DRUM'S BANGING LOUDER TO SHIP VOLPE TO SCRANTON

At some point, someone in the Yankees' front office is going to have to step out of their analytics bunker, put the spreadsheets down, and face the music: Anthony Volpe just isn’t cutting it at the major league level. We’ve been floating this idea all season—maybe Volpe needs a wake-up call in Triple-A or maybe it’s time to dangle him in trade talks. Either way, the Yankees can’t keep pretending that this is fine. Because it’s not.

And now, it’s not just fans and bloggers saying it. Former MLB manager Joe Maddon—yes, that Joe Maddon, the guy who actually won a World Series and knows how to manage real talent—went on MLB Network’s “MLB Now” and said what Aaron Boone doesn’t have the guts to admit.

“I think there’s got to be some consideration, or thought, or talking about him possibly going back down,” Maddon said.

Translation: If Maddon were running the Yankees instead of Aaron “Everything is Fine!” Boone, Volpe would already be packing his bags for Scranton.

Maddon, a respected baseball lifer and one of the more thoughtful managers the game has seen in recent decades, even suggested the Yankees should grab a veteran shortstop at the deadline—someone who can actually field the position. Imagine that! A shortstop who… catches the baseball. What a concept.

Let’s not sugarcoat this: Anthony Volpe has become a liability. His 13 errors tie him for the most among shortstops in the league. He’s not hitting. He’s not leading. He’s not growing. He’s drowning. And Aaron Boone, in classic Boone fashion, keeps trying to sell us on the idea that “he’s coming around,” or “he’s just a kid.” Yeah—he is just a kid. That’s the problem. He looks like a high schooler playing dress-up in pinstripes. And it’s not adorable anymore. It’s damaging.

Fans aren’t rooting against him—we’re not villains. Nobody’s hoping this guy fails. But come on. How long are we supposed to wait? Every booted grounder is a gut punch. Every 0-for-4 is a grim reminder that this kid needed more seasoning in the minors, not a red carpet to the Bronx.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are sliding fast. Judge is out for at least another 10 days, and there’s a black hole at shortstop. This is the part where someone in the Yankees' front office is supposed to step in and steady the ship. Instead, it’s listing heavily—and Volpe’s play is one of the reasons why.

Wouldn’t it be nice—just once—to see a Yankee shortstop rise to the moment? Show some fire? Make a big play when it counts? Sure. But it won’t be Volpe. Not now. Not this year.

Joe Maddon is right. Get a veteran in here. Give the kid a bus ticket to Scranton and a chance to figure it out away from the big lights. The Yankees ruined this kid bringing him up way too fast. This isn’t about giving up on Anthony Volpe. It’s about saving the season.

And if the Yankees don’t act fast? We're not heading for the playoffs. We're heading straight for last place in the AL East—and maybe, just maybe, Boone can explain how that’s all part of the process too.

THE MOST AVOIDABLE YANKEE MISTAKE THAT HAL CAN FIX RIGHT NOW

It’s time to revisit something fundamental—not just in baseball, but in all of professional sports: why managers get fired.

Typically, it’s for one very clear reason: poor team performance. Especially when a team is underachieving or failing to meet expectations. You can’t replace the entire roster midseason—contracts, injuries, egos, and logistics make that impossible. So the quickest, most practical fix? Fire the manager.

It’s not just strategic—it’s symbolic. Firing the manager sends a message to the fans and players: we’re not settling. It’s the organization’s way of signaling a shakeup, and often, that kind of jolt is exactly what a stagnant team needs.

For fans like me—and like those of us here at Bleeding Yankee Blue—a shakeup right now isn’t just necessary. It’s long overdue.

So here’s the question: Why hasn’t Aaron Boone been fired yet?

 

The Yankees are flat. Lifeless. Playing like a team that either doesn’t believe in itself or doesn’t believe in the guy leading them. Boone has lost control of this team, and you don’t need a front office credential to see it. You just need eyes.

