THREE YANKEE CLOSERS & AN ABSOLUTELY UNSERIOUS FRANCHISE

No one knows what the Yankees are doing. Let's keep it real, we had Luke Weaver as a top, reliable closer last season and he did the job wonderfully. No complaints from any of us, including the Yankees. Weaver was dominant.  And then, because of that, Brian Cashman did what he should have done. He went out and gave away a potentially elite infielder in Caleb Durbin for a closer, because that didn't cause any problems for the Yankees this season, right? No wrong.  It's because of Brian Cashman that the Yankees were a mess in the infield at second base, and there was mass confusion between Luke Weaver and Devin Williams on who was the closer. No one could find consistency; confidence and it was a disaster. And now between those problems, Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt dealing with Tommy John and Luis Gil still on hold, the Yankees did the right thing today. THEY TRADED FOR A CLOSER. By the way, this is all sarcasm. My head's gonna explode.

Like what kind of crack is Brian Cashman smoking right now, because this is a horrendous trade day for the Yankees.  

That's right, the New York Yankees are in the midst of acquiring Pirates close David Bednar, a name that not a single baseball insider had, because baseball insiders knew the Yankees didn't need a closer... until we did. Stupid. As we speak the Yankees and Pirates are reviewing the medical records of the players in the deal. Yankees are to give up catching prospects Rafael Flores and Edgleen Perez, along with outfield prospect Brian Sanchez. Never mind the fact that our future at catcher is .212 Austin Wells, his overall defensive performance as a catcher has been a point of contention. There are major concerns about his arm strength, ability to control the running game, and consistency behind the plate. Additionally, the demanding nature of the position, as it was reported recently suggests his body is taking a beating and it's impacting his hitting, or, at least that is what the Yankees want us to believe.  And so, he, why not give all the catchers away then? Makes sense right? 

Brian Cashman did not do what he said. He didn't go to town. Brian Cashman did not make the Yankees a contender.  Brian Cashman has figured out a way to mask this weird, broken-down team with a bunch of rentals from the Portland Mavericks.  A group of mediocre guys, he hopes can be great to get the Yankees a spot in the wild card, and the hope that the Yankees can win a championship back dooring it with a wild card spot. 

What happened to my Yankees? We are not a serious franchise.  And by the way, if I hear another report about how the Yankees were quote "trying to get Paul Skenes", I'm going to smash the screen. Because trying isn't getting him, and it didn't happen, so shut up.

BABE RUTH STAYS ICONIC

Who is this chick?

Seriously, kidding. I know she's with Paul Skenes. Also, Seriously—Babe Ruth's old apartment should be the headline here. We're talking about The Sultan of Swat. The King of Crash. The guy who basically made Yankee Stadium famous. But instead, we’re stuck hearing about how Livvy Dunne, TikTok gymnast and general vibe enthusiast, got denied from buying his old NYC place.

Yeah, she didn't get it. That’s the story. The board said “no thanks,” and instead of moving on quietly, Livvy ran to TikTok like she was just cut from the Olympic team.

“Guys, I’m so upset,” she said in a video, sounding like a teen who just found out her favorite Starbucks drink was discontinued. “Two months ago, I decided I was going to make my first real estate purchase… but the gag was, it was Babe Ruth’s apartment.”

First of all—the gag? Babe Ruth just rolled over in his grave and called his shot again—this time, straight at Gen Z slang.

And while Livvy's clearly still salty about the board’s decision (not everyone gets to live like a legend, sorry), she’s at least romanticizing it a bit.

“It was just iconic,” she added. “It was so cool that it was Babe Ruth’s apartment.”

Sure, kid. It was iconic. Because of him, not you. And frankly, if your pitch to the co-op board sounded anything like your TikTok script, we get it. They probably feared the hallway would become a ring light runway.

So let’s call it what it is: Babe Ruth stays undefeated. Livvy Dunne struck out. And now we can all go back to caring about actual baseball history… or at least something more pressing than influencer real estate FOMO.

RUMOR MILL HEATING UP WITH SOME GUYS YOU KNOW

 As the trade deadline inches closer, one thing is practically guaranteed: the New York Yankees will be in the market for pitching. Yes, the starting rotation has been solid for most of the season. But if history is any indication, the front office will still poke around for upgrades — because that’s what contenders do. Depth wins championships, and there’s always that underlying pressure to improve, even if the rotation isn’t currently broken.

That brings us to a name that might trigger a few eye-rolls from Yankee fans: Andrew Heaney.

Yes, that Andrew Heaney — the same one who flopped in his first stint with the Yankees back in 2021. It didn’t go well then, and nobody’s pretending otherwise. But this season? Heaney’s quietly putting together a solid campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and if the Yankees are looking to pad the back end of their rotation without gutting the farm system, he might be worth a second look.

