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

AMED ROSARIO IS A GAME HERO & RYAN MCMAHON IS A ZERO!

It's early, so I'm not going to jump to conclusions yet but, THE CASE OF MCMAHON'S MISSING LOWER HALF is really concerning. It's enough that even clown Aaron Boone knew he had to make a change. Let's hope he continues to think smart and use a baseball brain.

Everything is off with Ryan McMahon right now so I am glad Baboonie used his brain for once and used Amed Rosario Tuesday against the A's. Rosario's role was planned as the bench infielder that would play more against left-handed pitching but when you aren't getting the job done like McMahon right now who is in a 2-for-23 slump, sometimes you gotta take a leap of faith.

And it paid off. It's hard for me to watch the Yankees struggle against teams like the A's but it happens. Sometimes your regulars just don't get the job done but one person can be the sparkplug that changes everything. That's exactly what Rosario was with his two homeruns. He could make it very easy for Baboonie to give Rosario more playing time against right handed pitchers if McMahon can't remember how to hit a ball again.

If McMahon was in the lineup Tuesday, we wouldn't have been able to watch that beautiful home run against Mark Leiter Jr. and bring that energy to the rest of his teammates. I can appreciate McMahon's glove, on paper it is "better" than Rosario's but it's not a detriment to this team to play Rosario instead. This isn't a Anthony Volpe concern who can't hit worth a lick and is a defensive liability.

I think Baboonie needs to look a little harder for more opportunities to play Rosario. It's obvious McMahon needs a cleansing of sorts to get his mojo back offensively. I don't care about righty-lefty scenarios right now. McMahon would struggle to hit an oversized beach ball at the plate and until he gets his shit together Baboonie needs to be willing to play Rosario against righties and look at matchups that may be good to get his bat into. All guys have those pitchers that they just see well. 

Right now it's not good to be a Ryan on this team. McMahon isn't getting the job done and let's face it Ryan Weathers also stinks to high heaven. Someone call Baboonie and tell him the Ryan's aren't getting the job done and to continue to make adjustments.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

GREAT LEFTY OPTION OUT THERE FOR THE YANKEES PEN!

If the Yankees are serious about pretending 2026 won’t be another season of crossed fingers and press-conference spin, then here’s a wild concept: they might want an actual left-handed reliever in the bullpen. A real one. Not a “we like his underlying metrics” guy. Not a “he can give us multiple innings if the vibes are right” experiment. An actual late-inning, get-lefties-out, make-your-life-miserable southpaw.

Because right now? That cupboard is bare.

Mark Leiter Jr. is gone. Luke Weaver is a free agent. Ryan Yarbrough—bless him—is more of a bulk-innings safety net than a guy you trust when the season is on the line. And Tim Hill and Jayvien Sandridge? That’s not a playoff plan. That’s filler. That’s what you talk yourself into when you’ve done absolutely nothing meaningful to improve a roster and need to convince fans that standing still is actually “being patient.”

Which brings us to a name that’s floating around and, shockingly, makes actual sense: JoJo Romero.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals’ left-hander is drawing interest, and yes—this is the rare rumor that doesn’t immediately make you roll your eyes. Romero checks boxes the Yankees desperately need checked. He’s not theoretical. He’s not a reclamation project. He’s a proven reliever with a nasty slider, a heavy sinker, real command, and an annoying habit of producing ground balls instead of heart attacks.

In 2025, Romero was legitimately good—2.07 ERA, 8 saves, and consistent late-inning effectiveness before some injury concerns popped up toward the end of the year. That’s not perfect, but it’s a lot closer to “reliable bullpen piece” than whatever Cashman has been trying to pass off lately.

Financially? Also reasonable. Romero is projected to make around $4.4 million in his final year of arbitration. That’s not a budget-buster. That’s not some luxury-tax nightmare. That’s the cost of doing business if you actually care about winning baseball games. And with St. Louis widely expected to hit the reset button and reshuffle their roster, there’s very little reason for them to cling to a reliever who isn’t part of their next competitive window.

Meanwhile, back in the Bronx, Brian Cashman has done precisely nothing significant to make the 2026 Yankees better. No bold moves. No statement additions. Just the same old waiting, posturing, and hoping fans confuse inactivity with intelligence. The bullpen, once a strength, is now riddled with question marks—and somehow the front office seems comfortable with that.

