Matt Blake says what every Yankees fan is thinking about Carlos Lagrange

New York Yankees flamethrowing pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange has everyone talking about him right now. That's what 103 mph gas tends to do.

A public endorsement from Aaron Judge has only sped up the Lagrange hype train, which has graduated from notable intrigue to "can he help the Yankees ... now!?"

The answer is probably yes, but there are still questions about where and when. The idea of moving Lagrange to the bullpen has already been a hot topic in Yankees media, and now New York's pitching coach Matt Blake is openly acknowledging the possibility.

Yankees are having Carlos Lagrange bullpen thoughts (like the rest of us)

According to The Athletic's Chris Kirschner, Blake and the Yankees' pitching brain trust want Lagrange to operate as a starter for "as long as possible" before a potential bullpen "pivot."

Immediately, a myriad of questions flood the mind of any Yankees fan reading Blake's blueprint for Lagrange. Starter? Like, in the majors? In 2026?

The Yankees are down multiple MLB starters to begin the season, but then again, Brian Cashman didn't exactly fortify their 23rd-ranked bullpen in the offseason. There are areas of need all over New York's staff, and it's tough to forecast any ultimate game plan for the rotation and bullpen until New York's most talented arms are humming again.

The Yankees have enough moving pieces to develop and integrate Lagrange according to his own comfort level and readiness, as opposed to desperately throwing him into the fire (ready or not) to address pressing depth issues.

There's a comparison to be made here between the Yankees' handling of Lagrange and Roki Sasaki's rookie season for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Like the Yankees' vision for Lagrange, the Dodgers always envisioned Sasaki as a starter (he'll return to the rotation in 2026), and they treated him as one for as long as possible.

When Sasaki faltered early last year, LA quickly pulled him out of the rotation so as not to hinder his confidence and development further. The Dodgers didn't feel the need to keep beating a dead horse with Sasaki at the MLB level because they have other arms -- they always seem to, even when their staff is at its most depleted.

Sasaki's development suffered further detours in 2025, but we all know how his season ended, with a move to the bullpen that ultimately proved successful and clutch for LA during their stretch run.

Unlike with the Dodgers and Sasaki, the Yankees aren't planning for Lagrange to be in the big-league rotation out of the gate (that we know of!), but Blake's comments make it sound like Lagrange will be operating as a starter in the minors (and in his career, generally speaking) in a best-case scenario.

However, Lagrange might very well be temporarily transformed into a triple-digit reliever (like Sasaki!) at some point this season to help the Yanks in meaningful moments. Of course, New York is hoping this happens due to strategy, and not underperformance.