Before you slam your laptop shut in protest, hear this out.

R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports recently highlighted the Pirates as a team likely to be sellers at the deadline. Pittsburgh is still deep in a rebuild, and while speculation swirls around rookie sensation Paul Skenes, Anderson doesn’t expect the Pirates to move him — even if fans of other teams (yes, including the Yankees) would love to see it happen.

Let’s be honest: it feels like Skenes is wasting away in Pittsburgh. He’s a generational arm, and unless the Pirates turn things around quickly, his prime might be spent fighting uphill battles. From a Yankees fan’s perspective, the idea of Skenes in pinstripes is the dream. But it’s just that — a dream, for now.

Instead, Anderson points to more realistic trade chips on Pittsburgh’s roster:

“Impending free agents Andrew Heaney and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa are logical candidates to go, and it would only make sense to explore the market for relievers David Bednar and Dennis Santana,” he writes. “If the Pirates really want to get bold, how about shopping catcher Joey Bart?”

It’s a practical take. Heaney, now 33, is on a one-year, $5.25 million deal — the kind of contract that makes midseason trades painless. In 11 starts this season, he owns a 3.41 ERA — a noticeable improvement over his career 4.40 mark. He started hot, posting a 1.72 ERA through his first five outings, before leveling out a bit. Still, those are serviceable numbers for a team looking to fortify the back end of the rotation for the stretch run.

Do the Yankees actually revisit the Heaney experiment? Probably not. They’re not typically in the business of retreads that didn't pan out the first time. But stranger things have happened. And if they view him as a low-cost insurance policy, there’s at least a kernel of logic in the idea.

In the grander picture, this conversation isn’t just about Heaney. It’s about the Yankees’ inevitable deadline posture. The team will explore arms, and depending on how the market shakes out, someone like Heaney — or perhaps a more tantalizing piece like Bednar or even Skenes in some wildly aggressive scenario — could end up in the mix.

So file this away under "Interesting but Unlikely." Keep an eye on Pittsburgh. Whether it’s a former Yankee like Heaney or a big swing for someone like Skenes (pipe dream or not), the Pirates could end up playing a role in the Yankees’ trade deadline story.

Stay tuned.

ARE PITCHING REINFORCEMENTS COMING FOR THE YANKEES?

The Yankees need pitching help like Aaron Boone needs a new excuse for getting tossed. And maybe, just maybe, the cavalry isn’t coming from a blockbuster trade—but from a bus ride up from Somerset. I love this, guys.

Let’s be honest: trusting the current Yankees rotation in a seven-game playoff series feels like trusting your umbrella in a hurricane. Sure, Carlos Rodón has a 3.50 ERA, but he’s also issued a league-leading 18 walks in just 36 innings—he’s basically handing out base runners like it’s a clearance sale.

Last October was a hard lesson in reality. The Yankees flopped in the postseason like a Broadway understudy with stage fright, and if they don’t want a repeat performance, they better start auditioning some new arms.

Enter Cam Schlittler—yes, that’s a real name, and yes, he’s very much real-deal potential. The 24-year-old righty, drafted in the seventh-round back in 2022, is quietly mowing down hitters at Double-A Somerset like he’s speedrunning a video game. On Thursday, he threw seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts against the Hartford Yard Goats (a real team, not a rock band), and suddenly, he’s looking less like a long-term project and more like a Fourth of July call-up.

So far this season, Schlittler’s sitting on a tidy 1.23 ERA with 24 strikeouts and just five walks over 22 innings. Even Athlon Sports gave him some love, saying, “Schlittler would immediately dominate hitters the way Paul Skenes did last summer.” Okay, okay—deep breath.

Will Schlittler be the answer? Who knows. But if the Yankees are serious about October and tired of their rotation turning into pumpkin spice mush by Game 2, they might want to start looking south… to Somerset, not the waiver wire.

PETTITTE'S RETURN TO BASEBALL...AGAIN

The World Baseball Classic is coming back in 2026, and Team USA is already stacking the deck. Mark DeRosa is returning as manager—but the real headline here? Andy Pettitte is back in the dugout as pitching coach.

And let me tell you—I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Seeing Pettitte back in a uniform just feels right. Like pine tar on a bat knob or Frank Sinatra blasting at Yankee Stadium—it’s part of baseball’s soul. And let’s be honest: there are few people more qualified to lead a pitching staff than Andy freakin’ Pettitte.

He’s not just a Yankees legend. He’s a baseball ambassador in my opinion. The guy’s a walking masterclass in how to win with poise, grit, and a perfectly placed cutter. He doesn’t need to shout about his legacy—it speaks for itself.