Adding Romero wouldn’t fix everything. Let’s not pretend one lefty reliever suddenly turns this team into a juggernaut. But it would be a smart, logical move that addresses a very real problem with an actual solution. Which, of course, is why it feels slightly dangerous to get your hopes up.

Still, if Cashman manages to pull this off, it would finally look like the Yankees are trying to improve the roster instead of just explaining why they didn’t.

Low bar? Absolutely. But at this point, we’re just asking for competence. The Yankees front office sucks!

Stay tuned.

LET THE YANKEES BULLPEN BLOW UP BEGIN!

Of the many things that just didn't go right last season, the bullpen was no exception. In hopes that we don't have to relive that experience again, we can rejoice in a brief moment knowing the bullpen is getting a giant makeover. I wonder what the final reveal will look like.

It should be a big change. The Yankees have three 2025 bullpen arms on the free agent market headlined by Devin Williams (Thank goodness for that), Luke Weaver and Jonathan Loaisiga in addition to five non-tendered arms. Now as long as Williams stays far away there should be some big changes coming.

The Yankees non-tendered Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross, Ian Hamilton and Jake Cousins, and minor league reliever Michael Arias ahead of the deadline to offer players contracts for 2026.  The Yankees need a major bullpen upgrade heading into next season because we cannot afford to have another repeat of what we just watched.

It's amazing how our offense had high rankings last season like first in runs, home runs and slugging percentage but our bullpen was at the bottom of the dumpster. A season prior the Yankees were sixth best to finishing at 23rd in the majors with a 4.37 ERA. It was a night and day difference that left me screaming at my television night after night.

On the surface, it sounds like a lot of men to replace in the bullpen but it's an addition by subtraction. Especially since I will no longer have to watch Leiter Jr blow a game and won't have to read about him being left off a postseason roster for a third straight season. 

So now Brian Cashman gets to focus on a full scale reclamation project and we get to sit back and hold our breath in terror. Now we just hope that they don't add a bunch of guys that the analytical nerds completely tarnish somehow. It's too bad they didn't release these guys a couple of days ago then they could’ve added some more rule 5 eligible players. 

I guess I have a dose of cynicism today. I'm glad we cut some dead weight, but Cashman's track record doesn't inspire a lot of confidence these days. Now he has plenty more reclamation prospects out there to claim. Let's just hope he doesn't chase after Joey Gallo who is making a comeback as a pitcher. That would be the next terrible nightmare......

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKEES PLAY LIKE GARBAGE WHILE BOONE CLINGS TO "BELIEVE & HOPE" FOR VOLPE

Before we get into this shit show, let me state for the record that the Yankees let Gleyber Torres walk and he's had quite a production season for the Tigers. It's refreshing. He bet on himself, took the one year deal with Detroit and he will have a wonderful offseason because he proved to Major League baseball that he can still play. Meanwhile the geeks in the Yankees "analytics" back room wanted him off the Yankee roster last year because they saw no future in Torres projections.  

But what those numbers do not tell you is that heart and guts play a major role in a major league player.  And they picked wrong.

Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe is at this point the worst shortstop in the league, due to errors... do to him just sucking the life out of the Yankees lineup with zeroes on the board every night.  Last night was another example. And if you look at say, the comparison of hitting between Torres and Volpe, Torres was quite productive.  Volpe? I mean, my mom might have done a better job... at least worked a walk. 

What are we doing here Aaron Boone? Why are you obsessed with this kid? Does he remind you of him? Is Michael Volpe you golfing buddy? Are you in love with him? Serious questions here, because I have to tell you, when you are playing for a playoff spot, you put the best guys on the field. You're not and rolling out Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe night after night is just Loserville.

Boone says the Yankees “believe and hope” Anthony Volpe’s best days are ahead — preferably now, as the team claws for October baseball. Cute. The problem? We’ve been “believing and hoping” since April. It hasn’t worked. At all.

This isn’t about injuries or bad luck. This is about Boone. He picks wrong. Constantly. He manages like a guy rolling dice in a dark room, then spends half his energy arguing balls and strikes he knows won’t get overturned. It’s leadership theater — and the Yankees are paying for front-row seats.

