What Makes Yankees' Matt Blake Extension Such a Smart Move

If there's one issue with the New York Yankees, it's that their front office's infrastructure feels stale. Seinfeld had a few more months before the series finished up when Brian Cashman was hired. Michael Fishman, the assistant general manager, has been around since 2005, and Randy Levine has been around since 2000. Not to mention, Aaron Boone has been around for almost a full decade.

For what feels like an archaic foundation up top, Matt Blake has been a breath of fresh air. Thankfully, he'll be around a little while longer.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, Blake has accepted a three-year deal. For all the change the Yankees need, he's the one name that has to stick around.

Blake's magic

At some point, teams might start calling for him to manage. That just won't be this year. The Yankees have gotten as far as they have recently on the backs of their pitching, and turning guys like Paul Blackburn and Clay Holmes into high-leverage relievers is due in part to Blake's magic.

Since 2020, Blake's first year with the Yankees, the team has had one of the best staffs in baseball despite turnover. The Yankees are third in ERA in baseball. Their 3.69 ERA is behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers during this span.

Their 115 pitching WAR, according to FanGraphs, is 4th in MLB. They're behind the same two teams, but the Philadelphia Phillies lead the pack in that category.

This year may have been one of his best seasons as pitching coach. Reclamation projects like Blackburn and Brent Headrick kept the bullpen together.

Headrick had a 2.18 ERA in 81 games this season, while Blackburn had a 1.59 ERA in 62 games. The beauty of Blackburn is that he was getting garbage-time innings as early as May this season. He didn't emerge as a high-leverage reliever until midsummer.

This really has been the theme for the Yankees under Blake, too. They seem to get the most out of guys who, otherwise, were castoffs for their old teams. Just look at their closer situation since Blake's hiring.

When Aroldis Chapman faltered, they turned Clay Holmes into a stellar option for the ninth inning. Then, when Holmes struggled, Luke Weaver helped lead the Yankees' pen to a World Series.

Keeping Blake around was smart business. It's hard to say the same about the rest of the front office, though. He has been a bright spot, while others are just the status quo.

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