We’ve been talking about this for years, not just this season. We believed in fan pressure before it was trendy. And while the rest of Yankees fandom is just now calling for Boone’s job, we've been banging this drum since day one—because Boone has never looked the part. The fact that he's still in the dugout, still chewing seeds, still clapping politely after soul-crushing losses? It's not just baffling—it's insulting.

And don’t tell us about his “winning record.” You can have a winning record and still be a bad leader. Look around the league:

Joe Altobelli led the Orioles to a World Series title in year one. Two years later—fired.

 
Bob Brenly brought the Diamondbacks their first championship. The very next season? Fired after a rough start.

Joe Maddon, who broke a 108-year drought in Chicago, wasn’t even given a contract extension after 2019.

Why? Because in the real world, especially in big markets with big expectations, winning is everything. So is meeting expectations, developing talent and commanding respect.

Boone does none of the above.

 
He hasn’t won a pennant. He hasn’t developed the youth. He’s mismanaged bullpens and lineups. And worst of all, he’s failed to inspire. There is no fire. No edge. No sense that this guy knows how to lead a team through a storm—only that he’s along for the ride, hoping the ship doesn’t sink while he’s on duty.

Spoiler alert: it’s sinking.

Now let’s talk about expectations, because that’s where this really becomes embarrassing.

This is the New York Yankees. Not the A’s. Not the Marlins. Not some mid-market team with modest dreams of contending. This is the most successful, iconic franchise in sports. Here, a "winning record" without a World Series appearance means exactly nothing. Boone hasn’t delivered one. Not even close.

 
And if Hal Steinbrenner is content with keeping the money machine running while the trophy case gathers dust—fine. Keep Boone. Keep the status quo. Keep watching this team fall apart in the postseason, or worse, miss it altogether. 

But don’t expect the fans to go quietly. Don’t expect the bleacher creatures to stay patient. Because we’re not built for mediocrity. This franchise isn’t supposed to accept it. And frankly, neither are its fans.

The sad truth? Boone’s still here because the Yankees have lost the one thing that used to define them: STANDARDS.

This team has talent. They have stars. They have payroll. What they don’t have is a real leader at the helm. Aaron Boone is not that. He never has been. And if Hal has even an ounce of his father’s backbone, he’ll stop protecting him and start fixing what’s broken.

Because until Aaron Boone is fired, the Yankees are going nowhere.

--Alvin Izzo

BYB Yankee History Contributor

BUBBLE STYLE FORMAT COMING TO THE MLB POSTSEASON?

Earlier this week, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the MLB was thinking about holding its postseason in a bubble-style format. They have reportedly considered hosting it Southern California, the greater Chicago area, or the New York metropolitan area.

If these rumors are true, hosting the playoffs in the Northeast may not be the best course of action. Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon argued against hosting the playoffs in cities like New York and Philadelphia due to the cold weather.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman followed that up on Twitter by writing that the MLB is considering using only two cities. The choices include LA, San Diego, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Houston.

Passan also claimed that this bubble format was kicked around after the COVID outbreaks among the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins.

If these rumors are correct, then the Yankees would have to travel out of their native land for the playoffs.

If the MLB do proceed in the bubble, they will follow in the footsteps of the NBA and NHL. Since both of these league continued their seasons in the bubble, the number of COVID cases has significantly fallen.

So far, the MLB has had at least two outbreaks of the virus, but playing in the bubble would make a big difference by keeping everyone healthy.

--Anthony Orlando

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @landi52orlando

YANKEES WOULD LIKE TO REPLICATE DODGERS MANAGERIAL SUCCESS

Source: Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Dave Roberts...2016 MLB Manager of the Year, a title the Dodgers' manager is a contender for this year as well.  He was "plucked from a broad pool of candidates", unexpectedly two years ago, a move that has served the growing franchise very well.  Perhaps it is all in the job description, one that the NY Times says could read like this, " a mega market, a marquee franchise and an immediate World Series contender looking for a deeply engaged clubhouse presence."  I like that sound of that.  How about you?

