FALLING BACK DOWN TO EARTH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE SECOND PLACE YANKEES

Ya'll are gonna say it, "Robert Casey is a Yankee hater." Nah bitches, I'm just a realist. You could see it in Boone's eyes before the Brewers series, and then I knew it when they lost game 1 to the Brewers and I wrote LET'S HOPE BOONE'S INCOMPETENCE DOESN'T REAR IT'S UGLY HEAD the next day. By the way, the most popular post of the weekend. Why? Cause I know what I'm talking about. I'm a Yankee fans through and through... but I also know good leadership when I see it.  And Boone? He's a pawn. Clueless in everything he does and this is the start of it. I mean sure, we'll have some nice runs this season, but even if we make the playoffs, this idiot will find a way to ruin the party... because the man is not competent. 

The Yankees look unbeatable when life is easy. When the weather is warm, the home runs are flying, and the entire operation looks smooth and polished. The lineup card writes itself. The starters cruise through six innings. The bullpen slams the door. Cameras catch Aaron Boone leaning against the dugout rail with that familiar relaxed grin and goes into the gap while postgame interviews are filled with phrases like "things are clicking." Anybody can manage that version of the Yankees.

That’s the dirty little secret nobody in the organization wants to admit. Boone is perfectly functional when everything is humming. But baseball seasons are not measured by how a manager handles smooth sailing in May against mediocre teams. Seasons are defined by tension, adversity, injuries, slumps, ugly losses, and moments where a clubhouse starts feeling pressure crawl up its spine.

That’s where real managers separate themselves. And that’s where Boone repeatedly falls apart.

This is something Yankee fans should keep watching closely because it has become one of the defining patterns of the Boone era. Ever since he became manager, the Yankees have shown the same personality flaw over and over again: when things get hard, the team gets worse mentally. Boone cannot manage adversity because he doesn’t know how to confront it. Write that down. Remember it. Because every season eventually circles back to the same ugly truth.

The sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers wasn’t just a rough series. It was a full psychological autopsy of a Boone-managed baseball team. The scores tell part of the story: 6-0, 4-3 in ten innings, and another 4-3 walk-off collapse. But honestly, the scores undersell how bad this looked. The Yankees didn’t resemble a championship-caliber team getting edged out by another contender. They looked fragile. Tight. Undisciplined. Mentally exhausted the moment the games became uncomfortable.

Game one was humiliating. Three hits. Three. Against a Milwaukee pitching staff led by Jacob Misiorowski, who carved through the Yankees lineup with the confidence. The Yankees went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, which under Boone has become less of a temporary slump and more of an organizational philosophy. And Boone’s response? Predictably passive.

 If you read social media, the papers, many questioned the lineup construction and Boone’s refusal to make aggressive bench moves earlier in the game. Struggling hitters stayed in while scoring opportunities evaporated inning after inning. Boone managed the shutout the same way he manages almost every offensive collapse: by staring into the distance and hoping the problem fixes itself organically.  The YES Network crew kept repeating that the Yankees were “just missing” pitches, but eventually “just missing” becomes your identity.

And that reflects leadership.

Because when a team constantly looks tense, emotionally fried, and fundamentally sloppy during difficult stretches, that is not random baseball luck. That is culture. That comes from the dugout. Boone has spent years trying to manage the Yankees like a motivational speaker trapped inside an analytics department. Smile a little. Clap a little. Tell the media the process is good. Defend obvious mistakes. Pretend every loss is just part of the marathon. But there’s a massive difference between staying calm and refusing to confront problems.

The Yankees under Boone still make the same mental mistakes they made years ago. They run the bases poorly. They lose situational awareness defensively. Hitters press the second momentum swings against them. The bullpen starts pitching scared. And Boone keeps standing there with the same expression of detached optimism while the game slips away in real time.

Game two was peak Boone baseball compressed into ten innings of frustration.

The Yankees had opportunities to steal the game, but every key moment became another example of poor execution mixed with questionable management. Boone’s handling of the bullpen immediately drew criticism. Fans and analysts questioned why Tim Hill was handling such a critical extra-inning situation instead of a higher-leverage arm.

Then came the play that perfectly summarized the entire Boone era. Hill fielded a comebacker in the tenth inning and attempted to force the lead runner at third instead of simply taking the guaranteed out at first. The throw struck the runner, everybody was safe, and the inning exploded into chaos. It was the kind of little-league sequence that leaves fans screaming at televisions because the fundamentals were so painfully obvious.

And here’s the important part: fans blamed Boone immediately because they no longer trust the Yankees to execute basic situational baseball under pressure. That matters. When a team repeatedly looks unprepared in key moments, people stop viewing mistakes as isolated incidents. They become symptoms.

The failed play also destroyed Boone’s defensive flexibility. Because no out was recorded, he lost the ability to intentionally walk William Contreras for a preferred matchup against Jake Bauers. Contreras then delivered the walk-off sacrifice fly while the Yankees slowly walked off the field looking emotionally shell-shocked yet again.

Afterward Boone did what Boone always does after these losses: calmly explained the process, praised the effort, and acted as if fans should ignore the obvious emotional collapse unfolding on the field. But vibes are not leadership.

Strong managers stabilize teams during adversity. Boone’s Yankees unravel during adversity. That is the defining characteristic of his tenure. When pressure increases, the Yankees get sloppier. Hitters chase more. Fielders rush plays. Pitchers nibble instead of attacking. The dugout energy becomes strangely passive, like everyone is waiting for Judge to rescue them with a three-run homer.

Then game three happened, and honestly, by that point the collapse felt inevitable.

Another 4-3 loss. Another late-game disaster. Another walk-off. David Bednar gave up the ninth-inning homer to Brice Turang, but even before the pitch left his hand, the entire game carried the emotional tension of a car with failing brakes rolling downhill.

Boone was criticized again for sticking with Bednar despite previous warning signs. He should have been. Fans questioned why the struggling reliever continued handling the ninth inning while better options existed. 

This has become another Boone trademark: managing spreadsheets instead of managing the actual human beings playing baseball games.

Even Carlos Rodón’s outing reflected the larger issue. Rodón walked five hitters and hit another in only 4.1 innings, yet Boone seemed slow to react, further draining a bullpen that was already wobbling by the end of the series. Everything felt reactive instead of proactive. The Yankees constantly looked one step behind the game.

And by the end of the sweep, the numbers became impossible to ignore. The Yankees had fallen to 1-8 against teams with winning records during that stretch. That is not meaningless noise. Contenders beat other contenders sometimes. Boone’s Yankees looked incapable of handling competitive baseball once the games became tense and uncomfortable. That’s the most damning part of all this: none of it felt new.

This is the same movie Yankee fans have watched for years. The Yankees beat weaker teams, pile up regular-season wins, and everybody starts talking about chemistry and vibes. Then they face real resistance and suddenly the flaws burst through the walls. The offense tightens up. The fundamentals disappear. The bullpen management becomes chaotic. Boone sounds less like a manager and more like a corporate spokesperson delivering damage control.

The Milwaukee sweep didn’t expose a temporary slump. It exposed a personality problem that has followed the Yankees throughout Boone’s tenure. The team looked mentally soft. Over-reliant on stars. Poorly disciplined. Unable to adjust once adversity arrived.

And after all these years, the same question keeps returning: If the Yankees always look this rattled when things get hard, what exactly is Boone bringing to the table besides calm postgame interviews and optimistic clichés?

Because championship managers are not judged by how they handle easy nights in May when everything clicks. They are judged by whether their teams can survive chaos without mentally collapsing.

And right now, Boone’s Yankees still collapse the second baseball starts getting hard.

WASTING A SCHLITTLER GEM

I wrote earlier today that Aaron Boone has a habit of managing high-pressure situations like a guy trying to disarm a bomb with oven mitts. After tonight, that no longer feels like a hot take — it feels more like something you’d submit with supporting documentation.

To be fair, Boone wasn’t the only reason this one went off the rails. The Yankees spent the entire night inventing new and creative ways to waste opportunity. Cam Schlittler deserved a win, or at least a standing ovation, after throwing six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, and casually absorbing a line drive to the leg like it was part of the job description. That should’ve been the story.

Instead, the offense treated run production like it required a premium subscription. Seven hits, seven walks, and only three runs — a stat line that feels less like baseball and more like a missed connection. And despite carrying leads in both the eighth and tenth innings, the Yankees still managed to turn it into a 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

From there, it unraveled in familiar fashion. The bullpen blinked, the defense fumbled through its assignments, and in the 10th inning Tim Hill delivered a throw so far off target it may still be clearing airspace over Wisconsin.

So no, the original point doesn’t feel any less valid. Nights like this are exactly why the questions around Boone linger. When the game is orderly, the Yankees look functional enough. But when things get tight, chaotic, and unscripted, it starts to look less like managing and more like a group project where nobody checked the assignment sheet.

THE END OF WHAT MY NEW YORK YANKEES USED TO REPRESENT

Call it dramatic if you want, but this Yankees franchise is no longer living large. The New York Yankees, the supposed gold standard of professional sports, are operating in something that looks a whole lot like survival mode. And I say that as someone who has bled Yankee blue for decades. I have lived through bad teams, weird teams, transition teams, and aging-dynasty teams. What I have never lived through is an offseason quite like this one: timid, directionless, and drenched in alligator arms.

This isn’t patience, gang. This isn’t strategy. This isn’t some grand chess match where Brian Cashman is secretly five moves ahead of the rest of baseball. This is an organization sitting on its hands, congratulating itself for not spending money, while the rest of the league treats urgency like oxygen.

And yet, somehow, we the fans are supposed to be scolded for being angry.

Enter Michael Kay, stage left, wagging his finger at the fanbase like a disappointed substitute teacher. Kay can whine, lecture, and condescend all he wants, but the reality is painfully obvious: his commentary has drifted so far from the lived reality of Yankees fans that it’s become unrecognizable. Let’s not play dumb here. Michael Kay is paid handsomely through the YES Network, the Yankees’ own broadcast arm. That paycheck clears because the organization signs it, not because fans clap politely when the team sleepwalks through an offseason. When Kay lashes out at us fans, it’s not analysis. It’s insulation. His wallet is doing the talking.

And here’s the thing he seems to have forgotten the moment he handed in his fan card: fans are allowed to be mad. In fact, being mad is often the most honest form of fandom. We invest time, money, emotion, and generational loyalty. Anger isn’t betrayal. Apathy is.

The Yankees lost last year. Not “just short.” Not “one bounce away.” They lost. Which means the assignment this offseason was painfully clear: improve the team in a meaningful way. Add impact. Add stars. Add players who scare opposing teams in October.

Instead, here’s the receipt:

Ryan Weathers, acquired for four prospects to “bolster depth.”

Kaleb Ort, claimed off waivers.

Paul DeJong, minor league deal.

Sebastian Pinto, minor league deal.

Trent Grisham, qualifying offer accepted.

Amed Rosario, one-year versatility play.

Paul Blackburn, re-signed.

Ryan Yarbrough, re-signed.

Nick Torres, minor league deal.

Tim Hill, re-signed.

That’s not a championship plan. That’s a clearance rack with pinstripes on it.

Not one All-Star caliber stud. Not one needle-mover. Not one player who walks into a postseason series and forces the other dugout to change its strategy. This is a collection of depth pieces being sold as vision.

Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón won’t be ready for Opening Day. The shortstop we’re told is “elite” won’t even sniff the field until summer. The catcher who was hyped as the next great stopper hasn’t stopped much of anything and only batting .214. 

And hovering over all of it is Aaron Judge, a generational superstar wasting prime years on a roster that refuses to meet him halfway. Every season that passes without serious reinforcement is another year of malpractice. Judge will retire one day never seeing a championship if this front office continues to lead blind.

The front office’s greatest blind spot remains the same: baseball is played by humans, not spreadsheets. Chemistry matters. Urgency matters. Accountability matters. You can’t model heart, confidence, or fearlessness in a back-office algorithm, no matter how pretty the Excel file looks.

And where is ownership in all of this? Where is Hal Steinbrenner? Where is Randy Levine? Once upon a time, the people at the top didn’t hide when the Yankees underachieved. Now they’re silent, distant, and seemingly detached from the product on the field. Cashman tells us long-term contracts limit flexibility. Steinbrenner promises aggression without recklessness. Fine words. Empty results again.

The Yankees print money. Roughly $700 million a year in revenue. That’s not a small-market excuse. That’s a financial juggernaut choosing restraint while fans are told to be grateful for prudence. There is zero justification for this level of inactivity. None.

Fans have every right to be furious. We pay for season tickets, parking, concessions, jerseys, streaming packages, and cable networks. We show up 162 times a year emotionally, even when the team doesn’t. Wanting a championship isn’t entitlement. It’s the standard this franchise taught us to expect.

And if nothing changes by spring, if Aaron Boone is still wandering the dugout without consequence, if 2026 is once again sold as “trust the process,” then yes, fans should consider drastic responses. Boycotts. Walkaways. Silence where noise used to be. Because loyalty without accountability is just being taken advantage of.

For the first time in my life, I’ve even questioned my own fandom. I’ve thought about walking away for a season. I’ve thought about shutting down Bleeding Yankee Blue, a blog that’s been alive since 2010, because the frustration has curdled into something worse: sadness. This front office doesn’t seem to understand what fans want, or worse, doesn’t care.

It has been a championship drought since 2009 despite sky-high payrolls. Analysts and former players alike have called out unbalanced rosters, outdated thinking, and a fixation on bargain-bin signings. Too many DH-types. No first-base stability. A power-or-nothing approach that collapses under pressure. No urgency. No consequences. No fear of failure.

That’s on Brian Cashman. That’s on Aaron Boone, who would rather be liked than respected. And it’s on voices like Michael Kay, who should be holding this organization’s feet to the fire instead of blaming fans for noticing the smoke. You're pathetic Kay. Shame on you.

Don’t tell us how to root. Don’t insult our intelligence. And don’t pretend this is fine.

This used to be the New York Yankees. Now it feels like a brand slowly being run into the ground by people who confuse comfort with competence. At this point, why not bring Frankie Montas back and call it a day?

Sad.

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.

CASHMAN WON'T ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING TO IMPROVE THE YANKEES...

Cheap, cheap, cheap. 

If Brian Cashman were a bird, he’d be a bargain-bin parrot squawking “familiarity!” every offseason. The man treats the free-agent market like it’s a clearance rack at a yard sale: “Who can help the Yankees win—but only if they’re dented, dusty, or someone we already know so I don’t have to, you know… scout?”

Let’s be real: there is no master plan in Cashman’s office. There’s barely a Post-it note. And with Hal Steinbrenner clutching his checkbook like the Yankees are one bad quarter away from holding a bake sale, fans are stuck listening to the same tired sermon: “We’ll be competitive.”
Competitive with who? The Toledo Mud Hens?

We’ve got a shortstop who plays like a malfunctioning Roomba, two top starters rehabbing like full-time hospital residents, and Max Fried stranded on an island staring at the ocean like he’s trying to Morse-code for help. Meanwhile, the Yankees are out here praying Cam Schlittler is the next secret weapon—as if that’s a strategic plan and not blind optimism dressed in pinstripes.

And poor Aaron Judge. The man is aging like fine wine—except the Yankees are storing him in a paper bag under the sink. No rings, no support, just an MVP dragging around a roster held together with discounted duct tape. It’s the biggest waste of generational talent since someone let Mike Trout live in permanent baseball purgatory.

The Yankees franchise isn’t serious. It’s complacent. It’s hesitant. It’s allergic to pulling the trigger on actual stars. And fans? We’re not annoyed anymore—we’re exhausted. The Yankees keep kicking the can down the road, and at this point the can has more dents than their infield.

And now the latest nonsense? Cashman isn’t chasing Sandy Alcantara or Tarik Skubal. No. He’s poking around the idea of bringing back “Old Yankee Face” Michael King because—of course—he’s familiar, and he requires zero imagination.

MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch even laid out the parade of mediocrity: Trent Grisham accepting his qualifying offer, Tim Hill back, Ryan Yarbrough returning… the whole “Cashman Special Value Menu.” Not one superstar. Not one bold move. Just three guys who sound like they’d be great at assembling office furniture.

Hill? Solid. Grisham? Fine. Yarbrough? A science experiment Cashman thinks will make him look like a mastermind. Not one of them moves the needle—unless the needle is pointing to “meh.”

Then there’s King, the latest rumor. Had a nice season in San Diego, sure—3.10 ERA, 277 strikeouts, missed time but still solid. But San Diego is not the Bronx. Coming back to New York and repeating that isn’t a guarantee—it’s a coin flip, and Cashman loves a gamble if it lets him skip paying real money.

Meanwhile poor Max Fried is probably in his living room staring at the ceiling thinking, “How do I escape this roster of bubble gum, thumbtacks, and budget decisions?”

So here we are, careening toward the Winter Meetings, praying that Cashman finally makes a real splash. But we all know how this shakes out: some broken-down bargain pieces, a shrug at the podium, and the annual sermon: “The market was tough… we tried… but we really like our group.”

Yeah. We’ve heard it. We’ve lived it. We’re tired of it.

Cheap. Familiar. Not competitive.
Your 2025 New York Yankees, ladies and gentlemen.

Pathetic.

TIM HILL GETS HONORED & IT'S KIND OF A BIG DEAL

Baseball rivalries can get hot enough to boil the resin bag, but every now and then the sport steps back, wipes the eye black off its face, and remembers that humanity is actually bigger than Yankees–Red Sox nonsense. And nothing proves that more than Boston — of all teams — handing an honor to a Yankees reliever. If that doesn’t signal the universe soft-resetting, I don’t know what will.

The Red Sox named Tim Hill the 2025 Tony Conigliaro Award winner, an award reserved for players who embody spirit, determination, and the kind of courage Conigliaro carried like a badge. And Tim Hill? He doesn’t just embody those traits — he practically defines them.

This man fought through eight months of chemotherapy after a stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis in 2015. Eight. Months. Of hell — and he still clawed his way back. On top of that, he’d already endured the loss of his father, Jerry, to the same disease in 2007. Later, he learned he had Lynch syndrome, a condition that increases cancer risk and would have broken a lesser human being. But not Tim Hill. The guy isn’t just resilient; he’s forged from whatever substance superheroes pretend they’re made of. I didn't know any of this. It just makes his story sweeter. 

“Tony’s story is one of determination and resilience, two qualities I have always admired,” Hill said. “One thing I’ve learned is that a little inspiration, along with determination, can go a long way. This award itself is a reminder that setbacks don’t have to define you.”

And here’s the wild part: as remarkable as his personal story is, Tim Hill’s performance on the mound since joining the Yankees might be just as impressive. New York grabbed him in June 2024, and he instantly stabilized the bullpen like he’d been there for years. A 2.05 ERA. An 18–9 K–BB ratio over 44 innings. Only one earned run allowed in 8⅓ playoff innings. You don’t stumble into numbers like that — you command them.

Tim Hill isn’t just one of my favorite relievers in the Yankees’ pen — he’s one of the most quietly invaluable players on the entire roster. He brings poise, innings, reliability, toughness, and a story that makes you stand a little taller just hearing it. He’s the guy who trots in from the bullpen and instantly makes you breathe easier.

Rivalries make baseball fun. But Tim Hill?
He makes baseball better. Congrats Timmy.

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.

A SURPRISE BULLPEN ARM WE'RE KEEPING OUR EYES ON!

