The Yankees said they were going to examine “all the coaching” after the season. So far, though, the front office has been in no hurry to act, and that delay is already costing them.
Two names have already slipped away. According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, catching coordinator Tanner Swanson left for the Seattle Mariners to become their bench coach. Swanson had been with the Yankees as catching coordinator since 2019, and it looked like the kind of situation where a promotion could have kept him in the organization.
Then came another loss: former Triple-A manager Shelley Duncan moved on to the Boston Red Sox’s major league coaching staff earlier in the week. Duncan spent the last four seasons managing Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was well thought of inside the organization.
He had clearly done enough to earn a shot on the big league staff, but the Yankees were not quick enough to get him locked in. Boston, once again, is the one benefiting from a former Yankee.
That leaves the Yankees in a familiar spot. If they really want to reshape the coaching staff, they need to stop waiting and start moving, because the names they might want will not sit around forever. The longer they drag this out, the more likely they are to head into 2027 with the same group intact.
The most obvious place for change is the hitting staff. Aaron Boone praised hitting coach James Rowson after the season, but the Yankees’ offense was the main reason they fell short again this year. The team still has not announced whether Rowson, Casey Dykes or Jake Hirst will be back next season, and while it is not clear who should take the blame, Steinbrenner’s disappointment with the offense makes it hard to imagine nobody paying a price.
One possible replacement is Aaron Bates, who split with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday after the sides could not agree on a new contract. Bates spent 12 years in the Dodgers organization and the last four seasons as co-hitting coach on their big league staff with Robert Van Scoyoc.
The Yankees may need a fresh voice, or several of them, on the staff next season. What they cannot afford is more hesitation. They have already lost two realistic options, and the next upgrade might not be there if they keep standing still.
In Other News...
Yankees Prospect Is Forcing A Bullpen Question Few Teams Face
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For a player trying to climb into a crowded organization, that kind of profile naturally creates a conversation about where he fits next. Scouts like the changeup and the arm speed that sells it, but theres still the bigger question of how that approach plays as hitters get better and more disciplined, which is why Veachs next step may say as much about the Yankees bullpen picture as it does about his own rise. [Read more 🡒]
Gary Sanchez Suddenly Feels Like A Real Yankees Option
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Sanchez has already signaled he would be open to a return to New York, and that matters because the Yankees could use a proven backup with some power in the bat. It is still early in the offseason, but the combination of need, experience and familiarity gives this a real chance to become more than nostalgia if the Yankees decide to explore it. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Trade Plans Could Spark A Big Debate About Their Future
The Yankees appear headed into the offseason with a familiar kind of leverage: enough pitching depth and outfield inventory to at least consider using the trade market instead of shopping heavily in free agency. That approach fits the way this front office has often tried to solve roster problems, and it puts a spotlight on a group of players whose names have started to surface as possible trade chips, including Will Warren, Spencer Jones, Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez.
Of course, not every rumored deal should be taken at face value, and some of the more specific chatter has already been knocked down. The bigger question is how aggressively the Yankees are willing to turn from internal depth to outside help, and which young pieces they are actually prepared to move if a deal can address a need now without creating a hole later. [Read more 🡒]