ROLL OVER AND PLAY DEAD!

In case you were wondering....your dog can do what Brian Cashman does. In fact, I'd bet money that your dog does it better than Cashman does. My dog rolls over and plays dead, and so does Cashman. He's set us up for another catastrophic season.

The Yankees traded for Juan Soto to get ONE YEAR of one of the best hitters in baseball. There will be no extension for Soto, so this should've been an "ALL IN" move. But that didn't happen. Instead, the Yankees rolled over and played dead. They've done nothing meaningful since.

No, Marcus Stroman isn't meaningful. The Yankees are banking on him to be a number three type of starter, and that's a huge risk for a guy who is injury prone and just doesn't pitch a lot of innings. Credit for the big offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but since then the Yankees have been too quiet. After they struck out, they should've refocused and signed another starter. Why would the Yankees hold back on an "ALL IN" season? You have one guaranteed year of Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Soto together....and Cashman has blown it.

I understand the hesitation on the Blake Snell offer. The Yankees would be stupid to go nine years, but Spring Training is waiting and Snell still doesn't have a home. It's time to engage again and try because Stroman isn't going to save this rotation and we can't bank on Nestor Cortes or Carlos Rodon having a great bounce back season. You just got Soto....build around him even more! If the Yankees can't sign Soto after the season this will all be a giant waste!

And I do mean build around Soto. Aside from Soto, the lineup is the same and he can't bat one through nine. You have the same guys who can't hit for average, swing for the fences, strand runners in scoring position and strike out. Soto alone, isn't enough offensively. And the same goes for the starting rotation. We need another arm that can give us some innings and will strengthen the rotation. I can't hear anymore arguments that Stroman is an upgrade....his stats and history say otherwise. The bullpen isn't as deep as it was last year either. Letting Wandy Peralta walk for $4 million a year is a drop in the bucket for the Yankees and that will come back to bite them if they do not add some more relief arms. The Yankees need more depth.

And now as I sit back and digest this Corbin Burnes traded to the Orioles move I am sick to my stomach. Cashman rolled over on this one too. Or maybe, he just "didn't think Burnes was a difference maker" because we've heard that before. At any rate, the Orioles have their ace and now, quite a nice 1-2-3 punch in their rotation. Burnes is easily one of the top ten starters in the game. The fact that the Orioles got Burnes for the low price of two prospects that weren't even in their top five and a draft pick is a good snag for the Orioles, who look more dangerous than ever. Cashman didn't put in the effort, he rolled over and played dead.

I know Soto is a big deal, but nothing since him is and the Yankees needed to do better. Instead, Cashman is asleep on the job. If the Yankees aren't playing in the World Series nine months form now, Cashman shouldn't be playing dead anymore....he should be looking for new employment.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

BRONX PANIC! CONFIDENT, HARD-NOSED MANAGER NEEDED!

No one, not even Yankee brass believes the Yankees have a shot this year.  I mean look... I am a big Yankee fan. I was there in the days of the last place Yankees in 1990. Days were dark, but I didn't walk away then and I'm not walking away now.  The difference is we can make moves to improve and not sell away key players to get huge name rentals. All we need to do is to inject a little energy into the team... a few pieces.... a third baseman.... an outfielder.... both with some pop. Both with some confidence. I believe that will turn it around.

But I gotta say the fan base giving up with 50 plus games left is ridiculous.  It's disappointing and it's shocking.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post says this about some names on the flip list. Guys like Harrison Bader and Luis Severino, IKF and Wandy Peralta.  But who the hell would want those guys right now? Other than Peralta and maybe IKF, they're worthless. And let's be honest, is that selling or unloading weak players? 

The Yankees time is up when it comes to excellence.  Right now, the best thing they need to do is improve to get by... get into the playoffs and finish this season with the idea that the off season will be huge for them.  But to give up with 50 plus games left is ridiculous. We still have a shot... slim, but a shot.

Like... who is running this team?  

