The Yankees are entering a winter of hard questions, and one of the most uncomfortable came from a familiar face.
Jorge Posada, one of the defining players of the Core Four era, said on the New York Post’s "The Show" podcast on Tuesday that he does not feel wanted around the organization anymore. The longtime catcher, who spent his entire career in pinstripes and won four World Series championships, was asked by host Joel Sherman whether he would be interested in returning to the club in some capacity, likely as a coach.
His answer was blunt.
"I could, but I don’t think they want me there, to tell you the truth," Posada said. "I don’t feel welcome when I go there, you know?
Even in spring training, I don’t feel like - I’m just like, I don’t know, like, I don’t feel welcome. I don’t feel like they want me there, so I don’t go."
Posada’s comments land hard because of who he is to the franchise. He is not some fringe ex-player looking in from the outside.
He remains an ambassador for the Yankees, and he is still invited to Old-Timers’ Day and team celebrations. On paper, the ties are still there.
But Posada’s remarks suggest the relationship feels colder than the formal picture shows.
He also made clear that he still sees Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone as the right people to run the club, even if both have flaws. At the same time, he placed the burden for October failures on the players, which lines up with the view held by Hal Steinbrenner.
The reasons behind Posada’s discomfort were not spelled out directly, though he did acknowledge the difficult 2011 season that ended his career. That final year included a public clash with management over playing time after Russell Martin became the everyday catcher.
Posada’s production had fallen sharply by then, and his career was clearly nearing its end. Still, the way that goodbye unfolded connects to a broader pattern around how the Yankees have handled the exits of former stars.
Bernie Williams went through something similar, and Alex Rodriguez’s departure in 2016 came suddenly in the middle of August. Under Cashman, the tail end of the Core Four era was not always handled smoothly, and the treatment of those exits left a mark.
That said, being a franchise icon does not automatically open the door to a coaching job. Posada is not owed that role, and some of his own public comments about the modern game could make that fit harder.
In a separate appearance on Abriendo El Podcast, he said, "I can’t watch today’s baseball." He also said the sport has become too robotic.
Boone, for all the criticism that comes his way, has generally avoided blasting players in public. That approach matters. Accountability inside the room is one thing; turning it into a public spectacle is another, and it can create noise that follows a team everywhere.
Posada has not been shy about pointing out Yankees flaws, and that honesty may be part of why the team has not shown much urgency about bringing him into the coaching mix. If the organization has hesitated, it may be because he has been more willing to throw criticism outward than keep it behind closed doors.
The path back, if there is one, may come through staying active in the game. Andy Pettitte became a special advisor and had real input with Matt Blake and the Yankees’ staff, and he also served as Team USA’s pitching coach in the World Baseball Classic last March.
Posada took part in the WBC this year as an assistant hitting coach for Team Italy, so there is at least some indication he still wants to be around the game. If he makes that commitment more fully, the Yankees may be more open to listening to him.
In Other News...
Yankees Could Finally Have A Real Answer At Third Base
Several big-market clubs are expected to spend the offseason looking for help at third base, and the Yankees are right in that mix after years of trying to settle the position. The search has been ongoing enough that it has become one of the more obvious needs on the roster, and it is not hard to see why a proven upgrade would draw attention from a team that expects that corner to produce more consistently.
One name that could complicate the market is Teruaki Sato, whose Triple Crown-winning season has put him on the radar of clubs chasing an immediate answer. If he reaches free agency, the Yankees are likely to be among the teams watching closely, especially with the Phillies and Red Sox also eyeing the same type of fix, which could quickly turn a thin third-base pool into one of the winters more competitive bidding zones. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Offseason Suddenly Centers On Two High-Stakes Decisions
The Yankees offseason picture is already coming into focus, and it starts with the bullpen. David Bednar and Paul Blackburn are both headed for free agency, leaving New York with two important late-inning questions to answer as it tries to keep its relief mix from thinning out too quickly. MLB insider Jim Bowden thinks the club will be aggressive in trying to keep both arms in place, which would give the front office a chance to stabilize a bullpen that figures to be central to whatever comes next.
There is also a familiar rival lurking in the background. Bowden expects the Yankees and Red Sox to get involved in a bidding war for NPB player Teruaki Sato, even though there have been reports suggesting New York may hesitate because of defensive concerns. For a Yankees team trying to balance urgency with roster fit, that creates a pretty clear offseason tension: do they pay to preserve what they already have, or dive into a market chase that could get expensive fast? [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Have Two AL East Roster Holes They Can't Ignore
The Yankees are heading into the offseason with a familiar kind of urgency, the sort that comes after an October exit forces a hard look at a roster that was close but not complete. Following their ALDS elimination, they are expected to be active in free agency, and the front office has more than one area to sort through before spring training arrives. A batch of relievers are set to hit the market, but the needs go beyond the bullpen and into places that can shape a daily lineup.
Backup catcher, third base and center field all loom as spots that need attention, and the Yankees figure to have options if they want to patch those holes with outside help. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Cedric Mullins are among the names being tied to possible upgrades, which gives the club a sense of the kind of roster flexibility it may seek. The bigger question is how aggressive they want to be in fixing multiple issues at once, because this winter feels like one where standing still would be the easiest way to fall a step behind. [Read more 🡒]