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NY Post | Dan Martin: The Yankees made a surprising hire two years ago, trusting Matt Blake as their new pitching coach. Blake was brought over after rising swiftly through Cleveland’s development staff, and he’s been one of the faces of New York’s turn towards more analytically-minded staff. The template Blake set in being hired could be mirrored on the offensive side, now that the hitting coach position is open after the team opted not to re-sign Marcus Thames.
SNY | Andy Martino: Carlos Beltran was set to become manager of the New York Mets two years ago, before the Astros’ cheating scandal broke out and he was removed as a consequence of his time on the team. With the Mets job open again, and the Yankees also potentially searching for another manager, could Beltran get back in the game? He’s got ties to the Yankees’ front office as an advisor, and the team felt that he was promising but not ready for the job when he interviewed for the job after Joe Girardi didn’t return.
MLB Trade Rumors | TC Zencka: Joey Gallo had a poor second-half with the Yankees, and that’s undeniable. His end-of-season stats show a solid contributor that can plug in to the middle of the order, but that’s mostly due to his excellent play with Texas before the trade deadline. There’s some speculation that with one year left on his deal, the Yankees could swing a trade to send Gallo back out and recuperate some prospects — though not as much as they traded for him — if they think he won’t live up to expectations. This is an unlikely, but not impossible scenario: the safe bet is that he’s with the team for Opening Day, and hopefully hitting more like the Rangers’ version of himself.
NJ.com | Mike Rosenstein: Carlos Correa is set to become one of the most coveted free agents on the market this winter, and he stirred up some intrigue in a recent interview. Correa was asked about other team’s interest in his impending free agency, and Correa went on to say that he loved the East Coast and subtly indicated that he was interested in signing with one of the New York teams. The Yankees could certainly use a shortstop, and the Mets could build a star-studding infield with Correa and Francisco Lindor, so a potential cross-city bidding war would be a major offseason highlight to look for.