Is anyone truly paying attention? Hal made a statement a short time ago and fired loser Dillon Lawson.  He was no hitting coach... he was a fan boy who liked hanging around the Yankees and had no clue about mechanics and adjustments. That had to happen. But as I have said many times before, he needed to go further. He needed to fire Aaron Boone. 

Now you can say that the constant losing is not Boone's fault that this team just sucks, but I'll suggest to you that sometimes-subliminal moves change a team's approach.  I strongly believe that seeing Boone fired would have been a severe wake up call for this Yankees team.  It would have showed that Hal Steinbrenner was serious about winning. It would have showed the team they needed to wake the F up.  But that didn't happen and then to make matters worse, Cashman came out to the media to let everyone know that Boone's job was safe.  Talk about bursting an entire fan base's bubble. The Yankees seem to forget that they work for us. We pay to see their games, buy their shitty food and suffer through shitty seasons like this one.  Fans want theirs.  

Then of course I'll circle back on that ultimate question.  Do you give up on this team?  Well, great question, but I already know my answer.  

No.

I watched the Yankees since the 1970's.  I watched Ron Guidry strike out 18... saw Reggie Jackson become an absolute monster at the plate. I saw Don Mattingly bat .300 multiple times with hair longer than his collar line, a rebel, and I watched a kid named Derek Jeter show up and win 5 championships.  But one thing those guys all had with those teams was support from the top. 

It might not have always looked pretty with the Billy Martins and Clyde Kings and Joe Torres of our Yankee history, and sure, George Steinbrenner was a lunatic, but he owned that team like a fan.  He wanted to win... he wanted to win all the time and if he didn't, he fired the manager.  Why? Because the manager runs the show. The manager puts the lineups together... the manager doesn't coddle; they tell it like it is.  A manager is not a friend, he's the leader of the team.  And if the players don't respect the manager, the manager benches those players until they do.  Boone is not a respected manager. Aaron Boone would have never been hired by George Steinbrenner because Boone doesn't command respect. He's weak.

What world do we live in that we have hot players in hitting streaks benched for rest? What world do we live in where we need to start a winning streak, Judge returns, homers and gets rested the next day?  The Yankees now need to sprint.  There is no more marathon mentality Mr. Boone... we are past that.  

Urgency is important now.  Fighting to win is vital now.  I think every Yankee fan would appreciate it more if we went balls out to try and stumble into the playoffs than win 1 game every 4 because players need to rest.  It is the absolute worst managing style I have ever seen.  

In the end, I will continue to root. I will continue to throw shit at my TV, and I will continue to remind all of you that being a hardnosed tough player is out the window if you're watching baseball in the Bronx.  The Yankees are now soft because of soft leadership. A definite trickle down from Boone to his players. Sure, I'll continue to root, but I'm rooting for my players and for that uniform.  I refuse to praise loser Boone. He has done nothing for this team but to make excuses.

When it gets hard... when you need to juggle injury and personality and rest, THAT IS WHEN YOU SEE HOW GOOD YOUR MANAGER IS. It is clear Aaron Boone is nothing but a puppet for this Yankee organization.  I cannot wait until this season ends so Hal can prove to the entire MLB and Yankee fan base that this horrible Aaron Boone experiment failed.

#FireBoone. 

THE MODERN DAY RIVALRY BETWEEN BLUE JAYS AND YANKEES IS REAL

I am always grateful for a walk-off win. But the last two have been because the Yankees failed to get the job done when they had the opportunity. In Saturday's game, the Yankees scored their only two runs on an Anthony Volpe rocket in the bottom of the 8th after Gerrit Cole kept the Toronto Blue Jays at bay for 5 2/3 innings, allowing only four hits and lowering his ERA to 0.79. But just like that the Yankees couldn't hold that lead as the Blue Jays tied the game with a pinch hit two-home run by Danny Jansen. It took a heroic bottom of 9th inning to push the Yankees to the rubber game after a disappointing loss to rival Toronto on Friday night. That walkoff win is what we are going to dive into just a bit more, but it is more meaningful than you think. 

