About the Off-Season: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Season: Meanderings of My Mind

by Tim Kabel

October 21, 2025

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Since the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason, there will be no more games to recap until March of 2026. The Dodgers have returned to the World Series, much like the swallows returning to Capistrano. As I am writing this, it is unclear if it will be the Blue Jays or the Mariners opposing them. If it is the Mariners, I will be hoping they win the World Series. If it is the Blue Jays, I will not care which team wins the World Series. In a matchup of the Dodgers and the Blue Jays, in my opinion, there is no lesser of two evils. Since we will have a lot of free time on our hands, I will be able to think and opine about a variety of issues. That could be dangerous for all parties. I will now wander from topic to topic as if I were my cat, Clancy, deciding which of his toys to batter around and torture. 

·      During the wrap-up press conference for the season the other day, Aaron Boone stated that he did not believe Anthony Volpe’s partially torn labrum affected his play. Brian Cashman stated that he believed that the injury did affect Volpe’s play, primarily because he required surgery at the end of the season. This wasn't just minor surgery. Volpe will miss Opening Day and possibly the first month or more of the 2026 season. I side with Cashman on this one. Let's look at it a little more deeply. Anthony Volpe did not have a good season. We can look at the statistics all day long in any way that we want, but he did not have a great year. He did not progress at all and in fact, regressed. He tied for the lead league in errors with 19. In the ALDS, he was 1-15, with 11 strikeouts. When Boone stated that the injury did not adversely affect Volpe’s play, what he was really saying was that Volpe is not a very good player. Obviously, he didn't come out and say that but that's what he meant. If Volpe's poor performance was not caused by an injury, there is no reason to expect drastic improvement in 2026 or beyond. Even more interesting is the disconnect between Cashman and Boone. I would like to hope that that may lead to Boone being replaced, but it won't. Perhaps someday, but not for next season. It seems likely that 2026 will end the same way as 2025 and every other year in the Boone era, with the Yankees enduring a lengthy Boone-Swoon and coming up short in the postseason. Wake me when it's over.

·      Yesterday, I ordered my Thanksgiving turkey. I look forward to this event every year as the official beginning of fall. I have been purchasing my turkeys from a local farm for well over twenty years. I will continue to do so as long as I am purchasing turkeys, and they are in business. It is substantially more expensive than one I could purchase at the grocery store. However, it is once a year and it is so delicious that it is worth it. Besides, I get a very large turkey and freeze the leftovers. I also save the bones which I use to make soup at various points during the year. When I cook turkey, I slow roast it for several hours, creating a very juicy and tender bird. I have eaten turkey several times that was prepared by people who used high heat and found the meat to be excessively dry. I prefer dark meat but eventually, I have to turn to the white meat, so I like to have that tender as well. I think I will make a turkey pot pie this year after the holiday.  If you have never tried a fresh turkey from a local farm, I recommend it if you have the opportunity.

·      I have read some articles lately suggesting that Jasson Dominguez did not live up to expectations this season, particularly in the second half of the season. That is not accurate. He had one at bat in the postseason and hardly played at all in September. Yet, when he did play, he did well. He needs to play regularly in 2026. His batting against left-handed pitchers improved when he had the opportunity to do so. One thing was clear, he worked very hard at everything and maintained a very positive attitude. The question for 2026 will be is will Aaron Boone play him regularly.? He may say so now but as is often the case with Boone, that could last two days. Dominguez should play every day, most likely in left field. He could very well be an effective leadoff hitter, as he does tend to get on base often. He is also a base stealer and a very good base runner. I will address potential lineups in the future but, Dominguez needs to be a key component of the Yankees’ starting lineup in 2026.

·      I read somewhere that crows can hold grudges against people for up to seventeen years. They have excellent memories and can recognize faces. In fact, crows can pass their negative feelings toward someone on to other crows and future generations. When it comes to the Toronto Blue Jays, I will make a crow look like an amateur.

·      My recently published novel, “The Sea Change of Dr. Abernathy”, continues to do very well in sales. The reviews are beginning to come in and so far, they are excellent. I am working on trying to get my next novel, which is a western, “The Three Wives of Clancy Rasmussen”, published. I have another novel and a novella completed, polished and ready to publish as well. I have an earlier manuscript that I need to polish up, but I will be doing that shortly. Right now, I am finishing a novel that I started in the beginning of September. I should have it finished, polished, and ready to go by Halloween. It is called, “The Butcher of Punxsutawney”, and it is the story of a heavyweight boxer from the 1980s, who was cheated out of the championship. He is returning to boxing 25 years later as a trainer.

·      I believe that the Yankees would be best served by moving on from Giancarlo Stanton because I suspect that age and injury will limit his production over the remaining two years of his contract. However, he would have to agree to such a trade and there may not be many willing trade partners. I do agree that the Yankees need right-handed production in the lineup to go along with Aaron Judge. Balance in the lineup will be very important. I suggested that they sign Bo Bichette to play shortstop as one way to address this. I will discuss other ways in the future. The reality might be that the Yankees will not be able to trade Stanton. The other reality is that at some point in the 2026 season, he will miss a significant period of time due to injury. If, and it is a relatively big if, he is able to be nearly as productive as he was this season in limited appearances, that may work out well for the Yankees.

·      I'm very proud of all three of my children and also of my stepchildren. That will never change. My son Jack had a tryout last week with the Savannah Bananas. He expects to hear from them in early November. It would be wonderful if he made it, and I'm thrilled that he had the opportunity to try out.