And now, on September 10th, the grand strategy is to… keep “believing and hoping” Volpe figures it out? That’s not a plan; that’s wishful thinking disguised as management. Bench him. Yesterday. This is a great tweet by the way. Those numbers? Those are numbers of a high schooler playing in the major leagues, folks. The kid sucks. 

Give Jose Caballero the keys to shortstop and walk away slowly. The guy’s got a ton of innings already at short, owns four defensive runs saved, nine outs above average, and, newsflash, he actually knows what to do with a baseball when it comes his way. Even on an off night at the plate, Caballero can still get on base, create chaos, and score runs. That’s called production.

Volpe? He gives away outs like Halloween candy. It’s painful. It’s predictable. And it’s killing this team. Boone’s refusal to make the obvious move isn’t just frustrating — it’s flat-out embarrassing.

Bleeding Yankee Blue has been yelling about this for six weeks. It’s obvious. Caballero should be the everyday shortstop. Everything else is Boone’s ego talking, and right now, the Yankees can’t afford his bad choices.

Do you want me to make this even sharper and more sarcastic — like a rant that sounds fed up with Boone and the front office? It could hit harder, trust me.

And last night's game? A disaster.  As of right now the Yankees are 3 games out of the lead in the American League East. In the Wild Card, which is like 3rd place closer, we are clinging to a lead that we could pretty much lose if we have a bad series to the Tigers and Red Sox next.  But year, let's "believe and hope" Boone, you fucking idiot. How about manage?

The game, if you can even call it that — it was more like a live demonstration of how to burn down a season in one inning. Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. managed to give up nine runs without recording a single out in what has to be one of the most humiliating seventh innings Yankee Stadium has ever witnessed. Tigers 12, Yankees 2. On a crisp night in the Bronx, the only thing colder than the bats was Aaron Boone’s brain.

Cruz and Leiter’s stat line looked like a drunk Little League scrimmage: four walks, four hits, one hit batter, one wild pitch, 36 pitches thrown… only 14 for strikes. That’s not pitching — that’s performance art.

And then here comes Aaron Boone, Mister “Everything’s Fine,” delivering another one of his canned sermons:

“Tonight’s a tough night, but it doesn’t change a lot of the good things that have happened in some of these games…”

Stop. Talking.

Boone, fans don’t care about the “good things" yesterday. You don’t get credit for showing up to work and doing your job occasionally. Yankees fans expect this team to be good all the time. That’s the standard. But instead, we get chaos, inconsistency, and empty platitudes from a manager who treats every meltdown like a minor inconvenience.

And don’t even start with the “it’s on the players” narrative. No. This disaster starts at the top. Boone, Brian Cashman, and Michael Fishman are steering this Titanic into an iceberg at full speed. Boone can’t manage a bullpen. Cashman’s roster construction is a joke. Fishman… honestly, what does he even do? And HAL STEINBRENNER? The man’s somewhere on a yacht pretending this team isn’t unraveling like a cheap sweater.

This isn’t “bad luck.” This is bad leadership. The Yankees are playing panic baseball because the people in charge have no plan, no vision, and apparently no accountability. We’re stuck in “catchup mode,” but time’s running out, and Boone’s strategy is basically “close your eyes and hope for the best.”

Hal, where are you? Boone, pack a bag. Cashman, start updating your résumé. The fans deserve better than this clown show.

GET IT TOGETHER.

IF THE YANKEES DON'T FIRE HIM, BOONE NEEDS TO WALK AWAY!

Let’s start with a truth bomb wrapped in pinstripes and frustration: Aaron Boone has to go. This is not a hot take. This is a baseball fan’s plea, born from years of empty promises, hollow pressers, and the slow, joyless decay of a team that used to breathe fire under the Bronx lights.

Yes, Boone owns a .581 winning percentage across eight seasons. And yes, that’s the fourth-best among active managers. But guess what? That number is as empty as the Yankees’ trophy case since he took over. A good regular season record doesn’t mean squat when your October resume reads like a disappointment reel. Ask any real Yankee fan—Boone doesn’t lead this team. He babysits it.

Boone’s relationship with his players feels more like a group therapy circle than a baseball team. He coddles. He protects. He nods empathetically when guys boot grounders or forget the number of outs. When Jazz Chisholm Jr. made a brutal baserunning mistake, Boone publicly called it “aggressive baseball.” Privately, according to Athlon Sports, he admitted it was dumb. You know what that is? Cowardice with a side of sugar-coating.

