New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke with the media on Friday.
Several subjects were covered, but the most important takeaway regarding his own future (his contract expired on October 31) is that ownership expressed an interest on having him back.
When it comes to the team, he was questioned about pitching coach Matt Blake.
Blake has been with the team since late 2019, and his stint has been a success for the most part.
According to Cashman, they will make an effort to lure him back for another period.
“Brian Cashman said the #Yankees ‘would like to’ retain pitching coach Matt Blake, ‘if we can,’” Yankees insider Bryan Hoch tweeted.
Brian Cashman said the #Yankees “would like to” retain pitching coach Matt Blake, “if we can.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) November 4, 2022
Can The Yankees Lose Blake?
That “if we can” may imply that there might be lots of interest in him around the league or perhaps out of the league in other circuits or fields.
A pitching mastermind like Blake could work in any field that requires extensive (and analytics-driven) knowledge of the art of pitching.
The Yankees had the third-best ERA in MLB in the 2022 campaign, at 3.30.
Blake, together with pitching coordinator Sam Briend, has been responsible for spotting and/or developing Clay Holmes, Wandy Peralta, Nestor Cortes Jr., Michael King, Lucas Luetge, Clarke Schmidt, and many other promising arms.
There is no denying that he has made the Yankees one of the best pitching teams in the league.
For much of the season, the Yankees pitching was elite, but the offense fell off a cliff in August and never quite returned to form outside of Aaron Judge‘s contributions.
The Yankees have several things on the to-do list for the offseason, and retaining Blake should be near the top.