In 2023, when he was Team USA’s pitching coach, the staff he helped guide made it all the way to the championship game. Under his watch, they finished fourth in strikeouts and sixth in ERA. That’s not a coincidence. That’s Pettitte’s quiet brilliance at work.

Now he’s back, and while the official roster isn’t out yet, odds are good he’ll be mentoring a new generation of flame-throwing arms—names like Paul Skenes and Garrett Crochet have all been floated. And honestly, if you're a young pitcher with a live arm and half a brain, you should be sprinting to learn under Andy Pettitte.

But here’s what drives me nuts. How is this man still not in the Hall of Fame?

The numbers are staring us all in the face. 256 regular season wins. Only five pitchers in modern baseball history with that many wins aren’t in Cooperstown. Five. And none of them can touch Pettitte’s postseason resume.

Let’s talk about that postseason record, shall we?

19 playoff wins. 44 playoff starts. Over 276 playoff innings. He holds the all-time records in postseason wins, starts, and innings pitched—and that’s before you even get to the 28 quality starts. The man was a machine. A dependable, unflinching rock in October. He was the pitcher managers trusted when the season was on the line.

Add those 19 playoff victories to his 256 regular-season wins, and you're looking at 275 total W's. That’s elite territory. That’s Hall of Fame territory.

Andy Pettitte didn’t need to throw 100 mph. He didn’t rely on hype or headlines. He just won. Over and over again. 5 World Series titles. 8 pennants. Countless moments where Yankee fans exhaled because Andy’s got it.

So while the Hall of Fame keeps playing hard to get, at least we get Pettitte where we need him—on a field, in a uniform, helping Team USA chase a title.

I love Andy Pettitte. Always have. Always will. He’s class, he’s grit, and he’s the kind of guy who made baseball better just by showing up every fifth day. And now, he's making it better again, coaching up the next generation of arms.

Team USA? Yeah, they're in good hands.

ROKI SASAKI'S WILD RIDE

Buckle up, folks, because speculation season is in full swing, and we're diving headfirst into the Roki Sasaki frenzy. With Sasaki’s signing deadline looming Thursday, January 23, it's a sprint to the finish. According to Ken Rosenthal, the New York Yankees are one of the frontrunners in this high-stakes race. But wait, the Dodgers are hot on their heels, too. So, what's the deal? And why is this all so wonderfully chaotic?

First, let’s get one thing straight: speculation is a wild, unpredictable beast, and you're about to find out just how crazy it can get by reading this post. Trust me, it’s worth the ride.

The Yankees' Case for Sasaki

Let’s start with the good news. The Bombers are being touted as a top contender for Sasaki, and honestly, why wouldn’t they be? The allure of pinstripes, the storied franchise, the bright lights of New York City—it’s all very enticing. Chris McMonigle of WFAN can’t help but feel the excitement bubbling up. “I’m gonna let my hopes up in real fear of them getting let down,” he says. “I’m starting to get excited about Roki Sasaki being a Yankee.”

And he's got good reason to be optimistic. The Yankees' pitching staff is already formidable, and adding Sasaki’s electric arm to the mix would only further cement their top-tier status. Plus, the Yankees know how to roll out the red carpet for international stars.

Dodgers Still in the Mix

Of course, the Dodgers aren’t just standing idly by. They've had their eye on Sasaki for a while now, and you can bet they’re pulling out all the stops to bring him to Los Angeles. Sasaki’s desire to prove himself against MLB’s best has driven him to make the jump two years early, sacrificing a bigger payday to do so. That’s dedication, and it’s no wonder teams like the Dodgers are salivating at the thought of signing him.

A Small Market Surprise?

But hold up—could a small market swoop in and steal the show? Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, has hinted that a smaller market might be ideal for his client, primarily to avoid the immense pressure that comes with playing in a spotlight-heavy city like New York or Los Angeles. Enter the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yep, you read that right. The Pirates have quietly built a solid reputation for developing pitchers. Look at Paul Skenes and Jared Jones and the addition of Sasaki could be a game-changer for their franchise. That has been reports that the Pirates are the dark horse in all of this.  It will be interesting.

The Reality Check

Now, let’s get real for a second. While it’s fun to speculate, the only people who truly know what’s going on are Sasaki and Wolfe. So, as much as we’d love to predict the future, we’re all just along for the ride. But isn’t that what makes this whole thing so exciting?

In the end, whether Sasaki ends up in New York, Los Angeles, or even Pittsburgh, one thing’s for sure: this saga is far from over. 

So, stay tuned, and keep those hopes cautiously high.

ANOTHER CLUNKER AS THE YANKEES STUMBLE TO THE END!

