The New York Yankees might be preparing for an unprecedented offseason of roster remaking — if Brian Cashman has his way.
But first? The coaching staff needs to be rebuilt entirely. Well, except for that guy. Yeah, no, we know. Seriously. He’s back. But everyone else departed.
In order to reinstall some sense of organizational normalcy while the team’s braintrust attempts to uncover a “bad cop” for Aaron Boone, should the Yankees potentially look to some familiar faces from eras past?
Just their luck, two pedigreed former Yanks just hit the market, both let go by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Perhaps the LAA have grown disgruntled with ex-Yankees considering how badly Billy Eppler screwed up their roster as the team’s GM?
No matter the reason, venerated third base coach Brian Butterfield is officially available, and seems to be the ideal candidate to replace Phil Nevin — perhaps not in the anger department, but at least as the man who calls the shots on crucial sends.
Yankees should consider hiring Brian Butterfield and Jose Molina.
That list of previous stops should be enough to entice any casual fan into committing to Butterfield, even before scrolling long enough to read the Jeter mention.
Based on both his sterling reputation and the fact that he’s coached all across the board, it seems like Butter might be a bit restless. No matter; we just need him to stop by long enough to reopen a window, and then he can go on his way again.
Butterfield served as a roving minor-league infield instructor with the Yankees in the early ’90s, becoming a big-league coach with the club under Buck Showalter in 1994 and 1995. When Showalter was hired by the Arizona Diamondbacks, he took Butterfield with him, beginning his coaching journey. Though he only possesses one championship ring (2013 with the hated Red Sox), his time in the early-2000s with the Blue Jays and post-title Cubs also stand out.
Who knows? Perhaps Butterfield’s return could be enough to coax Showalter into the shady parts of the dugout?
The other suggestion we’ve got here is better known as the Yankees’ most famous recent personal catcher, an historical footnote for knocking the final home run at the old Yankee Stadium. Perhaps he could help Gerrit Cole manage those urges?
While we have no interest in further fracturing Gary Sánchez’s development, we’d still recommend the addition of Jose Molina to the coaching staff. He would not need to replace Tanner Swanson as Sánchez’s … I want to say … 45th distinct catching instructor over the course of the past five seasons, but he could lend his backstop expertise from a different position. Perhaps bench coach? Quality control coordinator?
We’ve heard rumors of the Yankees expanding their staff in the wake of this unprecedented stream of dismissals, and hiring a rock steady former catcher to impart his wisdom in some capacity wouldn’t be the worst idea. Maybe he even steps in and replaces Kyle Higashioka on Cole Day, stoking the championship fire once again.
OK, that would be a terrible idea. But other than that, everything about these candidates seems to merit a call.
Yankees announce departure of another assistant that could help solve woes
The New York Yankees announced first base and outfield coach Reggie Willits is leaving the organization for another job in college baseball.