He just lost Edwin Diaz. Will Steve Cohen take it out on the Yankees?

Yesterday, the unstoppable Dodgers - baseball's version of Covid - strengthened their stranglehold on America, signing the best closer on the market, right out from under the burst corpuscle nose of their richest competitor. 

The Mets - and zillionaire owner Stevie Cohen - were left with the door prize known as Devon Williams, whose career achievement has been to break the Yankee Beard Ban. (Note to Met fans: He's all yours!)

That leaves Cohen and his aircraft carriers full of money looking for someone to accept his cash and make him whole again. Surely, he will follow the playbook of all schoolyard bullies: Beat up the nearest wimp. 

That's us.

What better way to showcase his Hegsethian manhood than by outbidding the Yankees in some suddenly manufactured, existential auction? That could mean signing Cody Bellinger - because he can - or the Japanese starter, Tatsuya Imai, or Alex Bregman, or Dopy Dildox. Doesn't matter. The Dodgers just punked him with the Whoopie Cushion, and Cohen - in the manner of narcissists everywhere - needs to re-exert himself as NYC's Big Chief Lug Nut.  

Amid the signings of Diaz and Kyle Schwarber (by the Phillies), the Yankees yesterday did - what's the word? - Schmegma? Lymph? Bupkis? They did nothing. You could say that Cooperstown Cashman is lying in wait, preparing to pounce. You could say that the front office is fully armed, ready to charge. Hell, you could say anything. What you can't say is the Yankees have yet to reveal a strategy to improve their chances in 2026. They are waiting to see what the Mets, Dodgers, Redsocks and Blue Jays do. Then, I assume, they'll make adjustments. 

Last year, after Juan Soto went to the Mets, the Yankee reactionary strategy seemed to work. While the Mets were realizing how dreadfully they had overpaid for Soto, the Yankees quickly signed Max Fried and traded for Bellinger. In the end, the Orioles and Rays fell apart, Boston's youth movement proved to be a year away, but the Blue Jays ate our lunches. 

It's hard to imagine the Yankees improving in 2026 without at least one major addition to the pitching staff. The question now: Will they have to beat Cohen, and his newly bloodied nose? The last thing Food Stamps Hal seems to want is a bidding war. It looks as though that's what he's going to get.

This week, the Yankees could face a knockout blow

It's coming, straight at us...

I'm not talking about 3I/Atlas, the "comet" that is obviously an alien probe to phone home about whether intelligent life exists on Earth. 

I'm not talking about the KC Chiefs, who dominated pro football and pop music culture through the first half of the 2020s, and who now look old and tired.

I'm not talking about the looming recession, or Trump's gilded Walmart ballroom, or even the Golden Globes' snub of Sydney Sweeney's big punching bags in her boxing movie. 

Nope, what's coming is Big Stevie Cohen, large as a Macy's parade balloon, and his infinite checkbook. It has so intimidated Hal Steinbrenner that the Yankees already sound like also-rans in the upcoming bidding war for Tatsuya Imai.

Yes, Tatsuya Imai - the lone top Japanese free agent in this decade to NOT want to join the Dodgers. Every dime in Hal's hope chest should go into signing Imai - fortifying the pitching staff and standing up to Big Stevie. 

But here's the rub: It might not be enough. 

The Yankees painted themselves into a corner - actually, a centerfield - when they offered Trent Grisham $22 million to stay a year. Of course, he was gonna take it. As a result, to sign Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker will force a massive domino-drop of secondary trades, most likely involving Jasson Dominguez and/or Spencer Jones, and they still might not save the pitching staff. 

The Yankees need Imai more than Trump needs compression socks. But the problem is Cohen, the modern day Boss. Last year, he kicked poor Hal's ass in the bidding war for Juan Soto, (even if it left the Mets in tatters during the regular season.) This week, he can do it again in a straight up auction for Imai.

It's coming - that moment in the movie when Hal either stands up to the bully or accepts the Yankees' fate in the second half of the decade. 

It might happen today: Somebody signs Tucker, which leaves everyone chasing Bellinger, which causes his value to spike, which leaves the Yankees out in the cold, which makes Imai the biggest fish in the pond, which means... well... God knows what? Big Stevie's knockout punch? 

We don't know what's coming. 

What we know is that it might be really bad.

For the first time since we began counting, the Yankees could lose the Tabloid Covers Race in NY

Forty covers left, give or take. 

Too close to call.

Today, as they launch the '25 Winter Meetings, the Yankees cling to a supermodel-thin, six-page lead in the annual IT IS HIGH Tabloids Back Pages Race, the covers we have covered since 2019.

With three weeks left, it's a photo finish between the Yankees and the Knicks - the closest in IIHIIFIIc history. For the first,  time ever, another organization could dethrone the Bombers as NYC's premier sports team, in terms of free ink.

Hal Steinbrenner ought to take notice. The Winter Meetings offer a chance to sign a big free agent, clinch their seventh covers title, and secure their place atop Gotham's pecking order. But if they fail, we could be witnessing a sea change in New York - a long time coming, and maybe a long time before it returns.

Three years ago, the Yankees won with a mere 150 covers, beating the Jets by 14 pages. (That was the year of Aaron Rodgers.) Until now, 2023 loomed as the closest the Yankees have come to losing NY. 

Since 2019, when we began counting, the Yankees have never been challenged, as the way they will be this month. Even if they do hold on, their margin will be perilously thin. 

Consider the records...

2025: 176.5 (1st, Knicks 2nd at 170.6) 6 covers.
2024: 215 (1st, Mets at 160) 55 covers.
2023: 150 (1st, Jets at 136) 14 covers.
2022: 210 (1st, Mets at 147) 63 covers.
2021: 207 (1st, Mets at 156) 51 covers.
2020: 152 (1st, Mets at 132) 20 covers.
2019: 211 (1st, Mets at 190) 21 covers.

It will go down to the wire, perhaps decided by a spoiler. The awful Giants are chasing the NFL's top draft pick. St. John's basketball is 5-3 on the season. Who knows what the last three weeks will bring?

Today, the Post runs with the Knicks, while the Daily News reaches back into history to grieve over Don Mattingly's Hall of Fame snub. In another universe, that would have been a Yankee back page. But Mattingly is too far removed from his old team for them to claim him. Sad. 

So, the Winter Meetings are here. Will the Mets outgun us? Will the Knicks keep winning? Three weeks left. Forty covers. It's gonna be close. 

On Winter Meetings Eve, scattered thoughts...

1. If Toronto had won it, the 2025 world series would have gone down as the most exciting in history. It had everything - close plays, heroic blasts, a miraculous stuck fly ball, A-Rod's analysis - everything. One problem: The wrong team won. It could have been Canada, showing up Trump's ridiculous taunts. It could have been Max Scherzer, the return of Bo Bichette and Junior. Instead, it was the Dodgers, buying another championship, as we knew they would, and as they probably will in 2026. So close.

2. I've got Anthony Volpe Derangement Syndrome. It's been three lousy years, and '25 was the worst. Volpe's .212 BA ranked 24th of 24 qualifying shortstops. Worst in baseball. In OPS, he ranked 21st of 24. They say he played hurt? That doesn't exonerate him. The Yankees finished one tie-breaker game behind Toronto, and a halfway decent SS could have made the difference. I keep reading that the Yankees will seek an OF, a RH catcher and pitching. Damn, we need a decent SS, which Volpe is not. 

3. I wonder if Hal Steinbrenner is getting tired. Based on his recent interviews - whining about rent, luxury taxes and payrolls - has owning the Yankees become a drag? This is a world of impending trillionaires, and $300 million is chump change for those who will party in the solid gold ballroom. I wonder if Hal sees another year of the lost family heritage, hearing bombastic words from people like me, and secretly hopes that Elon Musk or Larry Ellison would buy this albatross. When you see Netflix buying Warner Brothers, like its a carton of cigs at a corner Mom & Pop, you have to wonder what's coming after the looming shutdown in 2027,  Could there be worse owners out there than Hal? 

4. Yes, I sound like a pathetic prospect hugger, but I hope the Yankees stick with both The Martian and Spencer Jones. Give them a shot in spring training. Play the one who performs best. The Yankees need pitching, pitching, pitching, and they can fill the ranks with free agents. The final four teams this year had one thing in common: They played youngsters. The Yankees need to see what their farm system can produce. Even if they fail, it will be fun to watch Dominguez and Jones. And who knows? 

Look Deep Into The Eyes of HAL – Managing General Partner and Grand Poobah of The New York Yankees

 

Strap in, everyone: The Winter Meetings are upon us.

Imagine a convergence of Juggalos, Trekkies, Hells Angels and Joe Pesci impersonators, squeezed into a hotel backlot like those street gangs in the movie The Warriors,  but summoned not by Cyrus - the visionary leader of the Gramercy Riffs - but by the reanimated corpse of Bud Selig, whose body has been taken over by Scott Boras.

That's baseball's Winter Meetings.  

Strap in, everyone - because throughout the years, for better or worse, this is when the Yankees reinvent themselves.

Last year, during these meetings, they signed Max Fried and traded for Cody Bellinger. The year before, they exchanged the farm system for one season of Juan Soto. 

In other Decembers, they landed Gerrit Cole, CC Sabathia, Giancarlo Stanton, Alex Verdugo, Curtis Granderson - all winter meeting babes. The list goes on, too painful to revisit. Every year, the first full week of December begets the future of the Yankees. 

This is the super-moon, the meteor shower, the impending visit from that interstellar "comet," 3I/Atlas, where an alien Bones McCoy is surely taunting Scotty, as they watch the YES Channel. 

For seven years we've suckled at the P.T. Barnum hype teat of Jasson Dominguez. By this time next week, he might be a California Angel. 

Since being drafted in 2019, Anthony Volpe has served as a Jeterian stand-in for "the future of the Yankees." By this time next week, he could be a Brewer.

Already, Internet watering holes are filling with rumors. The Yankees will enter this pageant of prudence in desperate search of pitching, pitching, pitching...

God knows what they will look like next Saturday.

Get ready, everybody. It's coming.

Results, From The Winter Meetings So Far...

 

As the Yankees tamp down expectations, Braden Shewmake could be ready to bloom

Last night, with nothing better to do - (a foot of snow outside!) - I doom-scrolled the Yankee 40-man. 

I did this, so you needn't. I don't recommend such activities. It's like a day trip to Utica: Things you cannot un-see, mysteries you cannot solve.

I found Braden Shewmake.

Yes, Braden Shewmake. He's a 28-year-old infielder who toiled last year in Scranton, hitting .244 with 4 HRs. With Anthony Volpe on the mend, Shewmake is arguably one tweaked gonad from being Opening Day SS. 

I don't mean to pick on The Shew. He's a former first-rounder - (the Yankees love them) - who has played 31 MLB games, with 1 HR and a .118 BA. He bats LH. He's from Texas. His jersey number is "89." In 2022, he ranked fifth on the Braves' prospect list. Downhill, ever since.

With a due respect, when I see a fellow like Shewmake on our 40-man, it makes me ponder the gravitas of the Yankee system. Right now, our depth chart looks as thick as a coat of Windex. (Again, I don't wish to malign the guy; he stole 15 bases last year; speedster?) 

Apparently, the Yankees will protect Shewmake in next week's Rule 5 draft. It's part of Cooperstown Cashman's intricate game of 3D chess. We should breathe easier, knowing the Yankees cannot lose Shew. Right? Show of hands? Uh-huh... 

Lately, all we hear from the Brain Trust is how Food Stamps Hal doesn't want to spend $300 million on the payroll, and the Yankees are already tailgating that number. Last month, when Trent Grisham accepted their $22 million, one-year qualifying offer, Cashman quickly assured us that all was going to plan. He resembled a waiter who just dropped a platter of clams, and shouts, "I meant to do that!"

The Yankees appear to be stepping back from bidding wars on Kyle Tucker and/or Cody Bellinger. Meanwhile, they're talking about trading The Martian and/or Spencer Jones. 

If they're seeking to reduce expectations, they're doing a great job. 

So, sleep easier, folks! Outside, it's a white-out. But next week, in the Rule 5, we're on course to keep Shewmake. 

Apparently, some Yank fans are angry that Devin Williams is a Met. Actually, we should be celebrating.

One of the most heartbreaking moments of my life was the episode of LASSIE, where our hero is presumed lost - gone for good - and the family grieves to remember him. Timmy can't handle it. He runs to his bedroom, flings himself onto the pillows and cries his eyes out. (I'm weeping now, just remembering.) As Timmy rages against God, screaming a Hellish torment known only to Prometheus and Pete Hegseth, from far, far off, he detects a sound. (Woof.) Then, it happens again. (Woof.) Timmy raises himself, blinks. (Woof.) Could it be? It can't be. But it is! Lassie's back! Lassie's alive! Lassie hasn't left us! GLORY TO THE WORLD! WE ARE WHOLE AGAIN!

This is not how NYC should react to the news that Devin Williams is staying.

As everyone surely knows, Williams recently signed a three-year contract with the Mets, for $51 million, or $17 million per season. Seventeen million.

Yesterday, the newly christened lifetime New Yorker went on social media to answer the angry words he has been reading on social media. 

“For a bunch of people that didn’t want me back on your team," he posted, "y’all sure are mad in the DMs.”

FWIW: I did not want Williams back. And I am not mad.

Nope. I am not perturbed, flummoxed or dismayed, though I must admit to being slightly flabbergasted, almost to the point of discombobulation. Yep, I am a tiny bit gobsmacked, but not in a bad way. In fact, I believe I speak for the Yankiverse in saying, "Meh." We should wish Williams the best, as he seeks to find whatever it was that eluded him throughout all of 2025.

In Williams, the Mets have purchased a vast bouquet of red flags. For starters, he is 31, the most transitional age for a professional athlete since his gonads drop. Hitting 31 affects the jock in the way that puberty does the church choir's best soprano.

Last year, after six great seasons in Milwaukee - a career ERA of 1.83 - he shat the bed. His ERA as a Yankee: 4.79. He lost the closer role and was given better platoon matchups. Didn't help. Now and then, he'd pitch a scoreless inning, to be hailed by the YES team as if Lassie had bounded in from the bullpen. Then, he would fail again.

Listen: If you want to rant - (and we all do) - let's not confuse Williams with Juan Soto, who lapped up every morsel of Yankee fan love and then pissed on us, all for a few extra thin dimes.(He loves only gold... only gold.) Soto turned out to be so pathetic that he actually blamed a security guard for his leaving. There's a special dung heap in Hell for Soto, and we should scrape his name off the bottom of our shoes. He should never hear the cheers of Old Timers Day.

But holding anything against Williams? I say, Meh.

Yeah, last year, he sucked. He squandered our trust. Maybe he'll figure out what happened and correct it. In fact, I bet he throws a perfect inning now and then, prompting the Mets broadcast booth to yell that LASSIE IS BACK!

But I donno. I bet Williams signed with the Mets because his family wanted to stay in NY, his kids are in school, and the Yankees simply didn't make an offer. To Cooperstown Cashman, he simply represents a deal gone bad.

(Woof?)

"It feels good to me to go to a place now where, you know what, it’s easy to hate the Yankees, right?”

Re: THE MATTER OF GRAY, SONNY, V THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND RUDE CABBIES, PIZZA RAT AND INCESSANT MEDIA ASSHOLES... 

Yesterday, Sonny Douglas Gray - aka "Pickles," according to Baseball Reference - addressed the word for the first time since becoming a Boston Redsock.

Make no mistake: Gray is a Redsock, 100 percent, all-in. He has guzzled the Kool-Aid, swallowed the Blue pill, donned the bloody shirt, requested the Grey Poupon. And by the time his 2026 teammates visit Gotham - June 5 - the world will know, once and for all, whether his miserable 2018-19 seasons were due to the mean streets of New York - or the fault of "Pickles," himself.

The accompanying chart shows Gray's rather successful career, with the exception of his time in NY - at ages 27 and 28, peak years for most players. He was one of Cooperstown Cashman's "Great White Whales," ace starters who would win Game One. At the time, the Yankees seemed to pay heavily for him: 

OF Dustin Fowler (played three seasons, a career BA of .215.)

SP James Kaprielian (four years, ERA of 4.61.)

SS Jorge Mateo. (Still going, a defensive fixture in Baltimore, .221.)

You could argue that, in the end, the Yankees didn't give away much. Fowler, Kaprielian and Mateo all showed flashes; Kaprielian looked like the real deal, until he hurt his arm. (Fowler's story was particularly tragic: In the first inning of his first MLB game, he chased a ball into foul territory at Comisky Park and wrecked his knee on an electrical box. Manager Joe Girardi wept as Fowler was carted off the field. He later sued the White Sox and, after a lengthy legal battle, settled out of court. Shades of Moonbeam Graham.) 

Honestly? We've never squared Gray's wretched time in NY. We've never explained his rebound seasons in Cincinnati and St. Louis. Some players - Jason Giambi, Cody Bellinger, et al - seem to be born for NY. (Yet as Giambi showed, the first months can be hard.) Some simply never cut it. Gray is one of the most prominent examples. 

Did we give up on him too soon? (The Yankees eventually traded him for Shed Long.) Or is there something in the NY experience that poisons certain players?

Will the booing of a supercharged rivalry upset Pickles? 

On or about June 5, we'll know.

Toronto signs some Ponce

Fly like an Eagle. To Toronto.

He played in Pittsburgh, he played in Japan, he dominated Korea last year. Can he do the same here? Well, he developed a Yesavage-type curve/changeup/dipsy-doodle before the Korean season by working out with Pittsburgh pal Clay Holmes. It's also reported that he had to learn a new grip to better accommodate his hands, which are bigly. That's a new one. Guess his massive mitts couldn't effectively find their way around a baseball. 

Regardless, his stats from Korea are ridiculous. I think the article said a 1.79 ERA. Of course, it was Korea. So who knows.

But, but, but...this potentially gives Toronto a pretty solid six-man rotation. While we'll have three guys back from surgery (crapshoots all). Plus Fried, Schlittler and Warren.

It seems so quintessentially Cashman.

Who, of course, has done nothing so far. But I'll give him a break. I mean, we only need a bullpen, a starter or two for if/when the crapshoots turn out crappy (Cole will not be Cole and neither will Rodon), a third baseman who can hit (you know, like the one we traded for Dopey Devin), a real shortstop, a reliable left fielder and a catcher who can hit.

Plenty of time, plenty of time...

YOU have been warned . . .

               2 0 2 6 6 6 

The Hot Stove is upon us. RUN!

The Winter Meetings - baseball's version of a Juggalos gathering - are a week away.

The Mets just signed their first ex-Yank of the postseason.

Cooperstown Cashman is making calls, chasing his newest White Whale.

If you've got any serious drugs - I mean, felony grade, maybe a three-month sleep gel? - now is the time to uncork. According to the Internet, Cashman may be on the verge of his first winter crime against humanity. 

Actually, he started last month by offering Trent Grisham a $22 million contract, and Grish took the hook. That leaves the Yankee outfield in a logjam, with Cashman charged with setting the dynamite. 

Last night, the Mets reacted. They signed last year's biggest Yankee disappointment, Devin Williams, a man whose only achievement was to end the Steinbrenner Beard Ban. They'll have him for three years. I speak for the Yankiverse in saying, "He's all yours!"

Unfortunately, the Yankee bullpen right now looks like that Jersey Giants' place-kicker who last night channeled Anthony Volpe in the world series - whiffing entirely on a field goal attempt. (It's a future NFL classic, almost on par with The Fumble, although - honestly - nothing can beat The Fumble. On the Manning Cast last night, they were practically playing it on a loop. It's for the ages. Google it.) We're so thin that Jake Bird looks like an option, and his Yankee career ERA stands at - lemme get the calculator, hmm -27.00. That's a fine piece a' bombing.

Today, the rumor mills are grinding about a possible Yankee trade with Miami - the people who gave us Giancarlo and Jazz - for Sandy Alcantara, three years passed Cy Young and just one beyond Tommy John. He's 30, finished nicely last season, and the Marlins are ready to deal. He will draw a bidding war of prospects, and it looks as though we will soon learn how coveted Spencer Jones truly is, outside of the Yankee hype bubble. Jones - who resembles a young Joey Gallo - would apparently be the centerpiece of any Yankee deal, though Mephistopheles always lurks in the players named later.     

The Yankee fantasy goes this way: We get Alcantara for Jones and some magic beans version of Jeter Downs. Then we sign Kyle Tucker and keep The Martian as 4th OF. That looks good. Maybe too good. It looks like just the kind of offer that the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies and Boston can beat, as they all have deeper farms. You can't purge your system every August and expect an endless conga line of youth.

Soon, maybe even before the Winter Meetings, Cashman might make his move. It's a crazy feeling right now. The first Nor-Easter is hitting the coast. We're heading into a slow economy. We're actually pondering war crimes. They days are still getting shorter. And the Yankees are just getting started.

Winter's here, and it's time for the 10 Yankee Questions of the Apocalypse

For 16 years now, the great and glorious New York Yankees - in the words of Kurt Vonnegut - have not won doodley squat. 

Sixteen years... 

Epstein's favorite number. 

Longest drought in Yankee history.  

All the way back to 2009, when Trump's Celebrity Apprentice competition was won by Joan Rivers.

Sixteen years. Yet the owner seems more concerned about the rent he pays on Yankee Stadium. 

Maybe the Mets should outbid him and move to the Bronx? The Yankees could move to Tampa and play at Steinbrenner Field. Big savings. 

Time is ticking on the careers of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole.  This upcoming season may be their last, best chance at a trip down the Canyon of Heroes. Yet the owner was lamenting the high payroll. 

I wish IT IS HIGH commenters had been allowed in last week's media Zoom call with Hal Steinbrenner. Here are 10 questions I'd love to hear.

1. Will you ever top the Mets in a toe-to-toe bidding war?

2. Will the Yankees really trade Jasson Dominguez, at age 22?

3. How deeply do you plan to raid your farm system, the team's future, in trades?

4. Are you ready for the Mets, Dodgers, Blue Jays or Redsocks to sign Kyle Tucker?

5. Do the Yankees have a Plan B, in case Anthony Volpe simply fails?

6. Short of him dropping his pants in public, is there anything that would cause the Yankees to fire Aaron Boone?

7.  Is Ben Rice the future catcher or first baseman? Do you plan to decide in 2026?

8. Last year, did we see the best seasons we will ever get from Max Fried and Carlos Rodon?

9. With Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm, can the Yankees ever be a team that manufactures runs, rather than relying on homers?

10. Are you prepared for the Mets to become NYC's premier team?

10 Terrifying Reasons to Dread What's Coming (for the Yankees, anyway)

Damn... 

Today, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed - the glass half-empty, the world off-kilter, the Matrix glitched, the ghosty world around me whispering, "Quiet, quiet, Piggy." 

I look at the Yankees and see the apocalypse.

Armageddon outahere. 

Ten reasons to fear what's coming. in 2025.

1. Owner Hal is already poormouthing about the 2026 Yankee payroll, which will fall well below those of the Dodgers and Mets.

2. That means Cooperstown Cashman must improve the Yankee roster through trades.

3. To do so, Cashman will have to give up the only things other teams covet - the Yankees' best youngish prospects.

4. The Yankees blew up their farm system last August at the trade deadline. They will have a hard time matching other teams' prospect packages.

5. To get anybody of quality, they will have to deal Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones - maybe even Ben Rice and/or Cam Schlittler. 

6. Of these players, only Jones and Schlittler might be at their peaks as trade chips. Volpe and Dominguez had disappointing seasons in 2025. 

7. For the last three years, Aaron Judge has played relatively full seasons without injuries. Eventually, that luck will run out.

8. Giancarlo Stanton will be 36. He hasn't hit 30 HRs in a season since 2022. He is not getting younger. 

9. There is no guarantee that Gerrit Cole, at 35, will be the same pitcher he was before surgery.

10. The AL East will be baseball's toughest division in 2025. The Redsocks wave of prospects will be peaking, Toronto is here to stay, and one of these years, all that talent in Baltimore will coalesce. 

Mamdani is said to hate the Yankees. NYC is ready to become a Met town. 

The days are still getting shorter. 

THIRD IN A NEW SERIES CALLED: WHEN REAL MEN RAN THE YANKEES – PART 2 – "DA'BOSS"

Always the beloved prankster, here's Hal's Daddy daring Yankees beat reporters to pull his finger 

Mike Tyson says that everybody has a plan until they get socked in the mouth. Brian Cashman has a plan. He should brace for impact.

Last week, while Hal Steinbrenner was publicly poormouthing over the Yankees' 2026 payroll, Boston traded for Sonny Gray, and Toronto signed free agent Dylan Cease. 

It left me recalling a song by John Mellencamp that goes, "It aint the end of the world, but you can see it from here."

Listen: Neither Gray nor Cease is the nuclear bomb that imperils the '26 Yankees. But you can see it from here.

The big punch is coming, and if there's anything to be gleaned from Hal's sad moment with the media this week, it's that the Yankees' plan is to clutch their wallet and wait for the bargains to emerge. 

They are no longer MLB's premier franchise - haven't been for years, and they soon might not even be NYC's - whose bold moves set the winter agenda. Though they still possess perhaps the most lucrative fan base in American sports, they act like your Aunt Prudence, clipping coupons and combing the bargain bins for old 8-tracks of the Guess Who.     

The big fish are the Dodgers and Mets, who will spend whatever it takes to dominate the upcoming free agent winter. Once they are sated, the Yankees will bid with the Phillies, Cubs, Boston, Toronto (and probably still the hungry Mets) - for the leftovers. 

Make no mistake: There are gems to be had. Jiggering the scrap yards has been Brian Cashman's greatest skill as a GM. But his downfall has been in finding that ace pitcher who would lead the Yankees to a world series. 

Don't worry: That pitcher is not Sonny Gray, and it's probably not Dylan Cease. But soon, the Dodgers and Mets will make their moves. The Yankees will bid just enough to come in second. The plan is simple: See what happens.  

Black Friday Special

Thanksgiving is over and it's time to Deck Mel Hall with boughs of holly because it's Hal Steinbrenner's favorite season. No, not the off-season and certainly not the baseball season. Those two cost too much money...  

It's shopping season, and AA and I are kicking it off with a Black Friday Special... 

The CASHmere Sweater

 

Keeping warm during the off-season requires more than a hot stove.

 

Show your fealty to the New York Yankees with this this unisex turtleneck CASHmere sweater, named for 2025 General Manager of the Year Candidate Brian Cashman. 

 

While the playoffs may be a crapshoot there is nothing crappy about this GOAT soft yarn sweater complete with a felt New York Yankees logo patch.

 

Expertly assembled, the CASHmere sweater provides a luxury experience mirroring the team and the man it honors.  

 

·         The Elite Large Pal-Hole™ with ribbed stitching, located at the top of the sweater, is both a tribute to the Yankee infield and offers a perfect way to pull the sweater over your head.

 

·         The Ralph Lauren inspired rib design at the sleeves and neck is an homage to past championships and is stitched together using remnants of older “classic” fabrics hand selected by Mr. Cashman himself.  

 

·         Your purchase Includes a state-of-the-art analytics “How To” guide telling you what days to wear the sweater regardless of the actual temperature.

 

$495 (Pinstriped pants not included.)

Disclosure:

 

Sweater may unravel at inopportune times. Avoid wearing in the month of October. Money from the purchase of the CASHmere sweater will not be used toward operating expenses or appear in any way on the New York Yankees profit/loss statement.

 

Dear Mr. Steinbrenner: At some point, you must stand up to the bully

Dear Madam or Sir,

Didja see what those dirty rotten Mets just went and did? Unbelebable! They traded Brandon Nimmo, a lifetime Met, leaving a big-ass hole in their outfield. Hah. We should start drinking, right?  

Uh, well, why isn't anybody hoisting a grog? Everybody looks a bit stressy, woeful, downcast. It always gets this way when Daddy poormouths - as you did last week - about paying the rent. 

It's the way you've been grumbling lately, while the Mets just grin.   

That hole in their outfield? It won't last long. They might decide to sign Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger, or both. They might just headfirst into bidding wars, and if so, Yank fans have dark fears over how they will end.  

Sir, at some point, you must face off against the schoolyard bully - super-billionaire Stevie Cohen - yep, the guy who kicked your ass last year in the chase for Juan Soto. 

Once again, the Mets may seek to sign one of your main free agent targets. 

It won't do any good to call Cohen and plead prudence, as you've done in the past. He is the pimply eighth-grader who decided your bike belongs in his garage.  Meanwhile, you're the pipsqueak who thinks everybody can get along, if they simply go behind closed doors and divvy up the work force. Nobody needs bidding wars. They should just do what owners always do... collude.