Well that's a game I think we'd all love to forget. I bet Marcus Stroman does too, but of course Yankee fans don't forget anything. We especially don't forget clunkers like yesterday's game. The Yankees are about to cross the finish line of the regular season, and they don't look like they are ready for postseason domination at all.

There are just so many things not "clicking" right now and Aaron Boone can make all the excuses he wants, but he doesn't get it. I always talk about the importance of repetition and a routine, especially for starters. They need to pitch every five days, and they need a bullpen routine when they aren't starting. Stroman hasn't been a solid starter for us, but when someone is already struggling and then they start a game for the first time in 15 days, it's not a good setup. The Yankees took a big gamble, and only because Nestor Cortes is on the Injured List. The gamble didn't pay off....and no one should be surprised.

When the first six batters get hits off of you, that's a big red flag. It's a miracle the Yankees were able to limit the damage and escape with only three runs in the first inning. The Orioles still took batting practice off Stroman though had 10 hits and six earned runs. He didn't give up any laser beams, but the Orioles still executed with what they do well....they put balls in play and found holes. I wish the Yankees could do that.

There are four games left in the regular season, and things are just not clicking on all cylinders. The Yankees are supposed to be World Series favorites, and at this point they should be a well-oiled machine. When you consider the recent Gleyber Torres fumble and the ball Jasson Dominguez just overran we don't look postseason ready.

The Yankees are limping to the end when they should be sprinting. The Yankees need to win today, they cannot afford a sweep to the Orioles. I am not even talking about it from a division title perspective, but just a team morale standpoint and having momentum heading into the postseason. After today, the Yankees get the Pirates at home and will face Paul Skenes and that will be a tough test to start the last series of the regular season. I hope the Yankees are more prepared for it.

Big picture, does it sting that the Yankees lost the first two games of the series to the Orioles? Yes. Are they in serious danger of not being division champions? Not serious danger, because if the Yankees losing streak continues the Orioles still have to win ALL of their remaining games to win the division. It could be worse.... but it doesn't give me warm and fuzzy feelings.

It's an ugly way to finish. Even uglier when you think about the likelihood that the Yankees will see the Orioles again in the division series. Wake up, Yankees!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

SOTO AND JUDGE PAIR UP FOR A GREAT ALL STAR GAME

I am going to admit, I liked the All-Star games when I was growing up. Things were a lot simpler. Firstly, not to date myself, but there was no home run derby. Secondly, players were voted in, they played in their own team uniforms, and they went home. There was no All Star week, fanfest, merch drops or bull riding. It was just a game with all the greats of the day. But now, the All Star game is a huge event with all of the amenities of a cruise, the Oscars and the Super Bowl wrapped into two days. But I will say, I enjoyed watching Juan Soto and Aaron Judge represent the Yankees in Globe Life Stadium on Tuesday night. That part remains the same- seeing your favorites out there on the field together.

"Despite a summer slide that has cost the Yankees some ground in the standings, Soto and Judge have performed to expectations, rightfully claiming starting spots in the American League’s outfield for Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Globe Life Field," reported Brian Hoch for MLB.com. 

And just like in New York, Soto and Judge batted back-to-back, a pairing that skipper Aaron Boone said he pictured once he heard Soto was coming to New York. “This was what I pictured and fantasized about since it happened and I started writing out lineups,” Boone said recently. “Knowing what they were capable of back-to-back, I would say it’s gone very well. In a lot of ways, it is what I envisioned,” reported Hoch. 

The duo looked comfortable in the outfield, equally comfortable at the plate and they both smiled a mile wide. Soto guaranteed that Aaron Judge would have his night against arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes and he did not disappoint. Judge could not get passed the rookie pitcher, however, grounding out hard to third base. 

Soto also knocked in a couple of runs and scored early to keep the game exciting and tied at three through four innings. But just like every good thing, there is the possibility of it ending. "The tandem of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge has generated fireworks for the Bronx Bombers, but questions continue to linger over Soto's future in the Bronx. The 25-year-old superstar is set to become a free agent after the 2024 season, and he could command up to $600 million on the open market," reported Fansided. 

When asked who he would love to play alongside, instead of saying "I like playing with Aaron Judge" the superstar didn't hesitate to name Shohei Ohtani. Although it would be very unlikely the Dodgers would have the cash to pay Soto, I hate that he didn't say New York is his best, and only option. 

As the Yankees head into the second half of the season, it is important for them to stay on the rails- the championship rails. If anything is going to keep the duo of Soto and Judge together it could be the journey to the World Series. And to win one in New York would be something special. But this team is a long way from that. For now, I will relish that Soto and Judge shared an outfield as teammates in the All-Star Game; despite the fact that I was worried that one of them or both would fall off the mechanical bull in the pre-game festivities that took this Mid-season Classic to new levels. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof