The Yankees have made one thing clear as their offseason begins: they do not want to let Matt Blake get away.
After being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in three games in the ALDS, New York is staring at a long winter, and one of the first items on the table is Blake’s future. The pitching coach has been with the club since 2020, and while his deal runs through the end of the 2026 season, the Yankees have already shown a desire to keep him beyond that. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the organization is hopeful about retaining him and expects to announce an extension shortly after the season ends.
That urgency makes sense. Blake’s impact has been impossible to miss, especially in a year when the Yankees leaned heavily on their pitching staff. In fact, the 2026 group has been the best of his seven seasons in New York, which is saying something considering how steady the staff has been since he arrived.
Before Blake, the Yankees spent nine seasons with Larry Rothschild as pitching coach from 2011 to 2019, and the late-stage results were a warning sign. New York posted a team ERA under 4.00 in six of those nine years, but the 4.31 mark in 2019 stood out as a problem for a 103-win team that still came up short.
The individual results were shaky, too. Despite working with CC Sabathia and later Masahiro Tanaka, Rothschild never had a Cy Young winner, and Sabathia put up a 4.81 ERA from 2013 to 2015.
The Sonny Gray episode only sharpened the criticism. Gray’s 2018 season with the Yankees went off the rails, as he finished with a 4.90 ERA and was eventually removed from the starting rotation.
Rothschild and Gray disagreed on pitch usage, with Rothschild pushing him toward a less effective slider instead of his curveball. Add in the way the rotation faded in 2019, and the move to let Rothschild go after that season felt inevitable.
Blake stepped into that opening and quickly changed the tone. Since he took over, the Yankees have finished with a team ERA below 4.00 in six of seven seasons.
The lone exception was the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when the club posted a 4.35 ERA over just 60 games. Even in 2023, when the Yankees stumbled to an 82-80 record, their pitching still managed a 3.97 ERA.
The numbers have been especially strong at the top end. Under Blake, the Yankees have finished in the top 10 in team ERA four times: 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2026. Their 3.30 ERA in 2022 ranked third in MLB, and this year’s staff has been even better at 3.24, the best mark in baseball.
Blake has also been there for some major individual breakthroughs. Gerrit Cole won the Cy Young Award in 2023, becoming the franchise’s first winner since Roger Clemens in 2001. Cam Schlittler is now widely expected to bring home the 2026 award as well.
His value goes beyond the headline names. Blake has helped turn Schlittler into an ace, guided Luis Gil to AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, and helped Clarke Schmidt develop into a reliable mid-rotation arm when healthy.
Michael King’s conversion from reliever to starter also paid off, and his growth made him the centerpiece of the Juan Soto trade in 2023. Even Will Warren, despite his inconsistency, has flashed real upside.
The same thing has happened with veterans and arms that needed a reset. Clay Holmes and Nestor Cortes Jr. are the best-known examples, but the list also includes Luke Weaver, Wandy Peralta, Tim Hill, Lucas Luetge, Michael Tonkin, and Jake Cousins. This season, Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick have joined that group, becoming important bullpen pieces.
That kind of track record matters because it gives the Yankees flexibility. Blake has helped them get more out of young pitchers and rebuild veterans without having to keep leaning on expensive outside additions. With a potential salary cap looming, that edge could matter even more.
For the Yankees, the case is straightforward: the pitching staff has been one of the organization’s biggest strengths under Blake, and the team wants that to keep going. A new contract after the 2026 season feels like the natural next step.
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