The Yankees are heading into the offseason with two coaching spots suddenly open, and the early list of candidates already has a familiar feel.
Brad Ausmus is now the Houston Astros’ manager, while James Rowson has moved on to the San Francisco Giants as their “offensive coordinator,” leaving New York to fill both its bench coach and hitting coach jobs. The Yankees have a little more than three weeks to make those hires while they can still communicate with players before the lockout.
On the hitting side, one name already in the mix is Aaron Bates. The Yankees have spoken with Bates, who just left the Dodgers after eight years working on the offensive side in Los Angeles. Jon Heyman reported that Bates is among the candidates for the opening, and noted that he couldn’t work out a contract with the Dodgers.
The bench coach search has a few more recognizable names attached to it. Joe Espada, who was dismissed as Astros manager, came up repeatedly on Wednesday as someone who has kept a good relationship with the Yankees since leaving. Rob Thomson is also still available after being fired by the Phillies midseason.
There are a couple of more unusual possibilities, too. Chelsea Janes of SNY noted that the Yankees have interviewed Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey in the past, though it’s unclear how strong that connection is to Craig Breslow. David Bell, who managed the Reds from 2018 until Terry Francona’s arrival, recently left the Blue Jays’ front office and could be looking to get back into the dugout.
For now, Espada looks like the early favorite for the bench coach job. The hitting coach opening is less clear, though Bates stands out as a strong candidate unless the Yankees decide to go in a completely different direction.
In Other News...
Yankees Fans Suddenly Have A New Power Prospect To Watch
Kyle West gave Yankees fans a reason to keep one eye on the Arizona Fall League this fall. The 22-year-old outfielder earned a spot in the American League Fall Stars game after a productive run with the Salt River Rafters, where he showed the kind of power that can turn a prospect from a name in the system into a player worth tracking closely.
Over 21 games, West put together a .257/.361/.543 line with six home runs and 17 RBIs, but the number that really stood out was the one attached to his biggest blast. He launched a 462-foot homer, the longest in the AFL this season and the fifth-longest in league history, a reminder that his bat can leave a mark long before he reaches the Bronx. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Fans Just Got An Unwanted Reminder About Verdugo
The Red Sox are once again in the middle of an outfield conversation that has plenty of Yankee fans paying attention, even if they would rather not. Jarren Duran is reportedly being shopped, a topic that has been widely known around the GM Meetings, and it has naturally stirred memories of Bostons 2023 decision to move Alex Verdugo to New York.
For the Yankees, the comparison is an uncomfortable one because Duran and Verdugo share a similar profile as talented left-handed outfielders who flashed early promise before their careers took an unexpected turn. Verdugos stint in pinstripes did not go the way the Yankees hoped, so any reminder of that trade brings back a familiar question about whether Boston is again trying to move on from a player with a lot of talent and a lot of uncertainty attached. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Cashman Just Added To A Growing Yankees Injury Debate
The Yankees spent much of the 2026 season trying to patch together a roster that kept getting hit by injuries to major names like Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Gerrit Cole. At the GM Meetings, Brian Cashman acknowledged that the club did not communicate well enough about injuries during the year, a candid admission that only adds to a debate that has lingered around the organization for a while. Judges rib stress fracture became a particularly pointed example of how much uncertainty surrounded the teams injury updates.
Cashmans comments land in the middle of a larger pattern the Yankees have struggled to shake, with past injury situations often handled cautiously or with delays that left fans and observers wanting clearer answers. For a team that has spent so much time managing absences from key players, the issue is not just who gets hurt, but how the club explains what is happening and when. The next step for the Yankees is not only getting healthier, but proving they can handle the communication side of the equation better than they did this season. [Read more 🡒]