The Yankees knew that there was one face of Aaron Boone’s coaching staff they could not risk getting away from them, and they made sure to handle it before his contract officially expired. Matt Blake, the team’s pitching coach since the 2020 season, has reportedly agreed to a three-year extension to remain with the team according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Heyman’s colleague Joel Sherman had reported yesterday that the two sides were working on a new deal, and with his current deal set to expire at the conclusion of this year’s World Series the time was nearing to get this thing done.
Blake has transformed the Yankees’ pitching philosophy since entering the organization, having the reins handed to him to lead an analytical breakdown of their pitching staff that has led to significant success. This season Yankees pitchers had the best collective ERA in baseball with a 3.23 mark, ranked third with a 3.71 FIP, and collected the fifth most fWAR at 21.9. Any way you sliced it, their pitching was the MVP of the roster, and it was led by the presumptive Cy Young Award winner in Cam Schlitter. They were far from a one-man show though, for once having more starting pitching than the team knew what to do with despite dealing with a host of injuries, as Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodon all turned in fine seasons.
The biggest factor in Blake’s rise to the top of the organization has been his work with the lesser-known prospects and journeymen the team has cobbled together. Will Warren has turned into a dependable fifth starter that most teams would jump at the opportunity to slot into the middle of their rotation, and Ryan Weathers took a major leap this year when trusted with a role in the rotation after being acquired last offseason. Meanwhile, the bullpen has continued to take on unknowns and spit out gems, this year seeing Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick form an unstoppable bridge to closer David Bednar after both entered the year as relative afterthoughts. The team has gotten similar leaps from relievers in the past, like Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver who both served as the team’s closers in recent years, and reigned in enough of Fernando Cruz’s wildness to make him an effective middle inning reliever until a UCL tear ended his season. Brian Cashman gets a lot of credit for finding the pieces of this staff out of thin air, but Blake’s role in leading the “pitching lab” has been just as crucial in developing their talent.
Blake now sits as one of the few men on the coaching staff with a secure position within the organization. His side of the roster was unquestionable in their pursuit of title No. 28 this season, and overall has produced time and time again since Blake has arrived. The man above him doesn’t have that much security, with Boone entering the final year of his contract this season without an extension in front of him. The pitchers have bought into Blake’s direction wholeheartedly and the results have been plain to see — now the work begins on finding the next set of unheralded arms to transform.