Leadership means calling out nonsense when you see it—not whispering it behind closed doors like you’re afraid of hurting feelings. Boone leads like a middle school vice principal who just wants everyone to get along and eat their orange slices at snack time.

Baseball isn’t a spreadsheet. It’s instinct, pulse, momentum. I caught something the night of August 4th when the Yankees lost 8-5.  During the game, David Cone set of Aaron's brother Bret Boone and I'm paraphrasing, that Bret wasn't the type that used an iPad to go over baseball players and techniques. Cone suggested that Bret Boone goes by gut and feel and "that's why Bruce Bochy" swept him up.  In other words, that's why Bret coaches with Bochy... cause he's smart.  Cone can't talk trash about Aaron Boone in public, but I can guarantee you that was a subtle shot at Aaron Boone because he doesn't use his gut. 

He and the Yankee cronies in the front office us iPads and projection analytics.  That's how I interpreted it. I could be wrong, but that's how I feel. Boone clings to analytics like they’re the Rosetta Stone. He’ll pull a pitcher who’s shoving because the iPad says so, only to put in some reliever who last pitched during the Paleozoic Era. You’re left wondering if Boone is managing the Yankees or simming a game on MLB The Show with auto-manage turned on.

Let’s not dance around it—this team forgets how to bunt, move runners, or even play heads-up baseball. And that’s on Boone and his staff. We’ve seen more cohesive strategy in beer league softball games. 

You think Billy Martin would’ve let this slide? Earl Weaver? Heck, even Joe Girardi would’ve flipped a table by now.  Under Boone’s watch, talent rots and hustle dies. The Yankees can go from world-beaters to bottom-feeders over the course of a single series. They’re not bad because they lack skill. They’re bad because they lack urgency. And urgency starts at the top.

Here’s the cherry on top of this stale sundae: Boone has had a Cy Young winner and an MVP on the roster. And what does he have to show for it? A 22-23 postseason record and not a single World Series appearance. That’s a historic waste of firepower. He’s the first Yankee manager to hold both of those trophies on his roster and still be home in November. That should be a felony in the Bronx.

Even as the Yankees stumble and bumble, you’ve got the usual suspects running interference for Boone. Michael Kay, for one, seems to think Boone is just misunderstood. Why do fans hate him so much, he wonders?

Gee, Mikey—maybe it’s because the Yankees have been underachieving for years, and you’re more concerned about keeping your YES Network paycheck than speaking the truth! And that IS the truth! Kay will never talk about of turn against Boone... because he doesn't have balls. So what does he do? He picks on the fans. 

On the other end, you’ve got Evan Roberts on WFAN telling it like it is—Boone needs to go now. Finally, someone with a mic and a pulse. That God someone else is calling for Boone's firing that Bleeding Yankee Blue.

And so, if the Yankees won't fire Boone. Maybe Boone needs to look in the mirror and recognize that maybe he needs to walk away from the team.  Even in the loss to the Rangers tonight. Boone has Mark Leiter and Dave Bednar up in the pen and Williams pitching to Tellez with the bases loaded. He had an opportunity to take out Williams, but he froze.  Well, Williams pitched and gave up 2 runs. Is it Williams fault? Negative. It's the manager's fault for not reacting and not using his gut. He thought with his stupid iPad.  

I often think about the Ted Williams blueprint.  In 1969, Ted Williams took over the lowly Washington Senators and dragged them to 86 wins, earning AL Manager of the Year. But when things soured and his team nosedived into a 54-100 record in 1972 and they became the Texas Rangers, Williams didn’t hang around like a barnacle. He left. No fuss, no delusion, just dignity. He understood... the leader of the club, him, wasn't doing his job. Ted Williams had the self-awareness to walk away when he knew he wasn’t helping. Boone? He’s clinging to this gig like it’s the last churro at a ballpark stand.

Look, after tonight's loss and just awful managing once again, Aaron Boone must know it's time. Either he needs to be fired, or he needs to walk away.  You don’t need to wait for Hal Steinbrenner to grow a spine or for Brian Cashman to stop rearranging the bullpen like it's fantasy camp. Do what’s right. You’ve lost the clubhouse. You’ve lost the fans. You’ve lost total control and much like I've been preaching here since 2020... you're a terrible leader. You manage in fear.

