Baseball is hard to explain. In the Yankees – Red Sox series, scoring any runs was at a premium, and all of the games were close and low scoring. In this series with Toronto? Runs all over the place. The Yankees showed some spine last night after falling behind 6-1 in the 3rd inning, and full disclosure, SU thought they were done for the year. They had shown little in the first two plus games but last night, the offense roared to life including hits with runners in scoring position (RISP for Yankee fans who believe me, are generally not famiiar with that stat nor are their hitters).

So, what happened last night and what can we expect tonight and perhaps Friday if needed?

1. Aaron Judge said enough is enough. He basically said let me show you what I can, in fact, do in the post-season. His 3-run home run off the foul pole was epic on an inside 100-mph fastball. He’s hitting about .500 for the post-season and SU says Toronto is going to walk him intentionally early and often starting tonight. They did that in the regular season and now seems like an appropriate time to go back to that strategy.
2. Aaron Boone pushed the right buttons with the relievers. It is hard to believe that the Yankee relievers actually shut out the Blue Jays for almost 6+ innings in this game. And he did it without having to use Luke Weaver who SU says is going to be the wild card tonight. The odds of every reliever being good every game is very, very small and based on their season long performance, hard to see that continuing.
3. Yankee hitters are now very familiar with the Toronto relievers. John Smoltz was correct on this (full disclousre: SU muted the announcing periodically throughout the game as does anyone want to keep hearing Smoltz predict the next pitch? And he is less than 50% accurate so why bother? Admit it: if you were sitting next to him during a game, you would have to go and get a beer several times during the game and hope for long lines at the beer stand). Anyway, the Yankee hitters have now seen them all and while they were unhittable at times in games 1 and 2, not so much last night. And tonight is going to be a bullpen game for the Blue Jays.
4. Cam Schlittler needs to be good tonight. Not 8 innings and 12 strikeouts good but at least good through 6 innings. The Blue Jay hitters will put the ball in play and will foul off pitches. This will be a tougher opponent than the Red Sox.
5. Tonight will come down to the late inning relievers. SU sees a close game and we will see if the Yankee relievers can be perfect again. And I do think Luke Weaver is going to show up – and it may be in extra innings. And yes, terrifying.

If this goes to game 5, advantage Toronto with Yesavage (and Gausman) waiting in the wings and the Blue Jays play much better at home on the turf. There is also the possibilty that Toronto starts Gasuman on 3 days rest tonight as you still have Yesavage for game 5 as insurance. For SU, at this point, I will take a game 5 and feel like they showed up and did not roll over. SU does predict Anthony Volpe is benched for tonight – he is just striking out in every at bat and is lost. Let him be a bench player tonight. Boone must keep Rice in the starting lineup – he had a huge sac fly late against a left-handed reliever. Stanton is showing signs but until he hits to right field with power, we will not see the October version.

It will be cold and windy tonight in the Bronx. More of that football game feel from the fans. Advantage Yankees.

Things are looking bleak for the Yankees this morning after a lost weekend in Toronto. In game 1, Kevin Gausman, who was starting against the Yankees for the 41st time in his career (can you believe that?) was mostly unhittable as the Yankee hitters went into each at bat swinging at the first pitch. OK, I get it: you don’t want to be at the mercy of his split finger pitch with 2 strikes but it’s not like you never faced this dude before. Anyway, bad strategy – did not work – and per usual, the bullpen imploded.

In game 2, same kind of pitcher in this young guy, Yesavage. Totally dominant but at least they took a few pitches this time. Unhittable – literally. Fried was very hittable (his career stats say he is very good or very bad in postseason games) and that was another blowout. The good news for fans is that this was an NFL Sunday and there was always the Red Zone channel as an option but in the end, another non-competitive game.