Soon, maybe this week, Cohen is going to declare interest in Tucker and/or Bellinger, and back it up with more money than the Tampa Rays pay in a year. He won't be alone. The Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies and maybe even Boston will join the bidding. 

I can't tell you who to sign. But this business of finishing second in free agent bidding wars needs to end.

Yes, those awful, mean-old, hedge fund billionaires have more money than you. And yes, it's terrible - just terrible! - that the taxpayers of NYC expect you to pay rent on Yankee Stadium. How dare they! Commies! 

Sir, at some point, you must stave off the bully - beat the Mets in a contract war. You must show- (even if it's not true) - that the Yankees are still New York's top team. Right now, that perch is perilous. 

I know you don't want to hear this, but this winter, it's time for you to dig deep... and spend. 

WISHING EVERYONE OF YOU A THANKSGIVING THAT'S WAY ABOVE AVERAGE . . .

 

AFTER A BIG THANKSGIVING MEAL THERE'S

NOTHING QUITE LIKE A LONG AND RELAXING BATH. 

THIS HOLIDAY, ENJOY A WARM, BUBBLY SOAK

WITH NEW YORK YANKEES MANAGER AARON BOONE.

  

Ø HA HA HA HA HA Ø

OR MAYBE, JUST ENJOY THAT BATH ALONE WITH

THE IDIOT'S FAVORITE BRAND OF BUBBLY,

MR BUBBLE !

Seven Things I’m Actually Thankful For

Yeah, yeah, family, friends, sun in the morning and the moon at night. I’ll save that for the dinner table surrounded by people who, aside from my immediate family, I could walk away from in a NY minute.  

Instead, I’m going to reveal what I’m truly grateful for about being a Yankee fan. 

Number Four will shock you! Number Five will be a letdown. But Six and Seven show promise.

One: They Win More Often Than Not (Notice the non-use of numerals to give this piece more heft.)

With the exception of the playoffs, and I’ve heard that’s a crapshoot, the Yankees always give me a reasonable expectation of winning. As my fellow (and gal-low?) Giant fans (and Jet fans) know, winning is not to be taken for granted.

Two:  We Live In The Future

When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1981 my ability to follow the team was limited.  Basically, box scores in the LA Times with short summary like, “ Jerry Mumphrey went 2 for 3 with a double and Doug Bird picked up the win in relief as the Yankees defeated the Orioles 5-3.” 

That was it.

I would suffer through February waiting for the Street and Smith to show up at the Thrifty. Or, if I just couldn’t take it anymore, the Atherton one that always sucked.

Today I watch pretty much every game and watch it when I want. Fast forward certain players at bats. (Cough. Volpe.) Blast through the commercials. Read blogs. Write blogs. Read the NY Post Sports section, the NY Daily News Sports section, The Athletic...

I really need to get more of a life.

Which takes me to…

Three – Most Yankee Games Begin at Four O’Clock PST

I’m old. Yankee games at four are like the Early Bird Special. I’ve already run my errands. If I can just make it to four my day is effectively and mercifully over.  Three-hour ballgame. Eat dinner. Read a book. Meditate. Rinse. Repeat.

This doesn’t work with the Knicks. Even though it times out the same, basketball requires an attention span that I don’t have. Plus there are always interruptions… My family comes home. I’m getting phone calls from friends . Suddenly it’s the third quarter and Karl Anthony Towns has four fouls and I don’t know how.    

Number Four -  Throwing A Plugged In Toaster Into A Bathtub

I don’t know if this actually is able to kill someone. I saw it in a James Bond movie when I was a kid. Then again I once saw a movie starring Dick Van Dyke that had a car that could fly and go underwater.  The closest I ever got my car to flying was doing the Rene Julian thing with my family’s FIAT 124 by setting up a ramp behind the PathMark.  

Number Five - The Hot Stove

The Yankees are a giant puzzle that was purchased for a dollar at the Goodwill. There are always pieces missing.  Even though virtually nothing I think they should do actually gets done it's fun to try to solve it anyway. 

Number Six  -  Aaron Judge

I’ve been a Yankee fan since the early 1960’s.  I had the Roger Maris Home Run Trainer and my first glove was a Mickey Mantle Tripe Crown but I was too young to really appreciate who these guys were. By the time I was old enough Mantle was in steep decline and it wasn’t until my college years that there were players worth following.

Aaron Judge is THE best ballplayer on a team that I have rooted for that I have ever seen. It’s not even close.  

He isn’t my favorite Yankee BTW. I don’t currently have one. Munson, Mattingly, Matsui were special to me but Aaron Judge is an absolute pleasure to watch.

 

Number Seven – It is High It Is Far It Is Caught

Having the opportunity to be a part of this group of writers and readers is one of the great joys in my life.  To have a place to put down my thoughts about the Yankees and about life…

To read everyone else thoughts and marvel in the infinite creativity that we collectively have to basically say that Hal is a bad owner, Brian is a horrible GM and Aaron Boone is, and I mean this with no disrespect, a moron. Over and over again, and manage to keep it fresh and relevant, helped only by the fact that Hal really  is a bad owner, Brian really is a horrible GM and Aaron Boone is, and I mean this with no disrespect, really is a moron.

I’m particularly in awe of, and thankful for El Duque, who, rain or shine, delivers humor and wisdom about this team… Every. Single. Day.  For years!

I do not know how he does it but I’m truly thankful that he does.

So to all of you, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, which puts it somewhere near my Solar Plexus, (I don’t really know. I went F, F, D, F in 10^th Grade Biology.  I was better at Social Studies and English – except for punctuation. I’m still working on that.)

Happy Thanksgiving To All of You. We have a lot to be thankful for.  

Suzyn, I thank you, and thank you all...

Today, I wanna thank everyone on this blog who reads, rants, roils, regales and retches over the sad state of humanity and - of course - the New York effin' Yankees. You know who you are. 

Listen: Hal will never spend the money. Cashman will never leave. Roger will never make the Hall. Donnie will never get a ring. Volpe will never hit, and Jeet will never be replaced. But every day, somebody here will give me cause to laugh - or grimace - and a reason to carry on.

I consider myself the luckiest fan on the face of the earth.

So I thank you, Suzyn, and one and all. 

Look! What's that? The Abyss! Let's go! Last one in is a rotten egg! 

Time to Start Practicing Our Vociferous Booing

 

The good kind of booing.  Where you're booing as loud as you can and half laughing at the same time.

When his name is announced, we'll let loose a boisterous, clamorous, noisy, strident, uninterrupted BOOOOO, with our boo/laugh fueled by the sheer pleasure of it.

Yes, boys and girls, Sonny Gray has been traded to the Red Sox which means we'll likely see him in the Bronx a few times next summer.

If the son-of-a-bitch shuts us down, it'll be ok to for our booing to take on a concerned tone.  A booing sound made by fans who are thinking "Please tell me he's not going to be another Yankee killer."

But then Judge will step in and take Gray deep and we we'll all laugh again.

Here's hoping he sucks for the Socks as much as he did for us.

The Bellinger Conundrum

In a subliminal rallying cry to you, Mr. and Mrs. Retail Shopper, today's ATHLETIC proposes the one free agent Black Friday purchase that every MLB team should make. (Remember: If we each do our part - spend, spend, spend - the economy will bloom, and everybody will win the Super Bowl, metaphorically.)

In this reverse-Hunger Games analysis, the Mets would sign starter Tatsuia Imai, and the Redsocks would grab 3B Munetaka Murakami - two Japanese stars, the human equivalents of those $30 Amazon mystery pallets, which might contain iPads, but probably have electronic doo-hickeys that analyze your dog's stool. As for the Yankees? They would grab Alex Bregman Kyle Tucker Bo Bichette - um - Cody Bellinger.

Yep. The Belli of the Beast. Last year's lineup, but with another season of well-ground grist. 

Yank fans adore Bellinger. Last year, with two strikes, he choked up and situationally hit his way into our hearts. He patrolled LF with aplomb. He hit 29 HRs, 98 HRs, a .272 BA - a poor man's Triple Crown. He's only 30. He's seen it all - from MVP to DFA. He's worth a three-year-deal, maybe five. He won't embarrass us. We could do worse. 

But but BUT... Every Yank fan knows the underside. He's a fundamentalist, with a disturbing likeliness to DJ LeMahieu. Moreover, Bellinger's return would leave no air in the room for the most hyped Yankee prospects of the 2020s: Jasson Dominguez, 22, and Spencer Jones, 24. If Belli stays, there is nothing for The Martian or The Judge Clone - aside from what Cooperstown Cashman gets in some massive trade - the most defining deal since Jesus Montero left for Michael Pineda.  

At the mere thought of Cashman orchestrating a huge deal, I believe I speak for the Yankiverse in saying: GAAAAAAAAAAAH! 

Okay, I know what you're thinking: Jeez, man, at least let's see what Cashman gets in a trade. You can't condemn something without seeing it. 

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Listen: Everybody likes Belli. But wouldn't it be nice if something in 2026 actually changes? Last year's lineup, one year older? I say, Quiet, Piggy! The Yankees need to, a) Spend a jazillion dollars, b) Beat Stevie Cohen in a bidding war, and c) give a chance to their big-ass prospects. For 16 years now, they've tried to trade their way to a championship. It's time for Hal to go out on a massive, dangerous limb. Cody Bellinger is just too safe. 

$$$

Failson Billionaire: You think I make a lot of money? Well have you considered I also have to spend some of it

[image or embed]

— Tim Price (@timprice.bsky.social) November 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM

Dear Mr. Hal: We've heard enough from Tatusya Imai. Sign him.

Dear Madam or Sir,

Over the weekend, when asked about potentially playing for the Dodgers, free agent Japanese pitcher Tatusya Imai said: 

“I want to take them down...I think beating a team like that and becoming World Champions would be the most valuable thing in my life.”

Sign him. 

Sign him now. 

Ten years? Fifteen? Don't care. Take a redeye flight to Japan. Bring two large NY pizzas, a bouquet of roses, and a duffle of Yankee swag. Find his house. Have Cashman pull you in a rickshaw. Knock on the door. Hand him a slice. Give his wife the flowers. Put ball caps on his children. Unfurl a contract with a lotta zeros. Sign him. 

Don't put it off. Don't wear your kinky boots. (Above right.) Don't wait until the Winter Meetings. Be there tonight. And if the man wants a fucking luxury box, give the man a fucking luxury box. 

For the last three years, the best Asian free agent on the market has run to the Dodgers. It's a talent pipeline that threatens the game. This could be the guy to halt it. This could be the guy who wins Game Two. But if he signs with Boston, if he signs with the Mets, if he signs with Toronto, the Yankees could fall into a dark pit of despair, from which we might not emerge in our lifetimes.  

Yesterday, in a Zoom call with selected Gammonites, you were asked how much money the Yankees make. You wouldn't say. You get to decline such questions, because you're a privileged owner. You never have to read your salary in the newspaper, as every MLB player does. You never get booed after hitting a pop-up. You never have to see your paltry batting average on the Jumbotron. And the system is rigged so you never will. 

Well, here's something to do with all that money you claim the Yankees do not make. 

Sign. This. Guy. 

While the Yankees prepare their turkeys, let us praise the greatest losers of all - the Jersey Giants

Yesterday, for the fifth time this year, the NY Footfall Giants took a solid lead into a game's fourth quarter - and somehow managed to lose. 

It was magical, Shakespearian, a masterpiece performance in the art of chokery. Few teams in any sport can match such ignominy. With a 2-10 record, and six straight losses, they have kept pace with the 1-10 Tennessee Titans in the race for the NFL's top draft pick - a chase that Giant fans know won't matter, anyway: They will just draft a bum.

For one queasy moment, I'd like to digress from this blog's central mission: Condemning the Yankees for the betrayal of their legacy. The Giants must be appreciated. For three years now, they've been effectively eliminated by mid-October - even before the Yankees could clock out in the playoffs. That's quality tanking!

Long ago, when I was an impressionable sprout - rooting for Mickey, Whitey and Yogi - I assumed that the Giants - with Andy Robustelli, Sam Huff and Y.A. Tittle - were the Yankees of the NFL. They would always win. When head coach Jim Lee Howell retired, the Giants had a chance to replace him with Tom Landry, the defensive coordinator, or Vince Lombardi, the offensive line coach. Instead, they chose the team clipboard, Allie Sherman. The rest is history, or maybe Drunk History. 

Nearly 70 years later, I believe all NY sports teams are jinxed, due to the massive sociological, financial and sexual distractions posed by Gotham - and the old-money, white-bread, nepo-baby owners, who care more about horses, Gatsby parties and the Westminster Kennel Club. In the Big Apple, sport teams are doomed. 

And yesterday... what a loss! With seconds on the clock and a three-point lead, and a chance to kick an easy field goal, the Giants opted to go for it on 4th down. They failed, of course. The Lions ran down the field and kicked a 59-yard field goal, sending the game into overtime, where they quickly won. Damn. It was magnificent. 

Today, some fans are second-guessing the Giants' decision to forego the field goal. Not me. If the Giants had a six-point lead, Detroit would have simply scored a TD and won anyway. The Giants were going to lose. Everybody knew it. They are football's version of the Yankees - or maybe the Washington Generals. 

Over Thanksgiving, the Giants will prepare for next week's loss. Unfortunately, their last four games include tomato cans: Washington, Minnesota, Vegas and the Cowboys - who will certainly lay down. The Giants likely will end up choosing fifth in a class of four consensus picks.

Damn, though, they are the true worst. They are incredible!

The road to Hell is paved with cheap Yankee ownership

Somewhere, Hal is making his budget. If he's not willing to spend, we're going nowhere. 

That's all I got to say today.
 

I Alone Can Fix It (Part Two)

 Make This Trade Edition

This AM El Duque brought up the legitimate fear that Cashman, perpetually in search of his white whale, could trade away The Martian and Spenser.

Interestingly enough “The Martian and Spenser” was an ill-conceived and short lived episodic on ABC starring Ray Walston and Robert Urich. 

The premise was simple Spenser, based on the exceptional Robert Parker novels about a Boston based detective, was coerced into caring for his geriatric uncle (Ray Walston) who wore an old set of rabbit ear antennas on his head and believed he was a Martian. In a twist of fate the antenna’s, when properly adjusted helped “Uncle Martin” both bring in the Uncle Floyd Show on UHF and reveal the location of that weeks murderer.

But I digress. I really want to talk about sofas. 

NO!

I want to talk about an interesting trade idea I've seen mentioned. 

Fernando Tatis Jr.

The Padres are over budget and trying to get costs down ahead of a potential sale of the ball club.

In the 2025 season, Tatís Jr. hit .268 with 25 home runs and 71 RBIs. He won a Platinum Glove last year. Strong arm in outfield . Was an All-Star the last two years.   

He is signed. Only twenty-seven and is four years into a 14-year, $340 million contract. Twenty-five million a year. Cheap! 

Only three million a year more than they just gave Grisham, and probably five to ten million dollars less per year than they will have to pay Bellinger (5) and Tucker (10) for better defense and similar to superior offensive production. 

Plus, like Tucker, he's young so the Yankees would be getting peak Tatis Jr.

I really like this and would gladly give up the Martian + plus other assets to get this done. Tatis already is what we hope Jasson eventually becomes and, to be honest, might never achieve, especially on the defensive end.

There is one caveat. 

Everything I’m reading says the Padres want to include a second large contract / salary dump to make this happen.  The name most often mentioned is Manny Machado.

Manny Machado

On the surface getting Machado after his peak and over paying for the declining years is so Cashman. The Yankees love to bring in expensive, once great, corner infielders.  

Machado is already 33 and has nine, count em, NINE years to go on his 350 Million dollar contract. He gets 21 million dollars this year. A steal!!!! And then 40 million dollars a year the rest of the way. Yikes! 

Last year he hit 27 HRS and batted .275. He’s still a good third baseman. He’s also kind of a dick.

The Padres desperately need to get out from under this contract.

Figure he’s more or less worth the money for the next three years and then drops off a cliff. 

If we had a different kind of owner the short term potential for a championship using this batting order would be worth it.

Jazz 2B

Judge RF

Tatis LF

Machado 3B

Rice 1B

Stanton DH

Wells C

A NEW SHORTSTOP!!!!! ANY NEW SHORTSTOP!!!!

Grisham CF

That's a really good lineup!  

Possible Solution:

While taking on the Machado contract helps lower the prospect cost it’s just too much money for the number of years left. 

Perhaps the Yankees could do what they did with Stanton and have the Padres chip in ten million a year starting in year five to lower the overall cost.

It’s not a great solution but at least the Yankees wouldn’t have to massively overpay for yet another ageing DH, and Stanton is gone in two years or less, and they might get a ring for their trouble. Of course Judge is probably the future DH for those years... (Sigh) 

Or...

I guess we could give up the farm for Tatis Jr. He’d be a great addition to the team and preferable to Bellinger or Tucker.  Brian could take the savings and put it towards Tatsuya Imai. 

That would work. 

The Yankees should see if The Martian and Spenser plus Schmidt and Warren and taking Tatis' contract off the Padres hands could get it done.