Just leave. Because leadership isn’t about buddy-buddy relationships. It’s about winning, demanding greatness, and knowing when the team needs something different. And the Yankees, right now, need something very different. So go Boone... go away.

DO THE YANKEES HAVE AN EXTRA INNINGS PROBLEM OR A BAD BULLPEN MANAGEMENT PROBLEM?

Great and talented hitting can help win ballgames, but managers can also lose games for teams, and let's not forget that.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Yankees go to extra innings... and then fall flat on their pinstriped faces. At this point, “free baseball” just means free heartbreak. And while some fans will point fingers at the players, the real problem is sitting in the dugout, flipping through his bullpen chart like it’s a Cheesecake Factory menu — yes, we’re talking about Aaron Boone.

Let’s get to the meat of it: the Yankees are 1-6 in extra-inning games this season. One and six. That’s not a slump — that’s a full-on meltdown with a side of mismanagement. And while the offense has generally been strong this year, they completely vanish when the clock strikes inning ten. But the real culprit isn’t just the cold bats — it’s Boone's baffling bullpen decisions that keep sinking the ship.

Case in point: the recent loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees got three solid, scoreless innings from Weaver, Williams, and Leiter Jr. — and then, predictably, disaster struck. Boone left Leiter in for a second inning of work in the 11th, where he promptly served up three hits and two runs, handing Cincinnati the win like a door prize. Yankees lose. Again. Shocker.

And remember that lovely little memory from the 2024 World Series? Yankees clinging to life, Freddie Freeman up in a high-leverage situation, and instead of going to Tim Hill — a lefty built for that moment — Boone decides to toss Nestor Cortes into the fire. It was a choice. Not a good one, but a choice nonetheless. This is one of my favorite podcasts and I watched it after that Cortes game.

Boone’s bullpen management isn’t just questionable — it’s practically a case study in how not to handle pressure. He doesn’t trust his best arms in the biggest spots, and he rides guys too long like he’s playing MLB The Show on rookie mode. It’s maddening. If there’s a blueprint for how to lose winnable games, Aaron Boone laminated it.

Let’s not sugarcoat this anymore: Boone is not a good in-game manager. He may have the clubhouse vibes of a chill middle school gym teacher, but that doesn’t cut it in October — or June, apparently. And while the Yankees are still stacked with talent, it won’t matter if the man steering the ship can’t tell port from starboard.

Here’s the hard truth: the Yankees aren’t winning a World Series with Boone calling the shots. Not this year. Not next year. Not ever. Leadership matters, especially when the game gets tight, the innings get long, and the margin for error shrinks to nothing. Boone folds like a beach chair every time.

So yes, the Yankees have an extra-inning problem — but that’s just a symptom. The disease? Boone’s decision-making. If the front office is serious about championships, they need to stop pretending this guy is the answer. Because right now, he’s the reason we keep getting the wrong result.

Fire Boone. Free the bullpen. Fix the Yankees.

WEAVER INJURY COULD PROVE TROUBLESOME FOR YANKEES

In Sunday night’s 7–3 win over the Dodgers, Yankees manager Aaron Boone handed the ninth inning keys to Tim Hill. At first glance, no big deal. But then the truth trickled out — Luke Weaver “felt something.” And I hate that phrase. Nothing good ever comes after a pitcher “feeling something.”

Weaver's been a warhorse. His outing in Anaheim marked his fifth appearance in seven days — which, according to FanSided, is workload territory usually reserved for late-October thrill rides, not the middle of the baseball season. That set off the alarm bells in my brain: If Weaver’s out, who takes the wheel?

If it’s a hamstring issue — and that’s the early speculation — he could be sidelined for more than just a weekend. That would leave the Yankees in a bit of a bullpen bind. Do they roll the dice again with Devin Williams? He’s been lights out… until you give him the ninth. The man’s allergic to save situations. He thrives in the shadows, not under the closer spotlight. Pressure hits different when the game’s on the line, and for Williams, that difference has been glaring.

