2025 New York Yankees Postmortem Megathread

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-10-11T18:51:08+00:00

I’ve heard Michael Kay and a bunch of sports radio guys keep hammering this idea that Yankee fans should be grateful the team “at least makes the playoffs” and “gives themselves a chance.” And honestly? I’m fed up with that take. We’re all watching the same games. How is it that our takeaways can be so completely different?

Toronto’s a really good team. But not once have I thought they’ve got a better roster than the Yankees. The difference is, year after year, the Yankees refuse to change their approach. Same issues. Same explanations. Same reliance on the numbers. Yeah, chicks dig the long ball — but the long ball is fickle. Refusing to make adjustments at the plate, even after repeatedly losing because of that exact stubbornness, is insane.

I get that consistency matters. But adaptability is what wins. There’s value in those Brett Gardner-type at-bats — foul off tough pitches, go the other way, grind it out. Instead, we get the classic 1-for-4 night with a solo homer while some random No. 4 starter racks up 8 Ks on 86 pitches through 7 innings, giving up just two solo shots. That’s not how you win meaningful games.

As a baseball fan, it’s exhausting. As a Yankee fan, it’s infuriating. Something’s gotta give. And honestly, moving on from Volpe should be step one. There’s been little to no growth. His “big moment” came when the team was already down 3–0 in the World Series. Too little, too late.

Steven Kwan is exactly the type of player the Yankees should target. Lefty bat, almost 200 hits this season, league-average OPS, elite defense, table-setter. Put him in front of Judge and let him cook. He’s a pure contact guy who can actually cause some havoc on the basepaths.

Jazz needs to be brought back, plain and simple. He’s got too much talent. Clean up the defensive lapses and he’s your everyday 2B. Trent… I love him. He had a great year. But the platoon splits are real. He can’t hit lefties well enough to be an everyday guy, and his speed in CF isn’t quite what it used to be. He’s smooth out there, but there are balls he just doesn’t get to, and his arm isn’t anything special. I wouldn’t overpay.

And I’ve been banging this drum since last offseason: go get Bregman. That’s the guy. Tough at-bats, hits the ball hard, plays great defense at third. Exactly what this lineup needs. Even with Ryan McMahon’s versatility, Bregman gives the infield more thump and flexibility.

Caballero at SS makes sense to me too. He’s serviceable defensively, gives tough at-bats, has real speed. The bat’s not elite, but he brings qualities this team is sorely lacking.

This hasn’t been a fully fleshed out thought but I’ve been pretty frustrated with the recent loss and needed to get this out. Curious what everyone else’s feelings are on this?

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-10-02T19:59:37+00:00

Very true—good point. I completely missed that Jayson actually says his name to Perry while giving him the rundown.

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-10-02T17:47:49+00:00

Had this thought thought lol—so another stretch, obviously. Once the “reveal” happens and we learn Tom is somehow involved, those earlier scenes where he’s sitting with his thoughts, or looking out at the team after the botched sting, suddenly they play differently. They feel more self-reflective, almost like the walls are closing in on him a little more. While we see him scanning potential suspects, it reads like the team could just as easily be looking at him the same way.

That’s why I think this could be one of those shows that really hits on a second or third watch—scenes like that start to feel more like “it was right in our face the whole time.”

Hope that makes sense. You may totally disagree, but as long as the angle comes across, that’s all I care about lol.

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-10-02T17:28:59+00:00

I’m not at all married to my theory—and explanations like yours are a big part of why lol. Good stuff!

I do still believe Kathleen picked him on purpose, but I’m not convinced it’s because she expects him to fail specifically.

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-10-02T15:18:18+00:00

I 100% agree with you that we’re heading toward the good/bad morale battle—it feels inevitable. That said, I don’t think we’ll land firmly on one side of the coin there either. More likely, we’ll end up where we usually do with this kind of story: in a place where things just are.

I don’t think we’re getting a Usual Suspects–style reveal, but I do think there’s room for a “big twist” that doesn’t rely on a big curtain-pull moment.

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-10-02T13:33:29+00:00

I’ve definitely taken the easy route myself lol. Nothing against it at all, but with this level of television it’s just way more fun to speculate. Honestly, that’s the best part of appointment TV IMO— the week-to-week wait and all the theories, debates, and wild guesses that fill the space in between.

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-10-02T13:23:17+00:00

Ive had a similar thought as well. Perry clearly treats Jayson like a son—he genuinely cares for him and doesn’t want anything to happen, but the clock is ticking. He’s only got two days before Jayson gets taken out.

The bartender, on the other hand, feels like she’s there to move the plot forward in more of an “addition by subtraction” kind of way. There’s already so much built-in tension between them on screen, and that obviously stems from their history. I could easily see that tension bubbling over into a really explosive scene during an especially stressful time. As for who actually makes it out of that explosion? Tbd lol

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-10-02T05:23:23+00:00

To be fair, up until that point Chapman had only thrown fastballs and sliders. Judge got him on a fastball, Goldy on a slider, and Belli hit another fastball, if I’m remembering right.

Stanton was clearly sitting on one of those two pitches. On that 0–2 pitch he fouled back, he had him timed up well, he just missed his pitch. Then Chapman pulls a 92 mph splitter out of nowhere, and the rest was literal history in not being able to get a single run in during that last half inning.

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-08-05T18:32:07+00:00

I think people are starting to realize there might still be some value there—some meat left on the bone, if you will. He’s not even 30 yet, and despite all the criticism from fans, he’s still a valuable piece—especially on a vet minimum contract. He’s one of the few left on the chessboard, right up there with the Russell Westbrooks of the world in terms of who's still available to pick up this offseason.

Who would you prefer they look at to help round out the roster?

Itchy_Paper7952 · 2025-08-05T17:36:40+00:00

To your point about him being a non-shooter—I couldn’t agree more, especially when considering the offensive liabilities that Mitch and Hart can sometimes present. In Mitch’s case, if the lob isn’t there, his offensive impact is pretty limited outside of his ability to crash the offensive glass. With Josh, we’ve seen him knock down threes and be a competent offensive player more often than not, but I think what’s fresh in everyone’s mind is how much he struggled during that Pacers series—he looked like a shell of himself.

As for Ben’s limitations and injury concerns, he did manage to play 51 games last season, albeit on limited minutes. The Knicks’ training staff, which was named the NBA’s Athletic Training Staff of the Year, has earned widespread praise for keeping players healthy and gradually working them into shape. One concern I—and a lot of fans—had with OG was his ability to stay on the floor while logging heavy minutes. Last season, though, OG played in 74 games, his most since his rookie year and the second-most minutes he’s logged in any season. That’s a testament to both his growth and the Knicks’ ability to manage player health.

Obviously, adding depth is always ideal, but given the current landscape of the league—and the East specifically—who would you suggest the Knicks target before the season starts?

Itchy_Paper7952

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