YANKEES ADD DEPTH, BUT THEY CAN'T EVEN WIN WITH WHAT THEY HAVE

The Yankees are doing what they do best lately — inventing new and creative ways to blow a season. And just when you think it can’t get worse, Brian Cashman reminds you why July’s trade deadline will go down as one of the most spectacular front-office faceplants in recent history. The Bronx isn’t just burning — it’s practically on fire — and somehow the only people sweating are the fans.

Dave Sims mentioned during the broadcast that the stadium was packed last night, and honestly… that’s on you guys, the fans. Look, I get it. Yankee fans are loyal, borderline masochistic, and would sit through a hurricane just to boo a bad bullpen decision. But here’s the truth no one wants to hear: change won’t happen until you stop showing up. 

As long as Hal Steinbrenner sees the money rolling in, he’ll stay perfectly content while this team sleepwalks between mediocrity and irrelevance. First place? Last place? Doesn’t matter when the cash registers are humming.

And now, here we are: back-to-back losses to the Red Sox in a must-win series. A proud franchise reduced to a punchline — and it’s not because of the players. It’s the management. It’s the front office. It’s the complete lack of accountability from top to bottom.

So, what’s the solution, according to the Yankees? Sign another former Oakland A’s pitcher, of course. Enter Paul Blackburn, who’s expected to work out of the bullpen in long relief. Translation: this is not fixing anything. It’s like duct-taping a leaky submarine.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are free-falling in the standings, stuck in third place, and led by a manager who looks like he’s reading baseball strategy off a fortune cookie. Aaron Boone’s latest gem:

“I don’t like losing to anyone, but yeah, never want to lose to the Sox.”

Wow. Riveting insight, Skip. Next, he’ll announce water is wet.

Today’s matchup? Garrett Crochet (13-5, 2.43 ERA) takes the mound for Boston against rookie Will Warren (7-5, 4.25 ERA) for the Yankees. I hate this matchup. Everything about it screams “get the brooms ready.”

Boone, naturally, tried to spin things:

“Overall, we expect to be better.”

Shut up, Aaron. You’re not the manager; you’re a PR puppet. I said it in April, and I’ll say it again: without real leadership, this team is going nowhere. Period.

Until ownership wakes up — or fans force them to — nothing’s changing. It’s sad. It’s exhausting. And it’s becoming the new normal in the Bronx.

THESE ARE THE GAMES WE NEED TO WIN RIGHT NOW

Let’s stop sugarcoating it: games against the Red Sox are must-wins. Period. End of story. Doesn’t matter how many cupcakes you beat up on—if you can’t take care of your biggest rival, you’re toast. And thanks to Aaron Boone and the clown show running the Yankees’ front office, that’s exactly the mess we’re in. Bad analytics, dumb decisions, and a steady stream of “don’t worry, guys” from a manager who’s clearly out of his depth. Not to mention, the worst fundamentals training on the planet for a major league club, and we show it every night... when the Yankees need to look sharp, they look like a circus act without the tent.

By the top of the second inning, fundamentals had already packed up and left the building. Three errors—three!—in one inning. It was eye-gouging baseball, the kind of stuff you’d expect in an amateur beer league, not at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees now sit at 73 errors on the year, one of the sloppiest defensive clubs in the league. That’s their identity now—bad defense, bad decisions, and no accountability. And against the Red Sox, who lead the majors in errors themselves? Somehow New York managed to look worse. That’s almost impressive.

Of course, Boston’s rookie Roman Anthony took full advantage, driving in three runs and hitting a ninth-inning homer that turned Yankee Stadium into a library. Luke Weaver gave up the go-ahead RBI double in the seventh, because of course he did, and the Red Sox walked away 6-3 winners, snapping New York’s five-game win streak.

Meanwhile, Boone sat there like a man who just got lost on his way to the postgame presser. He’ll ramble, he’ll smile, he’ll talk about “fighting through” and “bouncing back,” but the guy is clueless. Utterly clueless. His team keeps tripping over themselves in the most important games of the season, and his response is the same recycled gibberish every night.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. at least had the guts to admit the obvious:

“I felt like tonight was one of those nights that we beat ourselves.”

Translation: “We played like garbage, and nobody wants to admit it.”

Here’s the kicker: the Yankees’ (69-58) loss drops them to just a half-game ahead of Boston in the Wild Card. Half a game. And they’ve now lost six of seven against the Sox this season. That’s not a rivalry—that’s a beating.

If this is what Brian Cashman and Boone call a “plan,” then it’s one hell of a blueprint—for another year of being losers.

Do better.

ROB MANFRED DROPS HIS BIGGEST UPDATE YET!

Just when I think I can't possibly dislike Rob Manfred anymore than I already do, he proves me wrong. 
There's two things he's exceptionally good at, getting under my skin and fundamentally destroying the game of baseball in hopes to revitalize it.

So in case you have been living under a rock lately, Manfred wants an MLB expansion before he retires in hopes to "Geographically realign" the divisions based on closer proximity. You can read more of the details HERE. Yup, his ideas just get more and more brain dead.

Manfred's big announcement came Sunday night during ESPN's broadcast of the MLB Little League classic, and then sent all baseball purists heads spinning. This idea is without a doubt one of the biggest shake-ups in history and the long-standing American League and National League format that we've had for more than 100 years would cease to exist.

Looking at the map above, some divisions become incredibly boring, it would be like watching wet paint dry. The western divisions in particular are as dull as you can get. I'm not tuning into the Diamondbacks, A's (even in their eventual new home), PORTLAND, and Seattle OR Houston cheating Astros, Rangers, Royals or Rockies....that's a nap waiting to happen. Looking at the Eastern conference, assuming NASHVILLE is an expansion team that division could be an easy no effort win for the Braves if Nashville isn't a competitive team. The Phillies, Yankees, Mets and Boston just feels unfair. It's ridiculous.

Again, that's assuming Nashville and Portland are the two expansion teams. I can see Nashville, but I don't see Portland at all. If any state out west is getting a new team it would be Utah. Of course, without them getting a hockey team I'd never pick that either but that is a market that Manfred should be looking to tap into more than Portland.

Of course, Manfred didn't commit to anything or even say the map above is what is on the table but no matter where MLB expands, I could see Manfred looking to use an Eastern and Western Conference format similar to the one in the NBA or NHL, with 16 teams in each conference.

Manfred said he thinks this realignment would "save a lot of wear and tear on players in terms of travel" and "postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN because you'd be playing up out of the East and out of the West." I don't see it that way. The wear and tear experienced is more involved than just the travel aspect.

I don't personally think MLB needs to expand. We have plenty of teams as it is, so the number of teams is not driving expansion. Money is what is driving expansion. We all know television markets and the price new franchises will pay to join. It has nothing to do with the quality of the game.

Manfred doesn't care about us even though he wants more of us to watch baseball. This is all about legacy and being the guy that adds billions of dollars into the game before he's gone. He's gonna build a legacy alright.....it's just not the good one he thinks it is.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKEES DECIDE TO WIN WITHOUT THEIR CLUELESS MANAGER'S DIRECTION

Sometimes you need to leave the fool behind. That's exactly what the Yankees did last night.  A huge home run night for the Yankees as they try their hardest to dig out of their Boone mess to try and at least secure the Wild Card spot.  It won't be easy... Boone falls over himself to put them in bad spots. Last night the homers did the job. But just to be clear, home runs only? They don't last forever. You need solid pitching from your starters and you need to play alittle small ball and be smart on the bases too.  Oh yea, and don't make so many errors... you know, fix everything the Yankees haven't been able to do all season.

The Yankees didn’t just beat the Rays Tuesday night — they embarrassed them with a nine-homer circus act. Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger each went deep twice, Aaron Judge smacked No. 40, Jose Caballero decided to introduce himself with a two-homer welcome back party, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice added the exclamation points. Final damage: Yankees 13, Rays 3, and Tampa left wondering if they’d wandered into a Home Run Derby by mistake.

The first inning alone was savage. Judge, Stanton, and Bellinger went back-to-back-to-back before Rays fans could even finish their soggy nachos after a two-hour rain delay. Four batters in, it was already 3-0. Game over.

Sure, ESPN Research will tell you the Yankees are now the first team in history to have two nine-homer games in one season. But let’s be honest — Yankee fans couldn’t care less about record-book trivia right now. The only thing that matters is winning, every night, because this team is hanging on for dear life in the standings.

And that brings us to Aaron Boone — master of nonsense, king of bad messaging, and apparently, the last guy in the building to know what’s actually happening with his own superstar. Just hours earlier, Boone stood in front of reporters and basically announced Judge might not be around for a while. Then Judge shows up, not only in the lineup but mashing his 40th homer of the year, and casually lets the world know Boone was full of shit. Think about that: the captain and the manager are literally on opposite planets when it comes to communication to the media and the fans. That’s not just a bad look — it’s embarrassing.

Boone’s word salad might play cute in press conferences, but when your best player has to step in and contradict you publicly, you’re no longer managing — you’re just filling air time. Maybe that’s why the Yankees keep winning in spite of him.

So yes, Tuesday was a massive win. Nine bombs, a statement game, a reminder that this offense can bury anyone when it’s locked in. But the bigger headline? Aaron Judge isn’t going anywhere — except, apparently, to the plate to make his manager look clueless.

IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT AARON BOONE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING

I’ve been saying it for years, and today just stamped it in ink: I do not understand why anyone—beat reporters, fans, or even the hot dog vendor outside Gate 4—still wastes their time listening to Aaron Boone. The man has mastered the art of saying absolutely nothing with as many words as possible. He’s a walking TED Talk on word salad.

Even Clint Frazier—yes, Clint Frazier, the guy who disappeared faster than Boone’s bullpen logic—once all but admitted Boone’s managerial style consists of nodding along to the analytics department while pretending he’s steering the ship. He also knows the Front Office is garbage. I feel bad for the Yankee players. 

Boone isn’t a manager; he’s the Yankees’ Siri. Ask him something, and he’ll spit out pre-programmed nonsense that sounds vaguely baseball-y but ultimately means zip.

Case in point: Boone went on WFAN today and let his hamster wheel brain spin out this gem about Aaron Judge: “I don’t think we’re going to see [Judge] back to throwing like he normally does at any point this year.” Translation: Judge is broken forever, goodnight everybody. Naturally, fans panicked, thinking either Judge was done as an outfielder this season or Boone just accidentally leaked the Yankees’ darkest secret.

But here’s the thing—I didn’t buy a word of it. Boone could tell me the sky is blue and I’d still go outside and double-check. And guess what? I was right. Judge himself had to come out and basically tell his own manager to zip it. Before the Rays series, Judge shot down Boone’s rambling, saying: “I don’t know why he said that. He hasn’t seen me throw for the past two weeks, so I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to [100 percent].”

That’s not just a correction—that’s a superstar calling his manager clueless in the politest way possible. If this were the movie Dude, Where’s My Car?, Judge’s line would’ve been, “I know my arm, dude!”

So here we are again: the fans frustrated, Judge frustrated, and Boone still squatting in the dugout like he’s earned the right to be there. When exactly will this guy be shown the exit? Because frankly, I miss Yankee Stadium. I want to go back. But I refuse to sit in those seats while Boone is steering this Titanic with a plastic spoon and a weather app.

That’s the bottom line: Boone’s gotta go. And the longer the front office keeps him around, the dumber they look.

CABALLERO IS NOT A HOUSEHOLD NAME, BUT EVEN BOONE KNOWS HE'S BETTER THAN VOLPE

Now... can we just make him the starting shortstop?

Jose Caballero may not be the guy selling jerseys in Times Square or starring in Yankees hype videos, but right now he’s playing like the shortstop the Bronx actually deserves. Anthony Volpe? Well, he finally got a breather after 46 straight games, and Caballero took his chance to remind everyone that sometimes the “backup” is the better option.

In St. Louis, while the Yankees were busy sweeping the Cardinals into irrelevance, Caballero quietly became the weekend’s MVP. He went 5-for-11, tossed in two multi-hit games, worked two walks, drove in a run, and stole four bases just to make sure the Cards knew what speed really looks like. His highlight? A blistered 96.1 MPH single off Miles Mikolas that stretched the Yankees’ lead to 3-0—proving he can handle real heat, not just sneak hits off soft-tossers.

But Caballero isn’t just about hitting. The man is a Swiss Army knife with a glove—plus defender everywhere, and at shortstop he’s got the range, instincts, and guts to make plays that Volpe could only dream about during his rookie hype tour. Add in the fact that Caballero leads the American League in stolen bases this year, he’s fearless, disruptive, and the kind of baserunner who makes pitchers lose focus and fans lean forward.

Meanwhile, Volpe’s career arc has gone from “future savior” to “future question mark.” The Yankees thought they were getting a cornerstone shortstop, but what they actually got looks more like a utility infielder in disguise. Three years in, the myth is unraveling—Volpe just isn’t that guy.

And now, Caballero steps in, plays lights out, and exposes what Yankee fans already suspected: Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone backed the wrong horse. Volpe was supposed to be the answer. Caballero is proving he’s the solution.

The verdict? Simple: Caballero > Volpe. The Yankees just have to admit it.

THE YANKEES NEED MANY FIXES & FIXING FRIED IS A FREAKING MUST!

The list of all the things wrong with this team is far too long. I say this after the Yankees swept the Cardinals this weekend. That's a nice result, but the Yankees worked for that. It didn't come easy and if the Yankees don't figure it out and make changes....we may not have a postseason.

 The Yankees scraped back and won Saturday. It didn't look good early on. Max Fried turned in his eighth start in a row that look rough. He didn't look sharp. He was roughed up for seven runs on eight hits across five-plus innings. It was what we are used to seeing since July.....and we can't have that trend continue. The Yankees won because the offense picked him up.

The Yankees need the Fried that was on the mound for his first 17 starts of the season. That Fried had a 1.92 ERA and was an early favorite for a Cy Young award. Since then, he has been knocked around to a 6.80 ERA in his last eight starts. We need the Fried from early on in the season to show up and help this team compete for a postseason spot. He is a key piece to making this team competitive.

So Aaron Boone and Matt Blake need to get out there and get him back on track. There's a lot to fix, especially mechanically. Fried is off balance on pitches and forcing his off speed stuff. His control of the curveball is near nonexistent. His arm is flailing and resulting in wild pitches. When he throws, he falls off toward third which has resulted in 9 hit batsman which is the most in his career. If Blake can help him square up his delivery then his pitches will have more bite and more downward motion. He will keep more pitchers off balance and we will see him get through more innings and miss more bats.

On top of mechanical issues, Fried has dealt with blisters in the second half of the season. He's no stranger to this, he dealt with it regularly in Atlanta also. Seems he hasn't been the same since the blister issue showed up. You have to wonder if he has changed his grips to avoid the issue. If he has, it's obviously not working. so this could be a mental issue for him also. Mechanical issues paired with psyche concerns are not great odds when the Yankees are relying on Fried to be the ace this season.

The Yankees have a tough reality to face. Even if Fried is struggling, the Yankees need him. He's got the experience needed and we know he's got the talent because we saw it at the beginning of the season. We don't have enough pitching depth to imagine a world where Fried isn't available for the remainder of the season. 

Fried will be at the center of the Yankees fortunes or failures. There's no choice but to get him right....and NOW. There's no time to waste as the Yankees continue to play through an "easier" part of their schedule so every game matters. When Fried is on the mound, we need to see early season Fried....not this version. 

Get to work, Blake!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

OF COURSE THE PUPPETEER LOVES HIS PUPPET...

I am thrilled that the Yankees won last night.  These days it's no easy task and if you look back at that game, you understand that the Yankees had 4 runs early and the Cardinals just kept chipping away. But thank god we held them off.

Meanwhile in the world of Yankeeland, the new narrative is that the Yankees have their best team on the field and there is urgency to win. I mean, no shit.  It's your job to play good baseball.  Plus, we're the Yankees, the fans get restless when you don't.  And so, like we've been screaming since June... do better... all of you... including Boone. Including Brian Cashman.  

We can all act like the Yankees are a better ball club after the trade deadline, but the truth is they really are not.  What has happened is that the Yankees were given a handful of stray parts and the Yankees have to learn to adapt with what we were given.  This trade deadline did not make it seamless. This isn't a genius tactic by Cashman, it's merely a "this is what the market allowed, I didn't do very good... make it work please." And that's where we are at. Mission Accomplished? Nah.

And now Cashman is coming out and praising Aaron Boone, which may be the dumbest story of the week. I am so tired of the gaslighting... I'm tired of the fact that no one in the Yankee front office will reveal that they are just really bad at their jobs. 

Brian Cashman wants you to believe Aaron Boone is some Zen master holding it all together while the Yankees wobble their way through another season of mediocrity. According to Cashman, Boone has handled the “pressure of an intense media market” with poise, balance, and—get this—being “even-keeled.”

Even-keeled? Please. Boone throws more tantrums at umpires than a toddler denied candy in aisle three of Target. A borderline strike call sets him off like a firecracker, and suddenly we’re supposed to buy the idea that he’s a calm, collected leader? That’s rich.

Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe is still nailed to shortstop despite hitting like a pitcher at the plate, but sure, Boone insists, “It’s right in front of us.” Right. What’s in front of us is a .218 batting average.

Cashman went further into his comedy routine, explaining how Boone has supposedly done “an amazing job” guiding the team through rough patches, brushing off mistakes and slumps while keeping his cool. Cool? The guy paces the dugout like he’s about to audition for Law & Order: Dugout Crimes Unit.

He even tried to drop some WWE metaphors: “I’m not an advocate of becoming Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage or John Cena …” Oh good, because the Yankees’ real problem isn’t a lack of body slams—it’s a lack of accountability. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have already called out this organization for coddling its players, but Cashman’s still acting like tough love is a banned substance.

Here’s where the Yankees stand: 6.5 games behind Toronto in the division, clinging to the last wild card spot by a paperclip and a prayer. Cashman tried to spin it like the Yankees are “defending American League champs,” but the only thing they’re defending right now is their reputation as baseball’s most expensive soap opera. They have a ton of work to do.

And here’s the truth: Boone is Cashman’s puppet. Always has been, always will be. The front office pulls the strings, Boone nods along, and the product on the field suffers. It's obvious and tired at this point. That’s why Hal Steinbrenner stays conveniently out of sight, dodging questions like a teenager hiding a bad report card. He's MIA counting his money somewhere, cause none of this matters to him.... he is still making a fortune.

Sure, the Yankees won last night, and yes, it gives fans a temporary sugar high. But the fact that every game feels like a nail-biting ordeal just to survive says everything about where this team really stands.

And you know it.

IN SOME WAYS PETE GRAY WAS BETTER THAN ANTHONY VOLPE

In 1945, Pete Gray gave Major League Baseball one of the most remarkable “you can’t make this up” seasons in history. Playing for the St. Louis Browns, Gray hit .218—not Hall of Fame stuff statistically, but when you factor in that he did it with one arm after losing his right arm in a childhood accident, the man becomes baseball folklore. Born Peter Wyshner, Gray wasn’t supposed to be there. He wasn’t supposed to chase down fly balls in center field, leg out infield hits, or gun down runners. But he refused “no” as an answer. The war years had thinned the league’s talent pool, opening a door for him, but make no mistake—he shoved his way through it and made the majors on grit and sheer stubbornness.

The Browns signed him for $4,000 after buying his contract for $20,000, and on April 17, 1945, he debuted against the Detroit Tigers. A month later, in Yankee Stadium, Gray delivered a storybook moment—five hits and two RBIs in a doubleheader sweep over the Yankees. He’d play 77 games that season, mostly in left and center, and prove to the world that determination could close the gap between impossible and reality.

Now, let’s fast-forward to Anthony Volpe—Aaron Boone’s coddled pet project and the Yankees’ “elite” shortstop who, at the moment, is batting .219. Yes, that’s one point higher than Pete Gray’s 1945 average. The difference? Pete Gray was missing an arm. Volpe has two, and somehow they both come up empty at the plate far too often.

Volpe was a star in high school—Delbarton School, New Jersey. 2019 New Jersey High School Player of the Year. Strong glove. Speed. Solid bat. All fine and dandy… but that was six years ago, and high school trophies don’t mean much when you’re skipping college ball and getting vaulted straight into the pressure cooker of playing shortstop for the New York Yankees.

And here’s the problem: the kid wasn’t ready. He’s still not ready. He carries himself like someone who’s had everything handed to him, because—surprise—he has. When he makes a mistake, you see the palms go up, the face of disbelief, as if the baseball gods themselves are to blame. Accountability? Only if you count scripted postgame answers that sound like they were approved by a parent.

A month ago, the mask slipped. Meredith Marakovits asked Boone about a Volpe error, and Boone—visibly irritated—got up, looked her straight in the eye, and mouthed, “He’s effin’ elite.” Translation: “This is the company line, get with it.” 

Sorry, Aaron, but the rest of us aren’t buying the gaslighting. The Yankees already shipped off Oswald Peraza—a better defensive shortstop—just to keep Volpe’s spot warm. And for what? To watch him swing like he’s trying to hit flies off a picnic table?

Pete Gray fought through life with one arm, beat impossible odds, and lived his dream. Volpe, with every advantage a baseball player could want, is being anointed for mediocrity. Pete Gray earned his shot. Volpe’s getting a victory parade for holding a batting average you could get by closing your eyes and hacking.

 

Yes, in some ways Gray was better than Volpe. And a lot of it has to do in the fact that he earned his keep, despite the doubters.  For Volpe, he's losing favor among fans and yet the Yankees "Gaslighting" front office refuse to fold because they would have egg on their face if they admitted making a mistake.

What does that say about the Yankees? What does that say about the front office’s warped, spin-heavy “everything’s fine” culture? Simple. Pete Gray’s story was about grit. Anthony Volpe’s is about gifts. And one of those actually belongs in Yankee Stadium history.

--Alvin Izzo
BYB Yankee History Contributor

WHY STARTERS GOING DEEP IN GAMES IS BETTER THAN MIX & MATCHING A PEN DAILY

The Yankees are winning. That’s good. Winning is fun. Winning keeps us from throwing remote controls at the TV. But here’s the question — can they actually keep it up? Or are we looking at the baseball equivalent of a reality show contestant hanging around just long enough to get a pity vote into the finals? Because as much as the front office would love to spin a Wild Card berth as some kind of triumph, let’s be real: a Wild Card team is just the third-place loser that got invited to the afterparty. It’s not an accomplishment, it’s an “oh, you’re still here?” moment.

Take Tuesday night, for example — Carlos Rodón pitches a gem, seven innings of work, the bats erupt for three homers, Yankees roll the Twins 9–1. That’s the blueprint. That’s how baseball is supposed to look in the Bronx.

Then came last night with Cam Schlittler, who lasted five innings, and you could feel the difference immediately. Suddenly, we’re mixing and matching arms like it’s a cooking competition and Aaron Boone is tossing ingredients together just to see if it works. Boone and his army of analytics nerds still haven’t figured out the obvious — pitchers are human beings, not spreadsheets. Sometimes the “on-paper” guy isn’t the right guy because, shocker, he’s actually out there feeling things and maybe doesn’t have his best stuff. 

But Boone? Nah. He’ll just overtax the bullpen and keep pretending it’s 100% sustainable.

The reality is simple — when your starter consistently goes six-plus innings, it saves the bullpen. Saves it for when it actually matters. It keeps your best relievers fresh for those late-game, high-leverage moments. But Boone can’t help himself. He’s the king of over-managing, turning matchups into science experiments. Look no further than Devin Williams. We don’t even want to see him in pinstripes anymore — and that’s on Boone’s bullpen blender routine.

Even Giancarlo Stanton, chatting with Meredith Marakovits after Rodón’s start, quietly dropped a truth bomb about “going deep into the game.” It was subtle, but you could hear the subtext: Hey Aaron, maybe notice this? Everybody in the dugout understands how vital it is — everyone except Boone and his numbers-only think tank.

When starters pitch deep, relievers get to stay in their roles, routines stay intact, and you’re not asking four guys to piece together the last twelve outs every single night. It also minimizes how often the opposing lineup gets a third look at the same pitcher, which is when hitters usually start to adjust and tee off.

That’s why this trade deadline was a joke. Sure, the Yankees made moves, but the rotation right now is basically held together with spit, duct tape, and Brian Cashman’s ego. It's the same rotation as before the deadline... and we needed a quality starter that we didn't get, and so making a statement that it as "Mission Accomplished" was weak, just like Cashman's leadership. Even if — if — they stumble into the postseason through the backdoor Wild Card, does anyone honestly think this rotation is built for a short series? Spoiler: it’s not.

And that’s the root of the frustration. The Yankees aren’t run like a serious franchise anymore. They’re complacent. They’re comfortable selling fans on the “just get in and anything can happen” dream, while ignoring the fact that “anything” usually means getting bounced in the first round.

Winning is great. But sustaining it? That’s what great teams do. Right now, this front office doesn’t look like it even knows what that means.

IF THE YANKEES ONLY FIRE BOONE, IT DOESN'T FIX THE PROBLEM!

The "FIRE BOONE" chants are at an all-time high (as they should be). Even though BOONE PREDICTED TO BE TOAST BY SEPTEMBER would make most of Yankeeland happy when it happens....it's not enough. 

That should only be the start. I say should because I don't think Hal Steinbrenner will be smart enough to do what is REALLY needed to fix the organization. He just doesn't have the knowledge (or I would argue desire) to start a new legacy. Firing Baboonie is only step 1 in this gigantic mess of a franchise. The manager is only a small biproduct of the real problem.

Mickey Mouse could be the manager of this team and it wouldn't matter. Until Brian Cashman is gone the identity of the manager is irrelevant. Cashman is the puppet master and even if Aaron Boone is fired, Cashman is just going to bring in a clone of Baboonie. It will be someone else that Cashman can control. The reality is until the ENTIRE organization is stripped down and rebuilt from the top all the way down to the bottom nothing is going to change. I do mean everything. From the coaching staff, medical staff, training staff, scouts, analytics team and contributors in the front office. Burn the whole thing down and start over! As painful as that may sound to some people, it would not be an addition by subtraction.

Unless Cashman and his crazy ideas on how to construct this team are gone this team will not evolve or win. Cashman's ideas are crazy. The rosters he has built over the years are insanely stupid and some of the contracts he's given are certifiably stupid. Some of his most criticized moves include the signings of Jacoby Ellsbury, Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano, and the trade for Javier Vazquez. We can't forget about the extensions given to Aaron Hicks and Aroldis Chapman. I still think about all of these....and Giancarlo Stanton isn't going to be pretty when that is said and done. The list is quite lengthy, he's been screwing up since 1998.

It's painful to think about how we went from a real thinker in Gene Michael who understood that the farm system is meant to develop good talent to benefit the Yankees to Cashman who only values the farm for trade chips. He cant draft the best pieces for the Yankees to develop in the Bronx....they have to be used as trade chips. It hasn't worked out well for us considering we haven't won a championship since 2009.

If the Yankees miss the playoffs for the second time in three years firing Baboonie isn't enough. It's not even a band-aid fix. It's an embarrassment. It's time to strip it down. Time to fly the "Fire Boone" and "Fire Cashman" banners together!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKS GOT A CATCHER, BECAUSE THEY NEED SOME

The New York Yankees have made another “big” roster move, and by big, I mean the kind of move you make when you’ve burned through your own supply of catchers like a pyromaniac in a fireworks store. We’re now at the point where Ben Rice is catching—because the actual catcher, Austin Wells, stinks worse than the leftover garlic fries under Section 203.

So what’s the plan? Oh, the master minds in the Yankees’ front office—those same geniuses who’ve been sleepwalking through roster construction for years—have decided to dig into the “Hey, remember him?” bin and bring back Rob Brantly on a minor league deal.

Yes, Rob Brantly. The man’s career highlight with the Yankees was mostly just existing in Triple-A and occasionally showing up in the dugout so the TV broadcast could cut to him when the starter got hurt. He’s headed to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where, honestly, he’ll probably be more valuable to their playoff push than Brian Cashman has been to the Yankees’ playoff hopes in years.

Brantly’s résumé is basically a tour of baseball’s most scenic minor league outposts. One game with the Phillies in 2019, one with the Giants in 2020, then the Yankees scooped him up that August. Over three seasons in pinstripes, he appeared in seven big-league games and posted a .469 OPS—which is about the same OPS the Yankees’ front office posts when you judge them on common sense.

After bouncing to the Blue Jays, Rays, and Marlins—who finally released him on August 4—Brantly is back. Will he see the Bronx again? Probably not… unless our catching depth continues its death spiral, in which case, brace yourself for the most predictable “emergency” call-up ever.

But hey, credit where it’s due: Rob Brantly is still kicking. The same cannot be said for the Yankees’ front office’s ability to plan ahead.