Mark Leiter Jr. has the stuff, but sometimes I wonder if Boone trots him out because of the back of the jersey rather than what’s actually coming out of his hand. The pedigree's nice, but this isn't a baseball family reunion — it's a bullpen that needs a boss.

We can only hope this is just a blip for Weaver. The guy’s been electric this year: a 1.05 ERA across 24 appearances, and he’s locked down 8 of 9 save chances. He’s not just a closer — right now, he’s the closer. Losing him would be like pulling the battery out of a championship run.

Tim Hill got the job done on Sunday, recording the final three outs. But is he a ninth-inning guy or just a lefty specialist temporarily moonlighting as one? That’s a question we don’t want to have to answer long-term.

Help may be on the way in the form of Fernando Cruz, who’s expected to rejoin the team this week. Cruz was dialed in before he hit the injury list, and while he’ll definitely help, the Yankees bullpen is starting to look like a MAS*H unit.

Bottom line — the Yankees need Luke Weaver healthy. Not “pushing through something” healthy. Not “maybe available this weekend” healthy. Actually healthy. Because if he’s out for an extended stretch, the late innings in the Bronx are about to get really chaotic, real fast.

WILLIAMS PROBABLY WISHES HE WENT TO THE DODGERS...

Yankee fans can be tough. We expect perfection and Williams is hardly close to that.

But honestly, you almost can't even blame Devin Williams for sucking the air out of this Yankees team. The truth is, he was a solid closer in Milwaukee, but something changes when you put on the pinstripes. It’s about whether you have the guts to survive the intense pressure that comes with being a New York Yankee — and it’s obvious Williams doesn’t. From the start, it was clear Luke Weaver should have been the closer. We've been pounding that drum since the end of the World Series here at BYB. But once again, the Yankees’ front office couldn't see what was right in front of them.

The Yankees DID NOT NEED Devin Williams this offseason. They just chased the shiny object because Soto had just left (which, honestly, is a blessing in disguise). Meanwhile, Weaver was right there, ready and deserving. Instead, Brian Cashman spent big and wasted both money and games by handing the job to Williams. Boone’s no better — still rolling Williams out there as he blows lead after lead. Anyone watching can see he's not the answer, but Boone, running the team like some mindless robot, keeps trusting him. It’s pathetic. What a puppet.

The blame lies squarely on the leadership: the front office, the manager, all of them. Yankee fans aren’t stupid — we see what's happening. We know Williams can’t close games here, and we know Anthony Volpe isn’t cutting it as a hitter either. So, message to the Steinbrenner crew; Stop playing favorites because of contracts. Start doing what’s best for the team.

Williams’ debut month in New York has been nothing short of a disaster. His latest meltdown — giving up a single, a hit-by-pitch with two strikes, and a two-run double — cost the Yankees a 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays, all while boos poured down from the stands. Carlos Carrasco gave them a strong start — all Williams had to do was lock it down. That’s literally his only job.

Despite BYB and fans screaming for Weaver, the Yankees only pulled Williams on Friday to give the ball to Mark Leiter Jr. And what did Leiter do? Exactly what he was supposed to — one hit, no runs, 11 pitches to close it out. No drama.

Weaver, meanwhile, has become a fan favorite for good reason. He started the season with 13 straight scoreless innings, has given up just three hits, posted a 0.62 WHIP, struck out 13, and walked just five. He’s even locked down two saves already.

After the loss last night, Boone was asked about Williams' role moving forward. True to form, he gave one of his classic non-answers: “We’ll see.” Honestly, if you’re a reporter, why even bother asking Boone anything? He never says anything real. Dig a little, create some drama, ignore that fool.

At the end of the day, the Yankees needed that win — badly. The Blue Jays are climbing in the division, and the Yankees? They can't keep any momentum as predicted. The offense is solid but cannot sustain it if the pitching staff is exhausted, and the whole thing is collapsing under the weight of poor leadership.

The Yankees spent big on the wrong players. They gave a contract extension to a manager who clearly doesn't know how to manage his guys. And now we’re stuck watching a team that's almost painful to root for.

It’s infuriating. It’s sad. And honestly, it’s getting harder and harder to watch.

Like This? READ THESE:

WAIT, SO NOW LUKE WEAVER ISN'T THE YANKEE CLOSER?

WHY LUKE WEAVER IS THE ULTIMATE CLOSER!

