This is the best fit out of all the teams. They have nobody at third. But this team is simply too cheap to give Moustakas a big long-term contract for $15M+ per year.

--Baltimore Orioles: Yes, they have Machado, but I suppose if he plays short, the Orioles can sign a third baseman. But look, I think it's unlikely though, as this would preclude them from keeping Machado at 3rd long-term if they re-sign him. Look, Baltimore is already burned by the bad, long-term contracts that they just signed with Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo. So I find it unlikely that they would sign Moustakas long-term. But hey, anything is possible.

--New York Yankees: They won’t sign Mike Moustakas long-term due to the salary cap and their desire to go for Machado next off season. But look, if he takes a lower priced 1 or 2 year deal, this is possible. Something to think about.

--Kansas City Royals: If the Royals lose out on Hosmer which is definitely possibly, they could turn to Moustakas.  I just don’t think they want to spend right now when they know they are far from contending.

--St. Louis Cardinals: The Cards have Jedd Gyorko at 3rd and he's signed for 4 more years, $37M. But he could also play 2B if they acquired a 3rd baseman. They also have Kolten Wong at second who hit .285 last year. And so, signing Moustakas for third is probably unlikely, but not impossible to see, so I included them here.

Out of the 9 teams that don’t already have clearly established 3rd baseman, only 5 can be considered a real possibility to sign Moustakas. And there are real issues with feeling confident that any of these teams would be willing to do so, especially on a long-term big-money deal.

And so, like I opened with, I think Moustakas is in trouble and will ultimately have to settle for a 1 or 2-year deal somewhere. If he becomes willing to sign a 1-year deal, then the Yanks would clearly be interested.  They have $20 million under the cap, but would want to leave some space for a deadline acquisition.  I'm going with a 1 year, $14 million deal. What do you think?

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Anyway, here's my prediction. Moustakas goes to the Mets. Despite the cheapness, they are the best fit.  Moose is predicted to get a 5-year, $85M contract, but when Moustakas’ price tag comes down because he has no other options, the Mets might hop in there and get him for about 3 years, $45 million. It makes a ton of sense. Plus, it would be a great signing for them. Then again... the Orioles still pop in my mind.  They can easily put him at 3rd and put Machado at short and then they have a replacement for Machado, who is obviously leaving in free agency.

A lot to digest... but there's way to much garbage out on Moustakas right now.  I had to put things in better sense for you all.  No better place than on BYB.





--Douglas Solomon
BYB Writer