Source: Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

As the Times reports, "While Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman promised a diverse group of candidates for his club, he was mum on many of the qualities he is looking for in a manager. But his main reason for not wanting Joe Girardi back was that he preferred someone with a deeper, stronger connection to his young players."  This connection is one that age really does not play into; it is more about the relationships this millennial-focused manager brings to the clubhouse.  Perhaps he is a playful guy who can engage young players in chess, cribbage, or banter on Instagram.

Source: The Chicago Tribune

"It should be noted that last year’s World Series managers — the Cleveland Indians’ Terry Francona, 58, who regularly plays cribbage with his players, and the Chicago Cubs’ Joe Maddon, 63, who dresses up in costume along with his players — had no problem engaging players young enough to be their grandsons."  Grandpa Yankee Manager may represent the type of mentor the Bombers need to carry them into the postseason, with more than just stress and statistics.  He needs to have a certain chemistry that keeps the players loose, calm but focused on one thing: Winning!

Source: NJ.com

"During his hour-plus long chat with reporters on Monday, Cashman mentioned that it wasn’t a requirement for his next manager to have had a previous connection to him. External candidates will be considered as well as those with no previous managerial experience," reported NJ.com.

Source: NJ.com

And with the MLB GM Meetings less than a week away, sources say that Yankees will not have a manager in place until the Winter Meetings, which is less than a month away.  I hope the job description grabs a great baseball mind with an calm spirit to take the helm of what could be a new dynasty of championships in the Bronx.

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @suzieprof

TIME TO GO BALLS TO THE WALL!

Photo: Getty Images

I don't know what it is with our Yankees but apparently starting postseason series at 0-2 is no big deal. We've been here and done that before. The Yankees feel more comfortable with it then Joe Maddon and his Cubs. I wish we weren't here again....but we are.

The Yankees started the ALCS just like we did against the Indians but these two series are very different. The Yankees got to Corey Kluber in both games and blew a big lead in game two. The bats were at least alive. In this series, Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander were dominant and so far they have schooled us. The Yankees have to make some serious adjustments here and FAST.

Photo: Getty Images

The Indians had a deeper pitching staff. They had a bullpen equal to ours in many ways and they had three dominant starters in their lineup, the Astros on the other hand have weaker arms in the back of their rotation and the Yankees need to adjust and expose those weaknesses. No offense to Charlie Morton and Brad Peacock because they both had really good seasons for the Astros with a combined 3.32 ERA for them this season. They were consistent in the regular season but they don't compare to Keuchel or Verlander.

Just like most teams the Yankees are better when they play at home. Game three is a "must win" and the comfort of knowing that we are home and that the last starts for Morton and Peacock were pretty rough give the Yankees a big advantage. Peacock couldn't pitch past the third inning in his ALDS Game 3 start and Morton allowed nine base runners in 4 1/3 innings in game 4 of the ALDS. These are guys that the Yankees need to take advantage of.

Source: Abbie Parr/Getty Images North America

The Yankee bats have gone missing and two of our young guys in particular need to get going again. There is no path to the World Series without both Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez being productive again. The ALDS was not kind to Judge, he was 1-for-20 with 16 strikeouts and so far this series he is one-for-seven and three strikeouts. Sanchez had success in the ALDS with two home runs but so far this series he is 0-for-7 with 5 strikeouts. It's time to change that.

The bats aren't the only thing that need improving. Saturday's game is an example of why a lot of baseball writers have recently been down on Gary Sanchez. That relay throw from Didi Gregorius was a play that Sanchez is used to making.

