The Athletic | Ian O’Connor: ($) O’Connor talks with Brian Cashman about the one word that’s anathema to all front offices, particularly the Yankees: “rebuild.” Understandably, given his team just tied for the most wins in the AL, the GM dismisses the notion of a tear-down out of hand. “There’s no indication that is something that should be considered,” Cashman said. “We have a farm system that is producing. We have quality major leaguers winning MVPs and potentially getting Cy Young Award votes, and we have the best record in the American League, and we have Gerrit Cole coming back.” Cashman also pushes back on the critique that the Yankees have become too reliant on the long ball. “The team that out-homers the other team always moves on in the postseason, and that’s a fact,” he said. “I knew we had a championship-caliber contender, but it’s a prizefight.”
SNY | Phillip Martinez: With free agency officially underway, a breakdown of some of the Yankees’ potential targets. Unsurprisingly, Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger rank one and two, respectively, with the team needing urgent help in the outfield. Behind them, Martinez has Michael King at three. It’s a surprising pick giving the Yankees’ abundance of starting pitching, but is justified by the team’s familiarity with the former Padre and injuries to Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón that are expected to keep them off the Opening Day roster. Other highlights include Japanese corner infielders Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto, incumbent relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, and the Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette.
MLB.com | Jesse Borek: Yankees prospect Enmanuel Tejeda had a monster day for Mesa in the Arizona Fall League on Tuesday. The 20-year-old recorded five hits, three RBI, and three stolen bases in a 21-14 victory over Scottsdale. No Arizona Fall League player had recorded that stat line since 2024 and no one’s done it in MLB since Jimmy Rollins in 2008. The Yankees signed Tejeda for $40,000 in 2022 as an international free agent.
Daily News | Gary Phillips: ‘Alex vs. A-Rod,’ the new three-part documentary series detailing the complicated saga of Alex Rodriguez, premiered Monday at DGA Theater in Manhattan. In addition to the series’ subject, those in attendance included CC and Amber Sabathia, Tom Brady, and Michael Strahan. The event included a screening of Part I, which focused on Rodriguez’s fractured relationships with his father, Victor, and marriage to his ex-wife, Cynthia. Yankees legend Lou Piniella, who managed A-Rod in Seattle, also played a prominent role in the episode. Part I airs on HBO and drops on HBO Max this Thursday.
Lastly, the Yankees did not renew the contract of Donny Rowland, the team’s Director of International Scouting since 2010, per Francys Romero of Beisbol FR. While Rowland was not the Yankees’ longest-tenured scout as Romero initially suggested, his time with the club dates back to 1995. The Yankees have seen their success in identifying impact international free agents diminish in recent years, perhaps contributing to Rowland’s ouster.