MAYBE DEVIN WILLIAMS DOESN'T HAVE THE STONES FOR THE BRONX

AND YET ANOTHER YANKEE PITCHER IS OUT!

Alright, let’s just put it out there—what in the actual hell is happening to the Yankees? Are they cursed? Did someone anger the baseball gods? Did Aaron Boone break a mirror in the clubhouse? Because at this point, we’re running out of rational explanations for why the Yankees' roster looks like a M.A.S.H. unit before the season has even started.

You already know about Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Giancarlo Stanton—because of course, Giancarlo Stanton. But if you happened to check out my earlier piece, GEEZ, HAVE YOU SEEN THE YANKEES "INJURED LIST" LATELY? from March 4th, you’d know that the injury bug isn’t just nibbling at the Yankees—it’s feasting on them like it’s at an all-you-can-eat buffet. And now, as if we needed more, Mark Leiter Jr. joins the list! Hooray!

Leiter was supposed to pitch Thursday against the Tigers, but, oh no—he felt something in his back. And in classic Yankees fashion, the team decided to play it safe. He’s now scheduled to throw live batting practice on Sunday. So, you know what that means? Expect him on the IL by Tuesday!

And then there’s Aaron Boone. The human embodiment of “everything is fine” while the Yankees’ roster crumbles around him. Here’s what he had to say about Leiter: “It wasn’t anything huge, I think he just wanted to be safe with it.” Oh, okay. So, totally not a big deal, right? Just like all the other injuries that start as “nothing huge” and then suddenly become “he’ll be back in six months, hopefully”. Boone either has no idea what’s going on with his players or he’s just trained to downplay everything to keep us from full-blown panic. Either way, it’s exhausting.

But wait, there’s more! Because of course, there is. The Yankees are already juggling injuries to Scott Effross (hamstring strain), Jake Cousins (forearm strain), and Tyler Matzek (oblique strain). Oh, and don’t forget about Jonathan Loáisiga, who is still building back from elbow surgery and probably won’t see the mound until late May or early June.

So, I ask again—why is this happening at an alarming rate? Bad luck? A terrible strength and conditioning program? Overtraining? Undertraining? Are the Yankees holding secret underground sumo wrestling tournaments in the offseason?

It’s a vicious cycle: guys get hurt, other players “step up” and overexert themselves, and then—surprise!—they get hurt too. And no one seems to be doing anything about it! It’s beyond frustrating at this point.

At some point, someone in the Yankees' front office needs to stop shrugging and actually take a hard look at why half the team is always in traction. Until then, I guess we’ll just keep watching the injury list grow and wonder who’s next.

Because let’s be real—someone is definitely next.

ADD ANOTHER NAME! THE YANKEE PITCHING PROBLEMS ARE PILING UP!

Okay seriously are we cursed? There must be some bad juju in that clubhouse. Did a black cat cross Aaron Boone's path? Did Brian Cashman walk underneath a ladder or open an umbrella indoors? The Yankees have ANOTHER pitcher who may be out. The spring from hell continues....

Yesterday Mark Leiter Jr. joined the list of potentially injured pitchers, and now we get to add Clarke Schmidt and hold our breath, read more HERE. Schmidt is dealing with a sore shoulder and will not start against the Blue Jays today, instead he will throw a bullpen session. Now we just wait and hold our breath that this isn't a big deal....and I hate waiting and hoping. The Yankees say no tests ae scheduled, but that doesn't make me feel better.

He's "not getting all the way back to how he normally would." Those are some scary words right now. It's late in Spring Training and we have another pitcher with shoulder problems. The Yankee rotation is being held together by stitches, and the real action hasn't even started yet and we are limping to the start of the season. This is not how we want to start a season. The Yankees need to take a long hard look in the mirror here.

We talk about this every season. The Yankees medical, strength and conditioning staff are sub par. Every year, our anchors on the roster are hurt and they get them conditioned and then keep them healthy. It's a real problem....and it's one they need to deal with by tearing it all down to the studs and rebuilding it. If the Yankees had better personnel in this arena maybe Giancarlo Stanton wouldn't still be dealing with two bad elbows even after it was a known issue last season. Oh, and maybe Aaron Judge wouldn't have played with a broken rib and a partially collapsed lung back in 2020. How on earth was that missed? It's insane. But no....the medical staff as a whole isn't a problem.... it's just a bunch of weird and random problems, right? Gimme a break.

