Yeah just saw that, he was only 35. RIP, very sad.
Growing Everything But The Payroll: The Official 2025 New York Yankees Season Thread
- Thread starter tremonthustler1
- Start date
Mantis Toboggan M.D.
I’m here for the scraps
That’s the 4th noteworthy death this week in sports & music
ExodusNirvana
Change is inevitable...
"...with Derek Jeter in the cut that's a scary sight..."
The YES Network is not bringing back longtime New York Yankees analyst and play-by-play announcer John Flaherty as part of a series of moves to streamline its broadcasts to feature its leading commentators, David Cone, Paul O’Neill and Joe Girardi, sources briefed on the decision told The Athletic.
The plan is for one or two of the analyst trio to be on every broadcast next year.
As part of the YES roster renovation, part-time analysts Jeff Nelson and Dave Valle will also not return for Yankee broadcasts in 2026. A YES spokesperson confirmed the Flaherty, Nelson and Valle decisions.
After the season, all networks re-evaluate where they stand, so YES is doing a complete inventory of both its game and studio productions. Bob Lorenz and Jack Curry are the longtime YES pregame and postgame stalwarts.
Now, it is focusing on its most recent dynasty run, featuring what it considers its three top analysts, Cone, O’Neill and Girardi.
NYChase718
Veteran
“ Ok were gonna make some changes around here for next season if were going to be taken seriously, a couple of these camera guys gotta go… i dont like the shots they get of boone in the dugout “
tremonthustler1
aka bx_representer
we woulda never gotten Freeman but I agree with the sentiment.
This is why we will never win. It infuriates my blood watching the Jays possibly winning everything while we’re wasting our Captain’s prime years away. God, I miss the Evil Empire days…
shyt show after another shyt show…
tremonthustler1
aka bx_representer
the Evil Empire era basically got us 1 ring.
The 2026 starting pitchers will be some combination of:
SP - Gerrit Cole (age 35)
SP - Max Fried (age 31)
SP - Carlos Rodon (age 32)
SP - Cam Schlittler (age 24)
SP - Luis Gil (age 27)
SP - Will Warren (age 26)
SP - Clark Schmidt (29)
Cole, Rodon, and Schmidt coming off injury.
The Yankees reportedly tried to offer the Pirates a package around George Lombard Jr and Spencer Jones for Paul Skenes and Pittsburgh turned it down. If nothing else that speaks to the Yankees thinking that they want another big time ace.
Do they offer a package like that to Detroit for Tarik Skubal? Who knows.
Would Cashman be willing to include Carlos LaGrange or Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz in a trade? I doubt it. He's been notoriously unwilling to give up on any decent prospects (with disastrous results, by the way).
In terms of their lineup, you've got Judge...and nothing else. If it were me, everyone on the roster would be on the table.
C - You're stuck with Austin Wells. He's not great but you don't have another catcher in your system ready to challenge for the job.
1B - Paul Goldschmit. Free agent and he's 38 years old.
2B - Chisholm is going into arbitration and then free agency. I'm not signing that guy to a long term deal in 2027.
3B - Ryan McMahon. You owe him 16M in both 2026 and 2027. Also, kudos to Brian Cashman for signing Jeimer Candelario only for him to never play a single game in 2025. Well done. If the move here is to sign Munetaka Murakami, good luck. Reports are the Mariners are his likely landing spot. They're a west coast team...and they're actually good.
SS - LOL
LF - Apparently the plan is to make Jasson Dominguez the full-time starter in 2026. He was pretty bad. Blame it on inconsistency, playing time, new position. Whatever you want. Here's the naked truth about The Martian -- he hasn't shown the elite skill set people freaked out over when he was signed from the DR. It's unfair to give up on a prospect at 22 years old, and changes can be made (hell, look at Bryce Turang). But he's kind of at the "prove it" stage as far as I'm concerned. Frankly, I had more faith in Slade Heathcott's abilities than Jasson Dominguez's right now if we are talking about Yankees prospects over the years.
CF - Grisham had a career year but he's a free agent. I don't think the Yankees are going to extend a contract to a guy with a limited track record. The theory among sportswriters is that Grisham signs a qualifying offer with New York, and the team trades him provided they re-sign Cody Bellinger.
DH - Well you're basically stuck here with Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice. Where does Rice play? Probably some combination of Catcher and 1B.
Side note: Bellinger was fantastic in 2025. I don't think he repeats this in 2026. The expected stats were good, but not great. I'm not against the Yankees bringing him back. I just think it ought to be a moderate AAV.
There's a realistic chance the Yankees kick the tires on Pete Alonso. It will require a big overpay and if George Steinbrenner were the owner, he'd probably do it because Alonso has proven there's enough pop left in that bat. I'm just not sure the Yankees will do it. You had 1B issues last winter and didn't go after Pete. You're probably not gonna do it now, either. If there's a MLB version of Danny Ainge pump faking...this is it.
Closing thoughts - the rotation, if healthy, ought to be good enough to contend. But you're asking quite a bit from those veterans. And as far as the hitters go, you've got unathletic, aging players who will only get poorer defensively and worse on the basepaths.
If there's a baseball purgatory, the Yankees are in it.
They'll be just good enough to make the playoffs, and not good enough to do anything when they get there.
So stupid. He was better than Girardi by far
The War Report
NewNewYork
They should go after Tucker over Bellinger.
tremonthustler1
aka bx_representer
I'd be all for Tucker if it meant playing Dominguez in CF. If this means Tucker or Judge is playing CF it's a bad idea.