About the Off-Season: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Season: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

December 8, 2025

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The Yankees were eliminated from the postseason in the ALDS, and there will be no more games to recap until March of 2026. The Winter Meetings are starting, and teams are starting to make moves. The rumors are flying around like a charm of hummingbirds in a flower garden. Since we will have a lot of free time on our hands waiting for Spring Training, I will be able to ponder and speculate about a variety of issues. That could be dangerous for all parties. I will now move from topic to topic as quickly as Barbara Billingsley being chased by a horde of pearl clutchers. 

·      The Hall of Fame Contemporary Committee voted on multiple candidates for the Hall of Fame last night. Jeff Kent was the only candidate to be inducted. A candidate needed to receive 12 votes to be elected.  Kent received 14. Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy each received six. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were also denied entry. I have a lot of thoughts regarding this situation. First, Don Mattingly was always one of my favorite baseball players. I thought that he was a tremendous Yankee and during his peak years, I tried never to miss one of his at bats. He was definitely on a trajectory to make the Hall of Fame. Then, as we all know, he suffered an injury that sapped his power and productivity. It was as if Superman became Clark Kent full-time. If Mattingly had become Jeff Kent instead of Clark Kent, he would have made the Hall of Fame. As much as I like Mattingly as a person and as a player, the facts are the facts. He suffered a major injury and was never the same player again. Based on that, he is not a Hall of Famer. Now, if he eventually returns to managing and wins a World Series or two, that combined with his playing career would probably be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame. I think he definitely belongs in Monument Park. The Yankees absolutely should have retired his number. I would love to see him return to the Yankees as the manager. None of that makes him a Hall of Famer. I personally believe that Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds had much stronger cases to get in. I was never a Bonds’ fan, but I did like Clemens. I don't know that either of them will ever be elected to the Hall of Fame.

·      I wanted to do something very special for my wife's upcoming birthday, since it's a major milestone. I won't say exactly what the number is, but it was a really big deal when Roger Maris passed it. We were supposed to go on a cruise this summer, but my leg condition unexpectedly flared up and we had to cancel it. I rescheduled it for next year. So, I was thinking of doing something spectacular for her birthday. I considered booking a cruise to Skull Island, but it was just a bit too pricey. Instead, I booked a cruise to Alaska. It will be in the summer of 2027. Hopefully I can get the time off from SSTN.

·      The Yankees really need to make a major move this week. The specific move is not the most important thing about it. The Yankees simply need to do something significant. It is unlikely that Tatsuya Imai will sign this week. He has some time before his deadline, and he will be meeting with Major League teams very soon. The point is that the Yankees need to do something to show their players, their fans, and the rest of the Major Leagues that they are serious about wanting to win the World Series. For too long now, the Yankees have been all sizzle and no steak. For my vegetarian friends, that translates to all sizzle and no carrot. Whatever the move is, it has to be significant. Picking up a backup infielder or right-handed pinch hitter is not going to get anyone excited.

·      Speaking of Skull Island, this is Clancy’s first Christmas with us. I started to get the feeling that putting out all the holiday decorations, including my collections of gnomes and international Santas along with the Christmas tree itself, would be akin to staking out Naomi Watts on Skull Island and waiting for King Kong to come along. I know my friend Roger read that and said, “I don't know who that is." For his sake I will substitute Fay Wray.  Thus far, Clancy has been eerily quiet. He took note of the Christmas tree and walked around it, but he did not attempt to inflict mayhem upon it. We will see how long that lasts. The amazing thing about him is that although he is mischievous, he never does anything with a malicious intent. I have never seen him growl, snarl, or exhibit any anger whatsoever. Even when I accidentally closed a drawer on his paw because I didn't see him poking in there, all he did was gasp and then run off once I freed his paw. I definitely won the jackpot when I picked him.

·      I have advocated for the Yankees to acquire multiple players during this off season, including Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto , Edwin Diaz, and Tatsuya Imai. Obviously, I do not expect or want the Yankees to acquire all those players. I want them to select from that group and find the best fits. I also want the Yankees to continue to develop young players. I believe that in 2026, Ben Rice, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Luis Gil, Jasson Dominguez, and Spencer Jones, will all contribute to the Major League team at some point if they are not included in the trade beforehand. I think the development of young players will be very important for the Yankees current and future success. Most of the above-named players have already contributed on the Major League level. That does not mean that I think every youngster the Yankees have brought to the Majors needs to remain on the team. I have stated that the Yankees should trade Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells. I believe Anthony Volpe was given more than a fair shot to develop into an everyday Major League shortstop. He has not proven to be anything close to above average. He is more along the lines of mediocre. I realize he played injured in 2025. Aaron Boone stated that he did not feel that Volpe’s injury affected his play. Brian Cashman disagreed. I side with Cashman. However, I think it is time for the Yankees to move on from Volpe. I have a much different opinion regarding Austin Wells. It is not so much that I want the Yankees to trade Wells, it's a question of which players the Yankees would combine with Wells. In other words, if the Yankees re-sign Cody Bellinger, I would like to see him play first base. That would move Ben Rice, who I think is a keeper, behind the plate. It's not that I have anything against Austin Wells. It's simply that I believe that the combination of Rice and Bellinger is far better than the combination of Rice and Wells. If the Yankees do not sign Bellinger or another top tier first baseman, then I would have no problem with having Rice and Wells as starters for the 2026 Yankees with Rice at first base and Wells catching.

·      It looks as if my edema is finally on the verge of healing completely. I have been down to one last stubborn sore for quite some time. I have been following the medical treatment prescribed by my doctors, elevating my legs, avoiding salty foods, and losing weight. I have also implemented my own exercise program and a virtual physical therapy program as well. When I went to the doctor last week, she stated that it was the best she had ever seen my leg look in the almost three years I have been seeing her.  The key to achieving goals and improving is to just keep plugging away. I made sure that I did my virtual physical therapy even on Thanksgiving. With all the holiday activities, I couldn't get to it until later in the evening, but I did it. Showing up and putting the work in every day pays off. Even if it doesn't, it's what I saw my parents do and what I hope I am teaching my children to do.

·      As I stated above, I believe that one of the keys to success for the Yankees in 2026 and beyond will be the continued development of their young players. The only roadblock to that is the fact that Aaron Boone has never really been very good at or interested in developing young players. When he does, it's because he has no choice. Will Warren and Cam Schlittler, and even Luis Gil were forced into major roles due to injuries. So was Ben Rice in 2025. If Jasson Dominguez is on the team, he needs to play regularly. The same is true for Spencer Jones. We all know that Boone has a propensity to play veterans, even struggling ones like DJ LeMahieu over young players. That must change. I don't know if it will but if the Yankees hope to have success and actually win a World Series, then it needs to.

Yesterday was Pearl Harbor Day.  I would like to take a moment to acknowledge all those who perished on this day and in World War II.