The Yankees can afford the best medical, training and conditioning team that money can buy. SO why are we consistently talking about this? We want to get back to a World Series again this year, and this isn't how we start it off. I really hope Schmidt is okay.... but shoulder problems are a real concern. At this point, I am worried about what we will have here in 10 short days.

The Yankees' pitching staff is on life support right now....and it's scary. The Yankees can spend all the money they want for their product on the field, but if the medical, and strength and conditioning staff aren't doing their part it's time to make changes. It's not hard to see.

I hope Leiter Jr and Schmidt are both okay. I hope our luck changes and we stop getting injured. We can't take much more of this....

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

LEITER & THE YANKEES MADE NICE

The Yankees successfully dodged arbitration hearings with all their eligible players—except for one: right-handed reliever Mark Leiter Jr.

Leiter Jr. landed in the Bronx via a trade with the Cubs before last year’s deadline, and let’s just say his performance was… a mixed bag. When it came time to talk money, he asked for $2.5 million, while the Yankees countered with $2.05 million. No handshake deal was reached, so off to arbitration they went.

MLB insider Mark Feinsand broke the news that the Yankees came out on top.

“The Yankees have won their arbitration hearing against Mark Leiter Jr., per source. Leiter will earn $2.05 million; he had filed for $2.5 million,” Feinsand reported.

Honestly, it’s not shocking. Leiter’s 2024 campaign was nothing to write home about. Across 58 innings split between the Cubs and Yankees, he put up a 4.50 ERA—hardly dominant. His time in New York? Even less impressive. And while I wasn’t exactly rooting to see him on the mound in October, he did what he could. Not that it mattered, since the Dodgers steamrolled us anyway.

At the end of the day, the Yankees absolutely had the stronger case. Leiter’s got talent but having a famous last name doesn’t automatically make you a legend. Still, I’m glad he’s sticking around. Here’s hoping he turns things around in 2025—because, let’s face it, we could use all the help we can get.

YANKEES PUT CLAY HOLMES ON NOTICE & WILL GET "CREATIVE" WITH CLOSER ROLE

You can only f*ck up so many times and expect to keep your job. That's how it works in the real world, and it's finally happening in Yankee land. Clay Holmes now has 11 blown saves, and that's just not going to cut it for a team that is considered a "World Series favorite" going forward. It's about time!

The Yankees have a closer problem, and it can't be ignored anymore. Even Aaron Boone can't just brush it off completely. Now he is just dancing around the issue (read more HERE) but that is just what we expect from Baboonie. 

"In the short term, just try to put these guys in the best position to be successful," Boone said Wednesday. "How that shakes out may vary a little bit every night, but in the short term, that's the way we’ll go. Want to support Clay through this. … The reality is he's really not that far off from being the dominant guy we know he can be. But in the short term, we'll certainly be a little creative down there."

Bust out your coloring books and crayons, it's arts and crafts time boys and girls! Seriously, this is going to be a mix and match situation. Considering we are in the home stretch of the season, this experimentation is not a comfortable place to be in. So what's Baboonie going to do?

The Yankees "options" include names like Jake Cousins who I admit I am intrigued by. He has closer-like stuff but not a ton of experience in this role. He's also allowed a run in three straight appearances which can't be ignored. Every game matters right now. Tommy Kahnle and Luke Weaver could also be options but again not a lot of experience and I don't think they are as appealing of an option as Cousins. I know Mark Leiter Jr is another name floated as a possibility but I'm a hard pass there.....he and his 6.08 ERA can take a seat next to Holmes on the bench.

Last winter there were so many rumors floating around about the Yankees looking to upgrade their closer and it didn't happen. At the trade deadline they only added two relievers, there unfortunately wasn't a market to upgrade this season....and now the Yankees are scrambling to put a band aide fix on this.

Now the Yankees will get creative because they honestly don't have other options. Maybe Holmes can "earn" his closer role back like Boone hinted at but either way.....the Yankees need to make some tough decisions over the winter and reinforce the bullpen no matter what.

If we want a real "creative" solution, why not expand on the Holmes decision to also include getting rid of Brian Cashman and Boone? 

#wishfulthinking

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj