Throughout U.S. history, the state of the Yankees has always mirrored that of our nation. You can look it up.
Vietnam/Horace Clarke.
Watergate/Otto Velez.
Great Recession/Sidney Ponson.
As for 2026? Yikes. The midterms. ICE. Epstein. The debt. The Melania movie on streaming. Max Shuelmann...
Ten reasons to fear the State of the Yankees.
1. The simple problem with returning last year's roster: You also rerun the reasons why that team failed.
2. They have ignored the biggest problem: Shortstop. For three seasons, Anthony Volpe has shat the bed. Apparently, around late May, they'll conjure him up for one more try. Last year, they barely gave Jose Caballero a shot. He hit .266 over 95 plate appearances, then handed the keys to Volpe. Caballero turns 30 in August. He's getting old for a frontline SS, especially one who specializes on speed. Are we really, once again, gonna balance everything on Volpe?
3. The Yankee bullpen is full of holes. It seems to be based on the franchise-wide assumption that the farm system will endlessly churn out young arms, while helping retreads like Jake Bird and Camilo Duval return to form. In other words, we're hoping to be lucky. Is that a good idea?
4. They still have no sense of balance in the outfield. If they sign a righty hitter - there aren't many left - they'll relegate The Martian and/or Spencer Jones to platoon roles, which - frankly - would jeopardize their long term careers. They are the most hyped youngsters in the entire organization - still the most intriguing - yet the Yankees have no place for them. Scranton? Again? Insane.
5. The farm system looks perilously thin. According to The Athletic, two of their top 20 prospects went unprotected in the recent Rule 5 draft - and nobody took a flier on them. Yikes. (By the way, they are Alan Facundo, ranked #15, and Henry Lalaine, #16, two lefties.) What does it say about our system?
6. The Yankees seem to be depending on Cade Winquest, a Rule 5 pick from the Cardinals. Last time a Rule 5 selection made the Yankees' Opening Day roster was 1973, the year of Hoss, Ron Swoboda and the elderly Matty Alou. Bad sign. Really bad sign.
7. Amazingly, the Yankees haven't addressed the need for a RH-hitting catcher. Their three lefties - Austin Wells, Ben Rice and JC Escara - create a stark roster imbalance that, back in October, drew the ire of A-Rod, of all people. When the happy-talking A-Rod is criticizing you.. yikes.
8. This week, Boston traded for Caleb Durbin, a 5'7" ex-Yankee sparkplug who will torment us for years to come. Something about a bad trade - as Melencamp would say, "Goes on, long after the thrill of livin' is gone." Last year, Cashman traded Durbin for Devin Williams, who relentlessly sucked. Durbin finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting. Hate to think of what he'll do to us. But I've got a feeling we'll hear many references to Dustin Pedroia.
9. The Yankees seem to assume that Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon will return, as they were before surgery. Maybe they will. Maybe they won't. Either way, it's one hell of a gamble.
10. Speaking of happy talk, Aaron Boone is back, spackling over our weaknesses. Nothing changes. But the world is starting to notice how weak the Yankees have become. Boston fans, in their acidic ridicule, actually pretend to feel sorry for us. It doesn't get worse.
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16 comments:
I'm in a motel in Sulphur, Louisiana for the day/night. Watching the weather channel and I just saw a commercial for cheap hearing aids with my own Broadway Joe Namath, who looked and sounded like an old woman. Sic transit Gloria mundi. Kill me now.
PS: The owls are not what they seem.
And they have never tasted like chicken.
Please plan accordingly . . .
Bit, does Sulphur smell up to its name? Or down, hard to say.
You think Namath is reeling in the 80 year old women? He should be doing Viagara commercials instead of hearing aids. In fact, those could be really good, really fun commercials.
He should fire his agent.
thus he should change his last name to something a bit more appropriate
Line up balance? The only balance Cashman is capable of is a bank balance and he's not that good with money either.
Writing is re-writing!
Did you guys hear that IKF said the Blue Jays in the playoffs last year were hoping that the Yankees would knock off the Red Sox so that the Blue Jays could play the Yankees? Blue Jays were cheering on the Yankees against the Red Sox because they WANTED to play us! He said they thought they matched up better against us. What do you think they're sayin' now that we brought back essentially the exact same team? ("Thank God we've got that Yankee doormat again! Hope they keep runnin' back that same team for the next twenty years!)
While the acquisition of Max Shuelmann has been met with general derision (it also led to the DFA of Yanquiel Fernandez, he of the 473 ft HR) it also calls into question the future or Oswaldo Cabrera with the team. Does it indicate a slower than expected recovery from his broken ankle? The bench is getting pretty crowded, so a few people are heading for Scranton. Both Cabrera & Shuelmann have minor league options for 2026.
Meanwhile, it seems the team will proceed with 3 LH hitting catching options.
Again, poor roster construction by Cashman. I suppose he’ll pick up some RH hitting scrub (on the cheap of course) with options who’ll start the year in Scranton.
All due to the lack of leadership from GENIUS CASHMAN
Amazing how NOTHING was done to address the bullpen. I thought that Devin Williams was a bad pick-up, and said-so from the start. But he did have a strong end of the season...and they let him walk for nothing??? What if he's righted himself?
For that matter, Luke Weaver never seemed to bounce back from his injury, but he WAS pretty effective in 2024. What if he just needed some time?
I would say that it would be ludicrous to count on these guys...EXCEPT THAT THERE'S NOTHING ELSE!!!...
And yes, as Duque points out, we're COUNTING on Cole and Rodon returning to form...immediately? Why? Also just a wish and a prayer.
Finally, I frankly object to my name being associated with Vietnam. I saw early on that the war was very different from Korea, and tried to make my views plain to General Westmoreland at an off-season banquet—but he was too drunk to listen. On such things the world turns.
Horace Clarke=Vietnam? I beg to differ. As a player, I was more the equivalent of our 1958 Lebanon intervention. Thank you.
Cam Schlittler has back inflammation and won't throw off the mound for a few days, Aaron Boone said
Schlittler will continuing his throwing program, just not on the mound
Oh aye a few days sure.
Of course not that we had to trade for starting pitching depth or anything we are well set with a championship caliber squad
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