Photo: Getty Images

We recently wrote A "PROBLEM" FOR THE WILD CARD GAME AND SANCHEZ...after it looked like some writers had lost faith in Sanchez and his defensive abilities. I still believe in him, he just has to prove that just like his mistake with the Rays was not "the norm" neither was Saturday. He may be young and inexperienced in the playoffs but he isn't incapable. That was just a mistake and he's not replaying it in his mind. He's moved on from it and ready to redeem himself.

The Yankees can come back from this. The Yankees may be down 0-2 and whille on paper that looks pretty bleak, probables for the next two games show odds only favor us that much more. We just have to show up, be productive and outplay the Astros. It's time to give the Astros some uncomfortable Bronx accommodations.



--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

QUIT YOUR BITCHING & GET TO PITCHING!

What is with the new trend of closers turning into these Prima donna's and adding their two cents where it really isn't needed? Maybe I just have less patience for it these days. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but I don't care to hear about it if it is the off season or you are not effectively doing your job. These guys get paid a lot of money to play a game....not manage it.

In the last three months now we have heard two of the best relievers in all of baseball complain about how their managers used them. I get it, there is always room for improvement but it makes no sense to air your grievances out for the rest of the world to hear them. We don't care about your clubhouse views. We just want to watch you play the game and be effective. I guess Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller need a little reminder.

(Oct. 25, 2016 - Source: Jason Miller/Getty Images North America)

Months later, I still feel like Andrew Miller took a cheap shot at Joe Girardi. He says his beef with Girardi was because he did not make it perfectly clear if he was going in first, or if Dellin Betances was. Then, it would make the bullpen "a mess" because they were both warming up together at the same time. So apparently, Miller the Princess needed his own space to get ready to do his job and Girardi cramped his style.

Gimme a break! As a reliever, you need to be ready to go in whenever your team needs you. It was pretty exciting to see two All-Star relievers warming up together knowing that we had the best righty and lefty ready to go whenever needed. What a great weapon to have! Girardi liked his formula but there won't always be a formula for success. However, it was completely different and acceptable when Terry Francona pulled Miller out to pitch the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings during the playoffs. Nope, not hypocritical whatsoever.

(Nov. 1, 2016 - Source: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America)

Now we have Aroldis Chapman complaining about his own mismanagement with one difference....he knows what he didn't do and should have done. I have to give Chapman some credit here. He admits that he did not approach Joe Maddon and tell him his opinion on his usage. He didn't go to him and say he felt tired and needed the rest. He also said that it was his job to be a "warrior" and go out there and do what was needed. Miller never owned up to that, especially not in such a public setting like Chapman did.

Game 6 of the World Series will always be analyzed. With the Cubs up 7-2 and a likely game 7 about to happen it would have been a good game to let him sit out. Give him a chance to recharge and be ready for the final game. I'm sure a lot of managers would have considered that, but not Maddon. He let Chapman throw 20 pitches and give up is first run in the series. It will lead the rest of us and maybe even Chapman to wonder.....if he hadn't pitched game 6 maybe he wouldn't have blown the lead in game 7. Maybe he wouldn't have given up three runs after throwing 35 pitches. Maybe.....

But we will never know. Now Chapman talks about how he thinks his appearance in game 6 was not needed and he was overused. No matter the opinion, it still happened and as Chapman said he will learn from it and take the experience and his World Series ring after all of his efforts whether agreed upon or not.

If I could give these guys a nickels worth of free advice it would be to communicate and quit the bitching and just go in and pitch. If and when you become a manager then you may have some additional perspective that will come in handy for situations like these.

Just some food for thought.

 --Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ



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CONFIRMED! JOE MADDON BOTHERS ME!

Photo: Getty Images

I'm happy for the Chicago Cubs, and when they went to the playoffs I was excited for the teams there because I am a baseball fan first and there were some great stories... like the Indians... like the Cubs. But even when I was rooting for the Cubs, I'm not gonna lie... it was hard to root for Joe Maddon.