In a 7-game series, you can rebound from this. In a 5-game series? Not so easy. SU is sure that Boone and the Yankee players will say that they need to take it one game at a time, protect home field and get ready for a game 5 with Max Fried on track to start again (of course, Toronto will have either Gausman ready to start for the 42nd time vs. the Yankees or Yesavage or perhaps both for a game 5). SU recalls the 2001 World Series vs. Arizona where the Yankees lost games 1 and 2 by the scores of 9-1 and 4-0. These two games felt very similar.

I have to say that I am very surprised at how meekly the Yankees are playing in this series. They were dominated in Toronto all year but usually the playoffs are a different animal. The Blue Jays put the ball in play (what a concept) and play good defense. SU expects that the Yankees will be more competitive in game 3 tomorrow night but with Weaver MIA, the bullpen will be extra scary in a close game. It is possible Toronto will not look like the same team with their 3rd starter, Shane Bieber, pitching who the Yankees, again, have faced many times before in his career. In game 4, it sounds like an opener for Toronto as they have injuries to their starting staff going into the playoffs.

It is certainly possible. Aaron Judge, while getting on base with walks and singles, has yet to come through in the clutch and we are all waiting on that. Stanton was 1 for 17 before a couple of late hits yesterday.

SU will say this: the embarrassment of this weekend will make Aaron Boone’s tenure very shaky if they exit in 3 games. You have to wonder if Hal will have seen enough. Note to viewers: you may want to use the mute button on John Smoltz on FOX. Way too much caffiene in his system. Please stop talking.

SU is not feeling it but is ready to be surprised. It would be nice to see at bats with deep counts. I will be satisfied getting to a game 5 for this series win or lose at this point but let’s start with a competitive game 3.

You have to give credit to Aaron Boone for keeping the team together after losing game 1 to the Red Sox and winning the Wild Card series. He has not fared well facing off against Alex Cora in past years and this one has to feel very good. You know last night that he was tempted to take out Schlittler in the 6th and 7th innings. He had already been beaten up about removing Fried too early in game 1 (SU disagreed by the way – that was the right move) and he sometimes fails to trust what he is seeing during the actual game vs. relying too much on the analytics.

Schlittler was throwing strikes at 100 mph over and over again, and the Red Sox hitters were being overpowered. Just think about it: Boone let a starter go 8 innings. Never happens. SU says it is probably more of an indictment of the Yankees’ bullpen and not wanting to put Weaver back out there or Williams who, while better of late, is still a bit of a gamble.

Did you see Boone say after the game that game 3 was the most pressure he has ever faced in any Yankee playoff game – either as a player or a manager? I believe he felt his job was on the line if they lost and while I am sure he is financially secure and can always return to broadcasting, no one wants to get fired. We will never know if Hal would have pulled the trigger but SU says it would have likely happened.

SU watched the post-game on YES and it was heart warming to hear the comments from Jazz, Judge and others about Boone and their trust in their teammates. Loved Stanton telling young fans to NOT do what he did and watch his not-to-be home run hit off the wall early in the game. Say what you want about Stanton but he is a stand up guy and handled that well.

So, Toronto awaits and they handled the Yankees easily all year. SU now feels that karma is going to take over and that the Yankees will beat them in 4 games. Too many good vibes now and you have to figure the players will play this series more freely as it’s not the Red Sox and there is little history with Toronto in the post-season – at least not like vs. other teams. Expect the offense to pick up a bit and more runs to be scored. I know they struggle on artifical turf and the Blue Jays will run on the outfielders and the catcher but there has to be a huge weight that has been lifted now.

Of course… all bets are off as soon as Devin Williams blows a lead. But this next round feels easier to me. Thoughts?

Come on, Yankee fans, you should have seen last night’s game coming. If you have watched the Yankees all season long, this game played out just like so many others against the better teams with the better pitchers. Cases in point:

1. Boone went with the platoon lineup. Rosario was 6 for 9 vs. Crochet with a home run this year so SU can see the rationale there. Sitting Chisholm? Not so much but Boone did not want to sacrifice defense on the left side of the infield. OK – SU gets it. Didn’t work out but defensible.
2. Fried exits with one out in the 7th and having thrown over 100 pitches – a season high. He had labored the prior inning and you want him fresh for the next rounds. As SU has said previously, the Yankees’ bullpen is basically a crapshoot every game. You need a 3-run cushion (or more) if you want to comfortably win a game with the lead. I didn’t have that much of an issue there but you do hold your breath with any of these relievers from game to game. Last night, it was Weaver’s turn to implode and truth be told, it took a nice running catch by Judge with the bases loaded to even hold it there at a 1-run deficit. The relievers are terrifying and they will be again tonight.
3. The Yankees did not score with the bases loaded and no one out in the 9th inning. Long-time subscriber, D. Harmon, notes that the Yankees are the first team in MLB postseason history to have the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the 9th but not score a run and lose the game. At least they made history! If you have watched this year’s team in extra innings, you knew this could very well happen. This team is terrible with RISP – they score via the home run for the most part and unless someone was going to hit a homer there (or maybe we see a wild pitch which the Yankees have often benefited from this year), it would be a surprise to have seen a single there. The key at bat was Stanton’s with no one out but hey, it was still September and he is not good until October. His doubleplay in the 1st inning was also a killer. SU is sure he will own up to it and be ready tonight. He failed in game 1 but as we know, baseball is a game of failure.
4. No pinch runner for Goldschmidt in the 9th inning. SU thought they could have put in Dominguez for him after Stanton struck out as who were you saving him for at that point? He would have scored on the Chisholm fly ball in the 9th but in the end, does not matter.

Is the season now over? Come on. Rodon has been very consistent this season and he is a highly competitive guy. SU expects he will give them a quality start for 6 innings but then, here you go again with the bullpen. Can the Yankees muster more offense against Bello? He’s right handed so you can play your better players and now it’s October, so expect Stanton to make up for last night. But they will need a substantial lead to get through the final 3 innings.

The Yankees will still need to overcome the questionable moves by Boone during the game but they should be able to do that. SU expects the Yankees to prevail in game 2 and then set up an agonizing game 3 filled with more drama and angst. But that is why we watch!

SU says that the Yankees certainly finished the season strong and beat up on the teams that they had to beat to grab a share of the Eastern Division with Toronto. Ultimately, they paid the price of so many Devin Williams blown saves back in April – that was the diference in winning the division.

Now, the reality is that their record vs. the AL East was pretty bad as was their record vs. teams with winning records. SU watched its share of games and the reality is that they really, really (as in really) struggle against the top starting pitchers and relievers. This is a team built on the home run and it’s just harder to do that against the top tier pitchers.

Soooo, what is going to happen in October? SU is not feeling it. Playing a best of 3 series against the Red Sox – even with them down a top starter in Giolito – is a tough lift. While regular season records are not necessarily an indicator of playoff outcomes, it has to give Boston a lot of confidence going into this series. Crochet is always tough and no doubt the Yankees will load up on the right-handed hitters which makes the defense weaker by sitting McMahon and the offense worse by sitting Rice. Maybe it will work – no doubt the analytics guys are busy doing their thing – but SU wants Rice in there every game.

Not winning the division puts you in this position, and the Yankees were bad for about half the season as in past years. SU is concerned and would not be surprised by an early post-season exit. Toronto awaits in the next round and they dominated the Yankees this year – also with top starting pitching.

Elsewhere:

1. Wow, the Mets just collapsed the 2nd half of the year. Sure, they had a lot of injuries but the offense should have been good enough to win one more game to get to October. I guess the good news is that they have some talented young starters coming up which should set them up for the future but they needed to quality for the playoffs and no doubt Steve Cohen will make changes. But the manager deserves to stay for sure.
2. Ryder Cup: credit to the Americans for making a gallant run on Sunday. No credit to the fans in Bethpage this weekend though. Golf is not one of the sports that lends itself well to act out against the opponent. It’s not a constant motion type of sport (you think?) and like tennis, you have a bunch of individual players going at it with downtime galore. In SU’s opinion, it made the NY fans look bad and drunk – trying to summon support by jeering the Europeans vs. cheering their own. It’s a bad look. Will the European fans return the favor in Ireland in 2 years? Probably and that won’t look any better. But revving up the crowd is dumb. Do better.
3. Injuries in the NFL just keep piling up – and to top stars. Long-term, the NFL needs to figure it out to lower the level of hitting and injury.
4. Enjoy October: the best time of year with the MLB playoffs, college football in full swing, the NFL and then the NHL and NBA seasons getting started.

So, Yankee fans, are you seeing a World Series in the team’s future this post-season?

While you were sleeping, no doubt some NFL team had a field goal blocked or a pass interecepted and run back for a touchdown. What a crazy day in the NFL yesterday? We are only 3 weeks into the NFL season but there have already been a slew of missed field goals and extra points combined with made 60-yard kicks that would have been jaw dropping 10 years ago. Are the balls juiced?

We enter the final week of the MLB season and the Mets are running on fumes. They have gone from having almost the best record in baseball back in June (they may have had it and maybe it wasn’t in June but the SU research team is off for the Jewish holidays) to desperately hanging on for the final wild card spot in the National League. Now, we know past history says that the Mets can turn it on in October and you can never count them out but at this point, making the playoffs and losing in the Wild Card round will be a failed season. Is this the week that you paid over $700 million for Juan Soto to do something?

The Yankees appear to be comfortably locked into the top Wild Card slot and there is a tremendous battle now for the other two spots between Cleveland, Houston and Boston. Even Detroit is now in the mix. The Yankees cannot beat the good teams but they sure are good against the bad ones. Making the World Series this year is just not that hard in the American League as most of the teams are really medicore – including the Yankees. Note to Aaron Boone: stop platooning Ben Rice and find a spot for him every game. He is learning to hit lefties and there is no reason to sit him given his bat. Sure, his defense is a bit of a problem but just tell Volpe to throw strikes to first base.

Will this be the year where Aaron Judge has a great post-season? SU says it is. He is ready to stop swinging for the fences and put the ball in play come October. The Yankees will need to score a lot of runs – we all know that – and no lead is safe with this bullpen. As in no lead. SU still believes that they are overpowered by good pitching and Boston is scary in a short series given their starters. Success for this season has to be another World Series appearance.

SU believes the World Series champion will come out of the National League this year.

It used to be that only in college football did we see teams score with 25 seconds left in the game or half. But now, the NFL is in the same boat. Really, no lead is safe with long passes and kickers who are money from 60+ yards out. Crazy.

Can NFL and college players stop with the taunting and the gestures that come with 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties? A Michigan defensive player cost his team a punting situation on Saturday and last night, Karim Hunt, after scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run had to do the throat slash gesture. Kicked then missed the extra point which was 15 yards further back. SU knows it is a different generation and players want to get the social media hits as well as show up the opposition’s players and fans, but how about “act like you’ve been there before?” I know: old man talking but the rules were made by old guys and they will enforce them.

Finally, a happy and healthy New Year to the SU Jewish subscribers who are celebrating this week. Really hoping for a better new year – in this country and abroad.

He’s never been the most popular player, never received the adoration of the fans the way Federer and Nadal did. For his career, every match is pretty much a road match. With the exception of Australia at times, Djokovic has never had the home town support that Federer and Nadal did all over the world. It has made his achievements all the more impressive. He’s a guy that came from nothing in Serbia and had to learn as he goes – making mistakes along the way and ruffling feathers here and there.

Sure, he has some bizarre world views and as we know, is not a fan of the Covid vaccine. But at 38, he has now made it to the semi-finals of all 4 Grand Slam tournaments this year. In the era of Alcaraz and Sinner, that basically means he is the best of the rest out there. At 38 – an age when most tennis stars are in the twilight of their careers or have already retired. His body is breaking down now and he seems to require a trainer in almost every match for some ailment. And because he plays so few tournaments now, he has to work himself into shape as he goes in the early rounds.

If you watch him closely, you will see that he just tries to keep the ball in play in the early rounds, and as he progresses, he will start going more for the lines and for more risk as the quality of opponent ramps up. We are certainly seeing that in this US Open. Taylor Fritz had his chances last night but truth be told, he has a ceiling due to his style of play. Big guy with a big forehand and serve but rarely comes to the net. That lack of variety hurts him against the top players. He has made the most of his physical ability but hard to beat the elite players without that other aspect of his game. SU thought he had a shot last night going in if he could extend the match to 4 or 5 sets. He almost got there. Their playing styles are not that different and quite frankly, the points were a bit boring and repetitive. But Djokovic perservered and now has Alcaraz on Friday.

Amazingly, Djokovic has a 5 – 3 career record vs. Alcaraz and has not lost to him on hard courts. But you can see how Alcaraz is a sponge and is constantly learning and processing information. He has the complete game and the only hope of opponents is that he is so confident and cocky that he will go for too much risk on shots and miss some. SU believes that Djokovic has a better shot vs. Alcaraz as opposed to Sinner who just overpowers him. Their games are very similar but Sinner at this point of his career does it better, faster and younger.

SU says that for Djokovic, does he want to hang around another year making it to the semis of Grand Slams? Is that rewarding enough for him? I don’t think so. 2026 will be his last year and he will play the big events and say good bye to the fans. I hope the fans will give him his due – he has earned it and why not? But when he hangs it up, is every tournament going to be won by either Alcaraz or Sinner? And is that entertaining? Surely, some other phenom will come along – maybe it’s Ben Shelton although SU says he needs to fix that backhand to really threaten them. But tennis needs other players to be more in the mix.

I will miss him when he goes. The good and the bad. I hope the tennis world give him his due.

After flat lining vs. the Red Sox a couple of weeks ago, the Yankees are taking care of business against the bad teams and are once again, threatening to win the division. The formula for them is simple: hit home runs and win. Don’t hit home runs and rely on putting the ball in play and moving runner along – and lose. SU is still not a believer, and I don’t see how this approach plays out in their favor in October against the better pitchers. Love that Ben Rice is now playing every day. Concerned that Jasson Dominguez is not progressing although he is still young. And any ground ball to Vope in the 9th inning is terrifying.

Juan Soto is on a tear although I thought I heard some stat that most of his home runs this year have been solo shots. Can that be true? SU still believes that the Mets will go further in the post-season than the Yankees. Time will tell.

SU will never request that a manager or coach get fired. I also don’t boo players at games (and not even on TV!). However, yelling is permissable and the occasional throwing up of the hands.

However, last night Aaron Boone made the odd decision to bring in Devin Williams to pitch the 10th inning (at home in Yankee Stadium before a sellout crowd of unadoring fans). His first pitch was a wild pitch and it was downhill from there including an RBI single, a ball off the right field wall that should have been a double but ended up in a forceout and then a 2-run home run. It was all very predictable at this point for Williams who has had a brutal week. Anyone else would have been a better choice. SU says you are not doing Williams any favors at this point as his confidence is shot and the Yankees can generally not score in extra innings anyway. They need to win in 9 innings. Soooo, is Boone just trying to get himself fired? It was clearly the wrong move, and even he has to know that.

The fans on Twitter (er, sorry, X) certainly want him out. They are unhappy campers but then again, they hate everyone all the time. Boone is a good guy and a good communicator but it feels like this year’s team needs more of a yeller in the clubhouse as they are way too comfortable and casual in their approach. Paging Joe Girardi? Last night, McMahon hit a slow grounder to 2nd and jogged down to first. The 2nd baseman actually made a wild throw pulling the 1st baseman off the bag and if McMahon had been hustling, he would have been safe but there was none of that. Same for all of the other players. Yankee fans used to complain about Gleyber Torres last year dogging it to first and this year, other than Ben Rice and Judge, most others show their frustration with the slow jog to first.