         Source: Associated Press

"Intrigue began even before the first pitch. Just as Cole was about to start the game, he was forced to wait, crouching behind the mound as Manoah and Kirk slowly walked from the Blue Jays bullpen down the left-field line to the dugout," reported ESPN. This is the kind of pettiness we have traditionally seen from the Red Sox, but they are a non-entity over the last few years despite their storied history of well, hating the Yankees.

Replacing that fierce relationship has been the Blue Jays led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who clearly has a dislike for the Yankees based on his remarks and antics anytime he plays or is asked about the Yankees. But today, it was about Gerrit Cole and Alek Manoah— who have had an ugly relationship for some time and that saga continued in Saturday's game.

"Last Aug. 21, Manoah threw an inside pitch early in the game that went near Yankees star Aaron Judge, then hit Judge on the arm guard above the left elbow. Judge glanced at Manoah as Cole started yelling and a few other Yankees came over the dugout railing. Cole was intercepted by bench coach Carlos Mendoza before reaching the umpires," reported ESPN. Manoah believes Cole is the biggest cheater in baseball, calling out his sticky substance history on NBA player Serge Ibaka’s YouTube show “How Hungry Are You?”

According to MLB.com, "Cole said he derived no additional juice from Manoah’s presence; they exchanged words last August, and Manoah spoke publicly about Cole again this past offseason. “I get all of my motivation from inside of this clubhouse,” Cole said."

Source: Associated Press

The drama culminated when Volpe hit the two-run home run to put the Yankees up 2-0 in the 8th "The afterglow of Volpe’s moment was interrupted a few minutes later when Danny Jansen tied the game again with a pinch-hit two-run homer off Wandy Peralta. Jansen’s homer ending up being but a footnote after the Yanks rallied in the home half," reported MLB.com. 

The game's hero was DJ LeMahieu whose base hit cemented the Yankee lead for good in walk off fashion. But the unsung hero in this game is Cole, who battled those birds like the true ace he is. He seems completed focused on his craft, ignoring the banter and complimenting the Jays and their starting pitcher.

Source: Associated Press

“They’re tough,” Cole said. “They grind; they don’t give a pitch up. They’re shifty, and obviously Alek was on his game today. He threw tremendous. I would have liked to get deeper. … It did feel like I kind of faded a little bit, but I gave it everything I had,” reported MLB.com. Thatta boy Gerritt, take the higher road. 

It will be another battle in the stadium on Sunday as the Yankees will once again send Clarke Schmidt to the mound despite his 8.79 ERA in the afternoon rubber game against the Jays. One thing is for sure, the Yankees need to prove they will not go away easily and that they can comeback and win series, which is what they have done all seven times this season. They have to take the opportunities when they come and make the Jays pay. That is how this modern day rivalry will continue to fuel itself—if they play with everything they have and take the higher road while doing it. 

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

WHO'S MATT KROOK? YOU'LL SEE

I'm a big fan of lefties. On occasion I'll play The Show with my 20-year-old and we compare our teams with each other and he's always breaking my balls because I'll be stacked with lefties in the lineup and several more in the rotation or pen. I'm a lefty and to be honest, I don't even realize I'm doing it. But now that you know I'm a lefty, doesn't it make sense?

I was reading about this new young lefty that the Yankees may have coming out of the pen if everything goes his way this spring, and his name is Matt Krook. And his story is a cool one. Check this out from the New York Post:

"It took 500 innings in three different organizations, and did not even include the 2020 season that was stolen by the pandemic.

But nearly seven years after Matt Krook was taken by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, he has cracked a 40-man roster.

“It was awesome,” Krook said Friday, remembering the November phone call in which the Yankees, by selecting him to the roster, were protecting him from the Rule 5 draft. “I’ve been in the minor leagues for a long time. So to get that call and get added and for them to believe in me meant a lot. It felt really good.”

The next call felt even better.

Krook has entered Yankees camp as a dark horse to win a spot in the bullpen."