I love watching Spring Training for the surprise storylines, and we see them every year. After we re-signed Tim Hill I thought our bullpen was set and wasn't expecting any real surprises....but it looks like there may be one and the Yankees could be penciling in an unexpected name on the roster.

Now that Scott Effross is sidelined for a while (Read REMEMBER SCOTT EFFROSS? ME NEITHER), and we wait to see what happens from here it leaves another spot open, a spot that could be for Tyler Matzek. It would be a return to game action after having Tommy John surgery in October 2022 and then having his season derailed with elbow inflammation last season. It's been a long road back for Matzek.

So this is why I am excited about it. I like stories when guys work hard and get back to MLB action. It's early in Spring Training and a lot can happen between now and the end of March but he has looked good so far and he says he feels good. Aaron Boone is already singing his praises in such a short amount of time. Some folks will look at Matzek and think Brian Cashman went dumpster diving again and pulled him from the bottom of the dumpster, but this actually could be a genius move if it works out.

Before Matzek got hurt, he was lethal for the Braves. Over three seasons he pitched a 2.92 ERA when he wasn't injured. He also won a World Series with the Braves so he knows how to win and we can always use more of that experience. If the Yankees can keep him healthy, he could be a huge asset to this team. Considering he is a non-roster invitee to training camp the Yankees have absolutely nothing to lose by giving this guy a look. Obviously the talent level is there, he's been successful so there's no reason to believe he isn't capable. This is the very definition of a no risk and high reward scenario.... that could make Cashman look like a genius.

We all know pitchers get hurt all the time and as the old saying goes 'you can never have enough pitching.' This would be a HUGE win for the Yankees if Matzek is back to pre-injury form. Not to mention, if he makes the cut this gives the Yankees TWO left-handed relievers, which is always a huge bonus.

Best of luck to Matzek....I'm pulling for him.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKEES ROLLING & SNAGGED ANOTHER LEFTY!

The Yankees are out here collecting left-handed pitchers like they’re Pokémon, and honestly, I love the commitment. Their latest acquisition? Rob Zastryzny—a name that’s as tricky to spell as it is to pronounce, but hey, if he can get outs, who cares? The 32-year-old lefty just got cut loose by the Cubs, went unclaimed on waivers, and is now rolling into Yankees camp on a minor league deal, looking for a shot at the bullpen.

And let’s be real—he’s got a legit chance. Right now, the Yankees have exactly one veteran lefty cemented in their bullpen: Tim Hill, who re-signed after a strong 2023. That means Zastryzny isn’t just another depth piece; he’s stepping into a bullpen arms race where the Yankees are clearly trying to stockpile southpaws like they’re the most valuable currency in baseball. Alongside Zastryzny, non-roster invitees like Tyler Matzek, Brandon Leibrandt, and Jayvien Sandridge are all in the mix, each hoping to claim a spot on the 26-man roster.

Sure, Zastryzny’s MLB numbers aren’t flashy, but they aren’t a total disaster either. He’s got parts of six big-league seasons under his belt and nearly two full years of service time. Last year, he posted a respectable 3.03 ERA in Triple-A, and his career mark at that level sits at 4.69—not Cy Young stuff, but definitely “could be useful in the right role” territory.

As Bleacher Report put it: "Can’t blame Zastryzny for picking the Yankees... pretty good shot there for him." And they’re absolutely right. If you’re a lefty reliever looking for an opportunity, the Yankees’ bullpen is basically an open casting call right now. So let’s see what the guy’s got—because if there’s one thing I respect, it’s a team that understands you can never have too much pitching.

YANKEES JUST SNAGGED ANOTHER LEFTY RELIEVER!

Just hours after discussing how much the Yankees could benefit from adding a left-handed reliever like Andrew Chafin (Read THE YANKEES NEED ANDREW CHAFIN!), they made a move to bolster their bullpen—this time with another southpaw who could be a valuable asset. It’s an exciting development, and I’m eager to see how it plays out.

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the Yankees have signed left-hander Tyler Matzek to a minor league deal, giving themselves another option heading into the season. Matzek played a crucial role in the Atlanta Braves' bullpen during their 2021 World Series run, posting a stellar 2.57 ERA over 69 regular-season outings. He was even more dominant in the postseason, recording a 1.72 ERA across 13 appearances while notching three wins and striking out 24 batters in 15.2 innings.

Matzek recently held a showcase for teams, and it appears he made a strong enough impression for the Yankees to bring him into Spring Training. After injuries limited him to just 11 major league appearances in 2024—none after May 4—this signing represents a classic low-risk, high-reward opportunity. The Yankees are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle, and I have a good feeling they might.

If Matzek performs well in camp, he has a legitimate chance to earn a spot in the bullpen. Currently, Tim Hill—who was recently re-signed—is the only left-handed reliever on the Yankees' 40-man roster. For me, this signing provides the Yankees with much-needed depth, and if Matzek can regain his form, he could be a key contributor out of the bullpen in 2025.

THE YANKEES NEED ANDREW CHAFIN!

Remember back in early January when we couldn’t stop talking about the Yankees and Andrew Chafin? It was everywhere—rumors, speculation, excitement. And then… poof. Silence. Like it never happened.

Fast forward to this weekend, and suddenly, there’s buzz about how Matt Moore would be a great fit for the Yankees. That’s when it hit me—what the hell happened to Andrew Chafin? One minute, he was a hot topic, and the next, it was like he vanished into thin air.

MLB insider Bob Nightengale had reported that the Yankees were in discussions with Chafin’s camp. But was that just another classic Nightengale “clickbait special”? Feels like it. Look, the Yankees could definitely use another lefty, even after signing Tim Hill. I have no clue how this will shake out. We all know they were all-in on Tanner Scott before the Dodgers swooped in and stole him.

So, where do the Yankees go from here? In my opinion, it’s time to circle back to Chafin. Or, if you’ve been reading Bleeding Yankee Blue, maybe Matt Moore is the guy (Read MATT MOORE? WHAT HAPPENED TO ANDREW CHAFIN?. Meanwhile, On Tap Sports Net thinks Chafin would be a great fit for the Cubs, writing:

“The veteran lefty is another option for the team to pursue and pair with a solid combo in Porter Hodge and Ryan Pressly. Splitting his 2024 season with the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers, Chafin finished with a solid 3.53 ERA. If he can accept a minimal commitment, the Cubs should be calling for his services.”

Bottom line? The Chafin chatter has gone way too quiet. Stay tuned—this story isn’t over yet, is it?

MATT MOORE? WHAT HAPPENED TO ANDREW CHAFIN?

The New York Yankees are putting the final touches on their roster, and when it comes to the bullpen, they've made some serious upgrades—at least on paper. The biggest splash? Snagging Devin Williams from the Brewers. That’s an elite arm added to the mix. They also made a smart move by re-signing Tim Hill, who was fantastic in the second half of last season. Bringing him back was a no-brainer.

But are the Yankees done bolstering the pen? Probably not. For months, there’s been talk about them targeting Andrew Chafin. At this point, though, it feels like a myth—like Bigfoot or a reliable internet connection at Yankee Stadium. We keep hearing the rumors, and yet… nothing. This is why I hate writing about speculation—it’s like chasing a ghost.

But wait! There’s a new rumor. (Because of course there is.) Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report predicts that the Yankees might pivot and go after another left-handed arm: Matt Moore.

Here’s the deal with Moore: He was lights-out as a reliever in 2022 and 2023, rocking a 2.20 ERA. Last year? Not so much. He got roughed up a few times, giving up homers at an alarming rate (2.0 HR/9). But he’s still probably the best lefty reliever left on the market.

Will the Yankees pull the trigger? Who knows. Spring training is right around the corner, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone keeps hinting that they’re moving forward with what they’ve got. But then again, we were all convinced Chafin was a done deal… until he wasn’t, read HERE.

Bottom line? Matt Moore could be a great pickup if the Yankees can help him harness his home-field success and translate it to the road. Will they go for it? 

Stay tuned. Because if there’s one thing the Yankees do better than making bullpen moves, it’s keeping us all guessing. I fall for it every time.

THE YANKEES JUST GRABBED AN INFIELDER!

The Yankees have made a move! No, not that move. But a move, nonetheless. They’ve claimed infielder Braden Shewmake off waivers from the Royals, bringing their 40-man roster to full capacity. Which means, naturally, they’ll need to clear a spot once Tim Hill’s deal is finalized. Ah, the never-ending roster shuffle.

So, what are we getting in Shewmake? Well, he’s got a glove. A really good one. He can pick it at shortstop, second, and third with ease. The bat, though? Let’s just say it’s more of a decorative piece than an actual weapon. If you’re looking for a slick-fielding infielder who won’t hurt you defensively but also won’t make a pitcher sweat—this is your guy.

But here’s the kicker: MLB Trade Rumors notes that Shewmake might not even stick around, as he could be DFA’d again once the Yankees need to make room. Which means we’re basically playing musical chairs with a surehanded glove. 

Baseball, huh? Gotta love it.

THE YANKEES GOT THEIR RELIEVER BACK!

The New York Yankees have made a brilliant move by bringing back lefty reliever Tim Hill on a one-year, $2.85 million deal. The contract includes a $2.5 million salary for 2024 and a $3 million team option for 2026, with a $350,000 buyout. This signing locks in a reliable bullpen arm who knows how to get the job done.

Hill isn’t just another reliever—he’s a game-changer. His funky, deceptive delivery completely throws hitters off, making him a nightmare matchup, especially for lefties. His ability to keep batters guessing, paired with his consistent ability to get outs, makes him the perfect weapon for the Yankees’ bullpen.

We had a strong feeling this was coming, and sure enough, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record—the Yankees’ ultimate insider—saw it before anyone else. The man just knows. Once again, his prediction was spot on.

This move is a no-brainer for the Yankees. Hill is tough, reliable, and a true team-first player. 

Welcome back, Timmy!

WE WANT TIM HILL BACK, BUT THE METS ARE LURKING!

This should be a grand slam reunion...but it hasn't happened yet. The Yankees and Tim Hill are "mutually interested" in a reunion, so why hasn't a deal been made yet? That is the million dollar question. The longer it takes to happen, the harder those other interested teams push to steal him away. We know how great he was for us, and so do those other teams.

We already talked about how HOG DODGERS, OTHERS CIRCLING TIM HILL and it's no surprise that the Dodgers have been interested. They are interested in everyone good so they can add more players to the dynasty they are trying to build. No one is surprised about the Dodgers chasing after any player anymore.

But which other teams are chasing after Hill? The Diamondbacks, Rockies and Angels are also interested but they are not the biggest threat to the Yankees. If you haven't already guessed, it's the Mets. That other New York team wants another Yankee to add to their roster. I will consider it a compliment I guess. Honestly though, Hill would be a very nice pickup for their interesting potential six-man starting rotation.

So here we go again....the Mets saw how Hill played a big role in their postseason run and they want him. I get it, you can't ignore the guy that went from a 5.87 ERA with the White Sox to a renewed pitcher with a 2.05 ERA with us. Suddenly, everyone wants Hill. In this case, the Mets aren't stupid.

The Mets know Hill has transformed.....and they know Desi Druschel who used to be our assistant pitching coach was the mastermind behind his transformation. I say he used to be ours because the Mets stole him in November. So now.... does Hill follow the man who helped transform him?

It's possible, but I hope not. Obviously, they worked well together, so it's not a crazy idea. Also, the longer it takes Hill and the Yankees to come to an agreement, the easier it will be for another team to come in and make an appealing offer. Time could be the biggest enemy the Yankees have here. The longer this takes....the more uneasy I become.

Both sides have mutual interest in a reunion so the Yankees just need to get it done. Brian Cashman needs to make the call, quit the cat and mouse games and just make it happen. I don't think Hal is too cheap to let him get away.... but if Hill doesn't come back, then Hal will be the dumbest owner in MLB.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj