Yankees Notes and Opinions for 10/30/25
1. The YES Network’s attempt to streamline broadcasts.
We learned this week that John Flaherty, Dave Valle, and Jeff Nelson will not be returning to the YES Network. Flaherty was the YES Network utility player, consistently showing up as a studio analyst, color commentator, and fill-in play-by-play guy. Nelson was their “spackle” color commentator, filling in when seemingly nobody else was available. Valle was in a rotation of guest analysts in the studio. We didn’t hear anything about other people who filled this role (Dellin Betances, Todd Frazier, Adam Ottavino).
I am intrigued by this announcement because it always felt as if the YES Network needed a large roster. While Michael Kay called the vast majority of games, David Cone committed to Sunday Night Baseball (no longer), while Paul O’Neill and Joe Girardi had limited schedules. I don’t know what the future breakdown will be, but the three of them will need to increase their schedules to make it work.
While Kay can occasionally be irritating (maybe I am just old), I grew up in the era where the booth was Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, and Frank Messer. Having a consistent booth is never a bad thing, and I like Cone (hard-hitting analyst who will dig into the new-age metrics), O’Neill (the storyteller who impresses with his hitting talk —I loved his Ryan McMahon breakdowns), and Girardi (managerial perspective). My biggest critique of Girardi, however, is that he often talks as if he were a manager in the 1980s rather than a modern manager. It’s OK to admit that you would micromanage by the book, Joe. We all know it, after all.
2. The coaching changes
I was shocked to see Mike Harkey go, but he lasted longer than most coaches. Having a new voice on a coaching staff is not a bad thing. Matt Blake‘s option was predictably picked up.
First base/infield coach Travis Chapman is gone. I never saw his role as particularly noteworthy, and it is amazing how the defense improved once they acquired a player who can actually play third base. If the Yankees feel a different coach can help Ben Rice at first base or help Anthony Volpe get back to his Gold Glove form, so be it.
Assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler will no longer be an assistant hitting coach, though he may return in a separate role.
Desi Druschel is returning after one season with the Mets. This is interesting, as the Mets’ pitching staff had many issues in 2025. However, Druschel was with the Yankees during a time when journeymen like Michael Tonkin were making solid contributions to the pitching staff. Perhaps he works well with Blake or the types of pitchers Brian Cashman targets off the scrap heap. Either way, I like having him back because he had success here. It appears that either Druschel or the returning Preston Claiborne will serve as the bullpen coach while the other will take on the assistant pitching coach role. There’s likely plenty of overlap between the roles.
James Rowson seems destined to return, as the Twins went in another direction with their managerial hire.
I understand that many wanted even bigger changes than this, especially at the top. None of these changes screams “warning shot” at Aaron Boone, as his bench coach (Brad Ausmus) and third-base coach (Luis Rojas) appear set to return.
As for the replacements for the lost coaches, I don’t care much. All coaches are important, but nobody they hire for these slots will give me goosebumps. We’ll see if they go the veteran route or bring in some young blood.
3. The 2026 Roster
It is fun to speculate. Cody Bellinger, Kyle Tucker, or someone else? Are they convinced that Ben Rice can move forward as an everyday first baseman? What do they really think about Jasson Dominguez? Will they look for a veteran starter to help them get through the early part of the season? The Yankees were relatively lucky with pitching health once the 2025 season started (before it started, not so much.) They received 30+ starts from three starters. The Yankees have depth, but three starters will miss the start of the 2026 campaign (Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt). That leaves them with Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, and Will Warren. While we are told that Rodon will be back early in 2026 and Cole won’t be far behind, it’s hard to rely on that. Gil isn’t always the pillar of good health, and Schlittler will be entering his first full campaign. The depth is there, but there will be cloudy skies at least in April.
The outfield situation is tricky as well. As of right now, Dominguez and Aaron Judge are 2/3 of their outfield. The third slot is wide open. Will they spend on a big-ticket item, look to make a trade for a team-controlled option, or look within? The within guy (Spencer Jones) is extremely risky.
Bellinger offers more flexibility than Tucker, though a fully healthy Tucker carries a stick that I am not sure Bellinger will match. Tucker’s 143 OPS+ in 2025 outshone Bellinger’s 125, and an injury may have hurt Tucker’s final stat line. I see a lot of chatter about the two online, but we shouldn’t ignore how significant a hitter Tucker is. I prefer him, though I understand the cost that comes with that.
As for Rice, if the Yankees invest in other areas, they may decide to let Rice sink or swim at first base. If he fails, it isn’t that difficult to find a first baseman on the trade market. As someone said to me a few days ago, Rice is the type of hitter Brian Cashman would target if he weren’t a Yankee – a player who has under-the-hood metrics that suggest something big could be lurking within him.
4. “Can the Yankees be more like (insert team)?”
Sure? I guess I don’t understand this question. Can they find a Nathan Lukes type? A 30-year-old who comes out of nowhere to hit .309 in the playoffs? Can they find someone like Davis Schneider, a 26-year-old who would have been run out of town after his .191/.282/.343 campaign in 2024? I should note he did nothing in the postseason until his leadoff home run in Game 5 of the World Series. Addison Barger hit .243/.301/.454 in 502 regular-season plate appearances and is hitting .471 in the World Series.
To win a World Series, you need your stars to show up. You also need random contributions from others, which is harder to project. It doesn’t hurt when a pitcher who started the season in A-Ball (Trey Yesavage) strikes out 39 hitters in 26 postseason innings, including carving up the Dodgers’ lineup in Game 5.
People will come at me, claiming I am calling the Blue Jays “lucky,” when that is not true. They are doing everything it takes to win in the postseason: Mostly good pitching, a bunch of home runs, and yes, timely hits that aren’t home runs. All postseason runs do have a luck component, and if you deny that, you are kidding yourself.
But I don’t know how the Yankees can become the Jays. They don’t need to be the Jays, either. The right mix to bring home a championship hasn’t been found in the Aaron Judge era, and that is frustrating. However, we shouldn’t just chase what the Jays have done to get to that point.
5. The Arizona Fall League
1B Coby Morales: .313/.421/.563 in only five games;
C Manuel Palencia: .222/.241/.333 in eight games;
IF Enmanuel Tejeda: .156/.333/.267 in 13 games.
RHP Cade Smith: 0.93 ERA in 9.2 innings with an 11/1 K/BB
RHP Bryce Cunningham: 9.00 ERA in 11 IP with a 7/8 K/BB
RHP Huey Morrill: 0.00 ERA in 4.2 innings with a 0/2 K/BB
RHP Brady Kirtner: 9.00 ERA in five innings with a 5/3 K/BB
RHP Adam Stone: 18.00 ERA in three innings with a 3/2 K/BB
Some context: I don’t take Arizona Fall League numbers seriously. These kids are getting in some extra work, which is the important thing. Smith has earned some praise for the spin he is showing on his pitches (and his numbers are solid). Cunningham is likely the best prospect they sent to Arizona, and is squeezing in the innings he missed during the season. The 24-year-old Stone hadn’t pitched since 2023.
Morrill received a nice write-up on MLB.com.
More to come as the off-season potentially begins on Friday night.