And here's the thing. He's a lefty. The only other one is Wandy Peralta and I'm the manager and based on my background, I want more than one, you get my drift?

Yanks go Yard has more on Krook:

"The 28-year-old went 10-7 with a pedestrian 4.09 ERA last season at Triple-A, but most notably struck out a large number of batters, whiffing 155 in 138.2 innings. In 2021, his first year in the organization, things went even better; Krook split time at Double-A and Triple-A, whiffing 132 in 106 innings pitched, posting a 2.89 ERA."

Seems like the perfect storm for him to make the team, unless he totally shits the bed this spring.

I'm rooting for this kid. No doubt.

IT'S REDEMPTION TIME AS THE YANKEES HEAD TO HOUSTON

The stage has been set. The field is ready. The walkup music is cued. And just like that, it's Game 1 against the Houston Astros in what will surely be an incredible battle in the American League Championship Series. After rocking some babies in the Bronx against the Guardians, the Yankees move on with a 5-1 victory in a winner takes all ALDS.  Following an abbreviated celebration at the Stadium, Yankees boarded a plane bound for Houston, pumped and ready for redemption at Minute Maid Park tonight, where they have had a storied history since 2017.

As ESPN reports, "New York now faces off against the Astros in a best-of-seven series that starts in Houston on Wednesday when Justin Verlander and Jameson Taillon go head-to-head in Game 1. During the regular season, the Astros and Yankees finished with the two best records in the American League, respectively, while Houston took five of seven games against New York."

In this all hands on deck game, Cortes certainly gave the Yankees early energy, throwing five innings of shutout baseball on short rest. And then it was Giancarlo Stanton who put the Yankees up early with a three-run bomb in the first inning. If they can follow the same formula of striking early, and staying locked and loaded on the hill, the Yankees have more than a chance to redeem themselves and punch their ticket to the World Series. 

In listening in to the post-game interviews, I can't help but be impressed with the laser focus of this team. In particular, one of the newest Yankees Harrison Bader who had a heck of an ALDS with three home runs, speed on the bases and terrific defense in center field, had a lot of positive and mature words for this Yankee team. He told Meredith Marakovits that this team just needs to focus—forget about Verlander, forget about the past, just focus on the present and play good baseball. And Nestor Cortes spoke about the leadership of a quiet guy in the dugout, Giancarlo Stanton. Cortes' simple words about his teammate are below:

From Aaron Judge's fourth home run in a winner-take-all game— the most in MLB history to the absolute stud-like performance of Wandy Peralta in five straight postseason games, the most ever by a pitcher, the Yankees set themselves up for a huge win. Now the momentum of this incredible performance needs to carry them throughout what will surely be a bloody battle against the Astros.

With first pitch set for 7:37 PM EST, The American League Championship Series will provide all of the drama that a good thriller does. The Yankees take on the underdog role, one they embrace as their focus is only on winning against a team that has been their only barrier to the World Series over the last few years. Let's go guys, best the Astros and bring home the American League Championship. Play baseball like you know you can. We believe in you. 

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

YANKEES LOSE RELIEVERS AHEAD OF WHAT WILL LIKELY BE A TOUGH POST SEASON

Source: NY Post

Starting pitching just got even more important for the Yankees who will finish up their final home game against the Orioles this afternoon and head out to Arlington for the last regular season series with the Rangers. The Yankees need three reliable starters to get them through six innings before handing things off to an equally consistent bullpen. We saw Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes and even Jameson Taillon pitch some great baseball over the last couple weeks, making them seemingly a critical part of the rotation anchored by Gerrit Cole. Having all four of those pitchers in que will help the Bombers significantly as they will likely not see Clay Holmes or Zack Britton on the hill anytime soon. It is going to be a tough postseason and pitching will be key to the Yankees' success.

Source: CBS Sports

"Boone announced Friday that All-Star closer Clay Holmes is dealing with a shoulder issue and is unlikely to pitch the rest of the regular season. He received a cortisone shot but will not go on the injured list, because it would make him ineligible for the ALDS," reported CBS Sports. Furthermore, the Yankees likely saw the last of Britton who "exited Friday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, his former team, with left arm fatigue, the Yankees announced. He was placed on the 60-day injured list Saturday, ending his season." 

Besides Britton and Holmes there are question marks around whether or not Aroldis Chapman or Wandy Peralta will be part of the roster for the start of the postseason. With all of these guys out or questionable, the Yankees are missing one key ingredient in the bullpen- a consistent reliable closer. 

Now, I am not undermining what Ron Marinaccio, and Lou Trivino have been to this team over the last couple of weeks. They have been stellar—throwing hard strikes and getting key outs for the Yankees. Some are calling Trivino the Yankees' postseason right handed specialist, whatever that means. Bottom line, late in the game, Trivino and rookie Marinaccio have given the Yankees the much needed consistency, showing that likely the bullpen closing role will rotate among them and likely Clarke Schmidt.

Following the Yankees Friday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles, the Houston Astros have clinched the American League No. 1 seed, locking in the Yankees as the No. 2 seed. And after their win on Saturday, New York is 97-60 with just five regular season games remaining. It is going to be a tough postseason for the Yankees, and pitching in the stretch will be key. I hope the current staff can stay healthy and remain consistent both in the starting and closing roles. Otherwise, things will go south very fast for this Yankee team. 

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

YANKEES WIN, PAULIE HONORED & MY SUPPORT OF JETER ALL IN ONE!

The Yankees won.

There was no banging on Boone's table. (Read BIG BAD BOONE HUFFS AND PUFFS AFTER LATEST LOSS!)

One day after Aaron Boone had a theatrical performance banging his stupid table and acting upset, the Yankees righted the ship and yesterday, on Paul O'Neill day, they had a victory.

NJ.com writes:

"The Blue Jays tied the game 2-2 in the seventh when Yankees reliever Wandy Peralta issued a bases-loaded walk, but Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning for a 4-2 lead that held up."

Now look, Benintendi has been unimpressive as a Yankee. He's been flying under the radar because guys like Hicks and the others have sucked real bad lately, but yesterday was big. They showed some fire and that's what we needed.  

Paul O'Neill's ceremony was great.  Nice to see him out there with all his former teammates. The New York Times writes:

"To join these greats and to know that the No. 21 will never be worn by a New York Yankee again is by far the biggest personal honor that I have ever achieved,” he said in remarks meant to close his speech."

Now with many of his former teammates, alot of people on Twitter are giving Derek Jeter crap for not being there in person.  I gotta say, leave the guy alone.

Derek Jeter just recently came back into the spotlight with his social media and documentary. I have to tell you it's very refreshing to see this guy relaxed, family related, happy, smiling, enjoying himself.  But not coming to O'Neill's ceremony in person isn't a big deal to me.

To me, watching Derek's documentary, now really understanding his mindset in life before that, I would assume he didn't go because maybe the distraction would be too big. It's Paul's day. Derek is a team guy, he's had his day. He probably didn't want to be a distraction.  I don't know this, but that's what I think. But I love Derek's message, and you have to appreciate that he was there in spirit for the Warrior.  

Yesterday was a great day all around, for the Yankees, for Paul and for us fans.  Now let's hope we can keep moving forward.

THE YANKEES BLOW A BIG ONE ON FATHER'S DAY & IT'S NOT BOONE'S FAULT

Well, that sucked. No one expected the Yankees to blow a five run lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but that's baseball. The Yankees win streak stopped at nine, but now it is time to start a new one today.

We all have our off days when we just aren't at our best and that was true for Luis Severino yesterday. He gave up two home runs, walked a season high four batters and gave up five runs but despite that the Yankees looked to be in full control.

Until they weren't. After Severino was pulled Miguel Castro and Wandy Peralta both came into the game and they didn't have their best stuff either....and it happens. The pitching wasn't the only downfall in the game. Sure, the Yankees scored nine runs and still lost and normally I would say it is easier to accept a loss when you score nine runs. I just tip my cap and say the other team played better and not dwell on it. I don't want to dwell on this one either but....the Yankees did have 13 strikeouts. This was a winnable game even with the ineffective pitching. If the Yankees had struck out less and also didn't leave 7 men on base the end result should be different.

The Yankees just didn't execute, so while it is easy to sit here and be a couch manager and blame Aaron Boone, I'm not going to do that. Hard to believe because I am not one to defend Boone ever and it would be easier to do if the Yankees weren't playing good baseball. As much as I don't trust Castro or Peralta and would rather see Michael King or Clay Holmes out there pitching every day, I know that can't happen. Everyone has to step up and do their job.

And not for nothing....the umpires made a couple of bad calls. Two obvious strikes were called balls and if the umpires would've called it correctly that would have ended the inning before the grand slam. But again "shoulda, coulda, woulda" is the theme of this game.

So the Yankees lost a game today after scoring 9 runs and it stings....but it happens. Thankfully, we won the series and are gained a game on them. 

Time to give 'em hell in Tampa.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

TRADES & STRATEGIC THOUGHTS ON THE NEW YORK YANKEES

Last week you read A MUST READ ON THE STATE OF THE NEW YORK YANKEES. I was fired up... here's the second part of my thought process. A strategic look at fixing the New York Yankees.

We will then need to trade some of our current players if we ever want to make a run for anything in the future of this team!

Trade Luke Voit: Luke Voit will still have value as a lower salary guy that led the majors in homers in 2020. Then how about we get something for him. Prospects!

Trade Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar: Look, we all like these guys but it's time to cut bait on these two former top prospects. It’s not happening for them here in the Bronx. I realize value not very high right now, so not expecting much, but let’s get some future prospects and see what happens.

Consider a Gleyber Torres Trade: I am not opposed to trading Torres. The Yanks had a plan to put him at 2B, but this creates a problem if we sign a first baseman like Freeman for example. If DJ is not playing 1B and Gleyber is at 2B and a new shortstop is there, but a Seager, then the Yankees have only 1 spot for DJ and Urshela. I think I would consider dealing Gleyber and keeping DJ at 2B and Urshela at 3B. I wouldn’t give him away for nothing, but if we could land a decent catcher (more on that below), we may need to do that. The Yanks probably need to trade Gleyber or Urshela because no way DJ is not going to start and play every day somewhere on the infield.

Consider Trade of Gary Sanchez: A very tough call here...what to do at catcher? In a perfect world, the Yanks need to upgrade defensively over Sanchez. His defense is very bad and he is not hitting enough (.204 or lower in 3 of the past 4 years) to make this bad defense worthwhile. The problem is there is not a clear alternative. Higashioka is a very good defensive catcher, so he is probably our best alternative, but he hit .181. If Yanks could get a Wilson Contreras from the Cubs, perhaps in a trade that includes Sanchez (plus more of course), it might be worth doing. The Yanks probably need to move on from Sanchez, but they are not going to do it if they don’t feel there is a viable alternative that can hit over .200. I think if they get all the offense that I suggested, it would be fine to cut bait with Sanchez (perhaps even non-tender him) and go with Higashioka as their top catcher next season.

Other thoughts on 2021:

The Bullpen: I really loved our bullpen by the end of the season. Britton is gone, but Chapman seemed to return to form and after that was a lot of depth. Loaiziga is amazing. Green had some rough games, but is still a very good reliever. Clay Holmes looked amazing and was a great find by Cashman (his best move of the season was getting Clay Holmes) for nothing. Michael King was great as well and his future as a reliever looks very promising. I liked what I saw from Wandy Peralta as a lefty out of the pen as well. Yanks have a lot of depth and options here to have a great bullpen in 2022 without having to make any additions. Chapman, of course, was shaky at times, but he will close again in 2022 but with numerous options to take his closer role (likely Loaiziga) if he falters.

The Starters: After Cole, the Yankees will seemingly finally get Severino back in 2022 as a real #2 starter. They have plenty of options here for the 3, 4 and 5 starters with the surprising year from Nestor Cortez (2.90 ERA), solid work from Jordan Montgomery (3.83 in 30 starts), and some good work at times from German and Taillon. Since they probably won’t follow my plan to fix the offense with Seager, Freeman and Marte, they may try to go get another top starter. Interesting that Verlander, Kershaw, and Max Scherzer will be available as free agents, so that might be something they consider. 

After Cole, the other starters had trouble going deep into games. Cortes was basically a 5 inning pitcher and Montgomery not much more than that. The Yanks could use someone aside from Cole to get them 7 innings regularly to preserve that great bullpen and keep them fresh for October. Hoping Sevy can get to that point next year, but hard to predict that. Obviously, the most important thing the Yanks need with pitching is for Cole to be dominant like he is supposed to be (unlike his final two starts this season, including his terrible Wild Card performance).

Philosophy: After 5 years of failure in the post-season, the Yanks philosophy has not worked! 

The idea of loading up with guys that hit dingers and strikeout a lot is a bad approach. It's why getting Gallo made no sense when you are adding him on top of Judge, Stanton, Voit, and Sanchez. It's why DJ was so great for the Yanks in 2019 and 2020 because he was not that kind of hitter. The Yanks need to get away from this approach. They need more athleticism and speed. I love watching Tyler Wade play because he brings that different style of play to the Yanks that they are utterly lacking when he isn’t in the game. It’s why someone like Marte would help  this team. It’s why someone like Seager is a great fit. It’s why we need to trade Voit and try to replace Sanchez. 

I'm not sure if Cashman realizes this yet or will just keep trying to succeed with his philosophy. If he doesn’t change the philosophy, we will be back here again next year having this same discussion.  Just my opinion of course.

--Douglas Solomon

BYB Guest Writer

FORGETTABLE YEAR

 I can't take this team.  Every day is a heartbreaker.

The Orioles play to win. The Yankees play to get by. It's the only thing I can suggest watching these 2 teams fight.

I will say this, I was hard on Clay Holmes when he came over to New York and despite last night's loss, obivously blaming that guy, he's actually been quite decent.  That being said you have got to be kidding me with this team and the ridiculous losses.

NorthJersey.com's Pete Caldera writes:

"Down to their last strike at Camden Yards, the Orioles tied Thursday night’s game on a wild pitch by Yankees reliever Clay Holmes, who was seeking to nail down a two-inning save.

And in the 10th, Austin Hays bounced a one-out RBI single over a drawn-in infield against Wandy Peralta, giving the Orioles – losers of 99 games – a 3-2 victory over the Yankees."

Why? Why does it happen? And listening to Boone with his stupid smug face in the post games, it just disgusts me.

Yahoo Sports writes:

"“The heater up and away there, you probably gotta get to,” said Aaron Boone of Sanchez's defense of the pitch."

Duh Boone, YOU THINK??? And once again, Sanchez can't get anything behind the plate because he's too damn slow.

Look, I hate writing about the Yankees when they suck, but I also don't wanna leave you hanging. The bottom line is the run a few weeks ago was so beautiful, but it's about pitching and leading that is really gonna be the end of this team.  Sure, every once in a while the Yankee bats are dead, but even if we did make the playoffs, do you really think this Yankee team can go far? This again is NOT the Year. And when they are finished, you only have to believe that Cashman and Boone will be out of a job. It has to be their fate at this point. 

Who replaces Cashman would be anyone's guess, but there are plenty of professional former players and former managers and coaches that can replace Boone easily. And I have news for you... THE YANKEES NEED TO CLEAN HOUSE WHEN IT COMES TO THAT COACHING STAFF TOO. They're a bunch of nobodies.  Except Phil Nevin who likes winning more than breathing. The rest of dorks with no real experience... and Boone is the leader of the dorks.

Yanks lose to the O's. What else is new. They're killing me.