I know he's a good manager. I get that.  But I hate arrogance, and Joe has too much of it.  I don't like that he tries to be the players friend... like the cool mom who let's the kids drink at her house. I feel like he presents himself as Papa Smurf... he knows all, he befriends who he wants to and to hell with everyone else.  He's trying to make his legacy into one of legend, and I am not on board. We've written about him a lot here over the years on BYB.  How about this one from 2012:  JOE MADDON'S "COOL DAD" ACT IS OLD.

Now in the game of baseball, the goal is to win at all costs. So when Aroldis Chapman came out saying that Maddon overused him in the World Series... it wasn't that Chapman didn't want to be out there. Every player wants their moment. It's that Chapman was suggesting that there's plenty of reliable arms in the bullpen... Why the hell am I the guy you bring out every 5 minutes? How many moments do I need?  Chapman said this. The New York Times will handle it:

Photo: New York Daily News

 "If Manager Joe Girardi’s ironclad, by-the-book protocol leaves some Yankees fans gnashing their teeth from time to time, it feels like a security blanket to Aroldis Chapman... Chapman, who recently signed a five-year, $86 million contract to return to the Yankees — where he spent the first half of last season as their closer before being dealt to the Chicago Cubs for prospects — made it clear on Friday that despite winning a World Series in Chicago he never quite took to the unpredictable ways of Cubs Manager Joe Maddon in the postseason.

'Personally I don’t agree with the way he used me,' said Chapman, speaking through an interpreter in a conference call with reporters the day after his signing became official. 'But he is the manager and he had the strategy, you know?'”

Photo: Chicago Tribune

Papa Smurf shot back... kind of. Here's the New York Post:

"Maddon defended his moves, saying, 'Would I do it differently? No. There is no Game 7 without winning Game 6. And there is no Game 8 if you don’t win Game 7. That’s why you do what you have to do.

Source: Getty Images

'I appreciate what he said. If he feels that way, he did not tell me about that at the moment or after the moment,' continued Maddon, always known as a strong communicator with his players.  'At the end of the day, man, we would not have won without him, and I appreciate everything he did. But I promise everything we did do, we did with his consent by talking to him prior to the game.'’’

Now, look, as a coach myself on a much lower level, I get it... you need to win the game, but clearly there's a language barrier here. Plus, Maddon's not stupid. He knows that any players mentality is to "give me the ball" because you want opportunities as a player.  But when you step back and look in at the situation, it's easy to see that that Cubs team was solid, and Papa could have mixed and matched much better.  In Little League you call it the Stud Road... the easy way out. Give the ball to the stud. Don't worry if he gets hurt and forget about the other kids... we need to win.

It's crap... it really is. There needs to be balance... at any level.

Now look, whatever happened between Chapman is Maddon is on them, but clearly not everything was discussed as Maddon claims. And if it was, I'm not sure Chapman understood any of it. You see what I mean?

In the end, Chapman's back in the Bronx again, and Maddon's in the NL.  I'm glad about all of that... no more crap from Papa Smurf for me.

THE CHAPMAN TRANSFORMATION

When Aroldis Chapman took the mound in game 7 of the World Series, we all knew that this was going to be a make-or-break situation for him. He had to know that too. After his heroics in Game 5 and Game 6, the pressure was on to seal the deal in Game 7 and bring the World Series back to Chicago.  Sure, he pitched a lot in the days prior. But this was the World Series, and he had all winter to rest up.With four outs to go and a three-run lead, Chapman was set for his coronation. What happened next shocked everyone.  Before he could record an inning-ending out, the lead was gone. To make things worse, it was a dramatic two-run home run by Rajai Davis that wiped out the Cubs lead. I didn't see it, but the story was that he was in tears in the dugout during the rain delay.

We all know what happened in extra innings in Cleveland, but I was paying close attention to Chapman. There are plenty of stories out there about how the Yankees are going to make a run at re-signing Chapman for 2017 and beyond. But some are wondering aloud if he has the ability to handle the pressure. Others, like the announcers of the game, accused Cubs manager Joe Maddon of over-managing. They sympathized with Chapman and his burden of having to pitch in three consecutive games. Personally, I don't buy that argument. Yes, he had a grueling workload. But again, this is the World Series. He threw 42 pitches in Game 5, had a day off, threw 20 pitches in Game 6, and gave up the game-tying home run on his 14th pitch of Game 7, a 98 mph fastball. It was a lot, but not unreasonable. He didn't miss his spot - he put the ball right where the catcher set his glove (see the picture below). It was poor pitch selection and perhaps over thinking, but those are the by-products of stress and pressure, not fatigue. Not surprisingly, he would finish out the inning and then the next one, finishing the night with 35 pitches, the last one a 99 mph fastball.

If the Yankees decide to pursue him, they have to understand that this is not the same pitcher who they traded at the deadline. He has seen battle, and he survived a brush with disaster. How he responds psychologically will determine his future success. Like it or not, without the benefit of any games for him to pitch before contract offers, it's a gamble. I am optimistic on a number of points, though. First, after the home run, he got out there and pitched well. He recognized that the game was not over, he still had work to do, and he got it done. That impressed me. Second, his disappointment and the emotion he expressed said something about him. He cares. He cares about the game and about his team. He wasn't perfect, but he stayed in the trenches and fought until he was done.

Who knows if the Yankees will be able to bring him, assuming that they'll even try. I don't know if his blown save brings down how much money he can bring in for his next contract. The Yankees will likely not get into a major bidding war this off season if they want to manage their luxury tax issues. I don't even think Chapman will want to leave the Cubs, to be honest. When he faced the ultimate nightmare for any baseball player, his team came around him and stood by supporting him. That has to make an impression. With his track record, he gets to write his own script for the next few seasons. But if he does decide to come back to the Yankees, we will be getting one of the best.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

SINCE WHEN IS IT OK TO NOT HUSTLE?

I'm convinced that the winner of this World Series is going to be the team that hustles the most and Friday night's game solidified that notion for me, specifically in the bottom of the 7th inning.  That's when Jorge Soler's lackadaisical jaunt to first base, after he sliced a ball into the right field corner, made me lose faith in Generation M.  I believe, and I am not alone, that his slow motion exit from the batter's box toward first kept the Chicago Cubs from tying the game at one in the bottom of the 7th.

This may be the only time Joe Buck and I could agree on something.  I texted my faithful baseball compadre, my mother, in anger, "That should have been an inside-the-park home run.  He didn't hustle down the line.  He watched the ball.  Terrible!"  He got to third, and the at bat was officially scored a triple.  But he was stranded, just like all of the other Cubs that evening.  If he had hustled, we may have had a different outcome.

Fearless Cubs Manager Joe Maddon doesn't agree with me or other members of the media and I am shocked.  In his press conference, Maddon said this about the incident as reported by NBC Chicago.  “What happens sometimes, you’ll see a guy hit a ball and their head is down they don’t even know where it is,” he said. “When he saw it, from our perspective, it was in the stands and it kind of blew back. I’m not making excuses for him but the best he could do was get to third base, anyway.”

 Really, Joe?  I was taught, by another guy ironically named Joe (my father) that you don't watch the ball after you make contact.  You take off as soon as you hit the ball and ask your coach where you hit it later on.

According to NBC Chicago, "Soler, thinking the ball was going to be foul, got a slow break out of the batter’s box, but by the time he realized the ball was going to be fair, he started sprinting and ended up on third base on the play." And to my point, had he taken off from the start, I believe he would have tied the game with one swing of the bat.  He knows Wrigley Field has very little foul territory. He's a Cub and this is his home field.  No excuse!

With every play under scrutiny between instant replay and errors and low scores, the team that hustles the most will win.  You have to be gritty, you have to persevere and you have to take every advantage that comes your way, in baseball and in life.  Since when is it OK not to hustle? 

Since never.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof