LAS VEGAS (AP) — The New York Yankees have fired Donnie Rowland, their director of international scouting for the past 15 seasons.
Rowland, who turns 63 next month, played a total of 23 seasons with the Yankees. Some of the Yankees' international players who received large bonuses failed to advance and hold down starting jobs in the major leagues.
Advertising
“His contract is up,” general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday during a Zoom press conference. “I have made the difficult decision to look for another leading voice in this chair.”
Cashman did not attend the general managers' meetings in Las Vegas and spoke with reporters remotely.
After loss to Toronto in the AL Division SeriesThe Yankees' top priority is re-signing outfielder/infielder Cody Bellinger, who is a free agent.
“It's still very early in the process, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: Of course we'd like to get him back,” Cashman said.
Received from the Chicago Cubs last offseason.Bellinger, 30, hit .272 with 29 homers and 98 RBIs.
Advertising
“Of all the free agent outfielders, he was the best player in the class,” his agent Scott Boras said in general manager meetings. “Defensively, he was certainly a versatile viper in the outfield, playing both first base and all three outfield positions. And offensively, he was kind of the Merlin in the middle of the lineup.”
New York made qualifying offers totaling $22,025,000. Bellinger, who will likely reject the offer, and outfielder Trent Grisham.
“We would be happy if he agreed and came back,” Cashman said of Grisham.
New York has not yet decided whether it will offer a long-term contract to All-Star second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who can become a free agent after the 2026 season. The Yankees blocked free agency in 2019 by granting Seven-year, $70 million contract with outfielder Aaron Hicks And Four-year, $40 million contract with pitcher Luis Severinowhich both performed worse.
Advertising
Cashman said he spoke Wednesday with Chisholm's agent, Brodie Van Wagenen.
“I’m not sure how this will end,” Cashman said. “Are you making a decision now or are you waiting? You've seen our past, how it played out to some extent.”
Cashman said power-hitting, strikeout-prone prospect Spencer Jones is training at Yankee Stadium and could play an important role in the league next year. George Lombard Jr., a 20-year-old infielder, seems less likely.
“I wouldn't think '26 would be on the horizon, but I wouldn't rule out '26 being around the same time at some point,” Cashman said.
He also responded to comments from manager Aaron Boone, who said on the Talkin' Yankees podcast on Nov. 4: “If you look at the American League East, for example, the way I run the game, I'm not even saying if it's good or bad, but we're probably the least analytical in-game team, and I'm confident of that.”
Advertising
“I just think he's trying to get the fans on the bench by constantly commenting that 'the front office is pulling the strings and it seems like every move by the analytics department is telling him what to do and everything is pre-planned.' None of this is true,” Cashman said. “This was his response to the fact that he is constantly being challenged and accused of being a puppet and running a show that was not intended by him… He will definitely make decisions that our analysis department will not agree with, but they do not run the team. And sometimes they work in our favor, and sometimes they don’t.”
Cashman defended New York's home run-dependent lineup structure in a year in which Toronto won the AL East and reached Game 7 of the World Series led by contact hitters. The Yankees led the major leagues with 274 homers and hit a major league-high 50.2 percent of their runs on long balls, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
“The team that beats the other team in the postseason series usually wins 90 percent of the time,” Cashman said. “So home runs are good, not bad, but strikeouts are bad. Putting the ball in play is good because a lot can happen, but you don't want to put the ball in play with a double play. So, strikeouts are bad, double plays are bad. Everything else is obviously good.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