As SU has said before, Cashman should have been a seller at the trade deadline as this roster is not a good fit. You are starting 2 rookies and Gil who is still a youngster. Hard to see them making a concerted run where the bullpen needs to cover 4-5 innings except when Fried starts and Rodon occassionally. It is a tall order for any team. I know it’s the Yankees and you have to compete but like this? Houston has 14 players on the IL and they are still in 1st place. Plus many of their players seem to be home grown.

The Mets are struggling but their fans are much more forgiving and come in with lower expectations. SU saw a headline that perhaps the Soto signing had hurt the culture in the clubhouse. Maybe but I would take having the slugger in the middle of the lineup who plays every day over culture. They will pick it up and be a force in the playoffs. Just a matter of time. Scrappy team and SU has much more confidence in them getting on a roll.

Not so with the Yankees this season. Stanton will be in right field today and while he is a sevicable outfielder, you can see him running into the wall or pulling a muscle either running in the outfield or on the bases. They do need him in the lineup now as he is locked in and they desperately need some offense. SU says if Judge is just a DH, worth the risk but a bit terrifying.

Football is on the horizon – both NFL and college – and that makes this easier to handle for Yankee fans. I am not talking about the Giants or Jets mind you, but the Red Zone Channel which is tremendous fun (and aggravation if you play fantasy football). Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers have the best record in baseball. Great story and an easy team to root for.

Yankee fans who have long listened to Michael Kay’s daily show know that he is much more up front and honest about the Yankees on his radio show vs. what he ever says on the Yankee broadcasts. However, as they continue their slog over the past many weeks this season, he is starting to crack even on the Yankgee broadcasts on YES.

SU says that Jazz Chishom getting doubled off first base yesterday on a routine pop up to 2nd base caused him to snap. This came on the heels of a runner getting thrown out at home in the 1st inning by about 30 feet. Kay went off about the continued sloppy play in almost every game and lack of discipline by players. SU would agree. Aaron Boone even took Cisholm down the tunnel in the dugout for a chat, and we saw him yelling at the 1st base coach in the dugout on the broadcast. In defense of the 1st base coach: shouldn’t a veteran MLB player know to get back to 1st base on a pop up to 2nd and 1 out? This is not 4th grade rec baseball. SU says not his fault. Austin Wells jogged off the field on Wednesday night thinking there were 3 outs. Again, is that on the 1st base coach? It’s embarassing and BTW, more a reflection of the manager than anything else. There needs to be a culture of attention to detail and this team clearly does not have it. Boone is a good communicator with the media but many question his in-game moves almost every game (see Twitter for his detractors).

Perhaps someo of you caught Ian O’Connor’s recent column on the Athletic where he basically said that there are no excuses for the Yankees now, after the flurry of trade deadline moves, to not only make it to the World Series but basically win it all (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6528920/2025/08/01/yankees-trade-deadline-moves-opinion/).

Now, SU does not hold to that theory (at all!) but it’s interesting that one of the best sports writers around feels this team should now be able to win it all this year. It speaks more to the mediocrity of the American League than anything else. There are no dominant teams out there and if you can get hot and healthy in October, it would not take much to get to the World Series. Cashman took care of some of the major holes (as in recreating the entire bullpen) but a lot is riding on Gil regaining his form of 2024 coming off an extensive rehab from an injury. It also assumes that Judge will return to form and that his shoulder/arm injury is not serious.

The Yankees have worn me down. SU still pays attention and will watch the games but that bad feeling when they lose is gone. For me, it’s a function of so many .230 hitters, no situational hitting, no aggressive base running and a strategy of just waiting for the next home run. Plus the bone headed plays every game and not playing Ben Rice enough. I would be happy with a total overhaul this off season. And please stop over hying the prospects and let’s get some real talent that is developed and not traded on July 31st every year. OK, enough said.

SU knows Met fans will have their issues at times, but they field a team that makes contact and seems to have an idea of how to move runners along. Also, having attended games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field of late, the Mets have a better in-game experience – although the Whitestone Bridge traffic is a disaster so there is that.

A few random thoughts for today:

1. SU has been paying more attention to the WNBA this year with Paige Bueckers making her debut. She is terrific on a horrible Dallas team. But the games are not watchable, and the refereeing is truly awful. The WNBA needs to upgrade the refs – perhaps sprinkle in some of the NBA refs? So many missed calls and as the games get more physical, players are getting hurt.
2. Men’s tennis has become a 2-man race now with Alcaraz and Sinner. Djokovic can still be competitive with them but not after having to advance through multiple rounds to get there in the semis or finals. His body can’t stand up for the early round long matches and SU suspects he will hang it up in 2026. He will not be motivated enough to be 4th in the world or whatever. I know many have issues with him but his record is pretty amazing and he is a super smart guy and an interesting interview (depsite some off the wall views). He also goes out of his way to mentor the younger players and btw, neither Nadal or Federer ever did much of that. The Djoker will be missed. SU does believe someone else will come along to threaten Alcaraz and Sinner – although hard to say who that is at the moment. I sure do not see it. Maybe Ben Shelton will make the jump in the next year with his big serve?
3. SU is excited about another college football season on the horizon. Interested to see how the NIL investments will pay off this year. Who will stay and who will go after the season. Someone needs to fix this as it’s just too much free agency – especially for college hoops. Too much disruption year to year.

Sorry for the absence of posts this past many months. Too much happening in the world on a daily basis to process. It wears you down but I know: #sticktosports.

Another game for the Yankees against a right-handed starting pitcher and another game where Ben Rice sits on the bench. The Yankees DFA’d LeMahieu today and while that is too bad for DJ, it’s the right move. He came into Spring Training slimmed down and in much better shape than prior years. But he has become a singles hitter with limited range at 2nd base. Like most free agent contracts, they end badly and 2 years too long. In fact, the Yankees still owe him one more year in 2026 at $15 million.

Full disclosure: SU does not like this year’s edition of the Yankees. I still watch the games but I am not emotionally invested. This team is uninspiring. No situational hitting, no ability to move runners. An incredibly bad record in extra innings. The record is fine and they may still eke out a wild card spot but so many injuries now to the starting pitchers and relievers. It feels like too much to make up with trade deadline moves this year. You don’t want to mortgage the future by trading top prospects in a season where they won’t have enough to make an extended post-season run.

SU does like Jazz, Bellinger, and I really like Ben Rice. He can play multiple positions and is still young. Boone has tried to shuffle players in and out of the lineup – especially with Stanton back – but it seems clear now that he will go with the starters moving forward. Goldschmidt is a veteran and he will get the starts at first base. They have to play Stanton as they want him to get hot finally. Last night was the first game where he stopped stepping in the bucket and maybe he will get on a hot streak now. At least until he pulls the annual calf muscle – coming to a theatre near you.

The benching of Rice tells SU that he is being shopped. Personally, I would trade Grisham and keep Rice but to get quality, you need to give up quality. Rice just needs an extended time to start and see what he can do. Some other team will give that to him. The reality is that with this lineup, there will never even be pinch hitting opportunities. Not going to happen.

Gil may return in a few weeks but you have to figure he will be on a pitch count and even in his best years, he has had arm issues. Stroman becomes the #3 starter – enough said. The bullpen needs a total makeover.

SU is ready for new leadership at the top. Cashman had a good run but he has likely run his course with the Yankees.

So, is SU wrong? Is this team ready to make a run in 2025 with about 17 trade deadline moves? I don’t see it and I am not feeling it. Convince me otherwise.