As the Yankees begin to assess what needs to change after another elimination in October, there is an area of the organization that offers much less reason to carry out a deep transformation: the development and management of pitching.
Matt Blake and the group of coaches working alongside the pitchers have become one of the most important structures within the team.
The 2026 season proved it again.
New York had to face injuries from some of its most important starters, use different combinations within the rotation and build a good part of the bullpen with arms that did not arrive at the year accompanied by great expectations.
Despite all that, the Yankees finished with the best average league runs, with a 3.23 collective ERA.
That result puts Blake back at the center of one of the most important decisions of the winter.
His contract ends after the 2026 season and the organization will have to ensure the continuity of one of the main managers of the evolution that pitching has had in recent years.
Matt Blake became a fundamental piece of Yankees
Blake came to the Major League coaching staff in 2020 as part of a change in philosophy in the way the Yankees developed and prepared their pitchers.
Seven seasons later, its importance can no longer be measured solely through the results of the great stars.
Part of its value has been precisely in achieving production of pitchers who initially occupied secondary positions within the team's plans.
The 2026 season presented a considerable challenge.
Gerrit Cole It was not available from the beginning of the calendar.
Max Fried He also lost time.
Carlos Rodon He had to go through his own recovery process.
That forced New York to depend on different stages of young arms and other alternatives within the organization.
The result ended up being one of the best pitching seasons the team has had in recent years.
Cam Schlittler represents one of the greatest successes
Cam Schlittler It is probably the most obvious example of what the launcher development system has achieved.
The law ceased to be simply a young option to become one of the best starters in the American League.
Schlittler finished the regular season with a 14-6 record and a 1.95 ERA.
He also struck out 228 batters in 184 innings and two-thirds, while allowing his rivals to hit just .185.
But more important than the numbers was the responsibility that ended up assuming.
The Yankees trusted him for important matches.
He received the ball in October.
and showed that he could respond under pressure.
A team that manages to develop an opener of that level internally obtains an enormous advantage, not only on the ground, but also when building the roster.
Instead of having to fix every need through millionaire contracts or exchanges, the Yankees can start producing part of their own turnover.
Will Warren and Ryan Weathers also gave depth
The pitching group's work can't be evaluated by Schlittler alone either.
Will Warren He made 28 starts during 2026 and ended up throwing 148 innings.
Ryan Weathers, for its part, registered a 3.60 ERA in 25 starts and 137 innings and a third.
It is precisely those types of arms that allow surviving a season of 162 games.
A rotation cannot depend exclusively on four established names.
The lesions appear.
Pitchers need rest.
Some go through periods of low performance.
And at certain times someone has to occupy those entries.
The coaching staff managed to keep the Yankees at a competitive level even when the ideal rotation was not fully available.
The bullpen was another demonstration of the value of the group
Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of the season was the way New York managed to build a productive bullpen without relying exclusively on highly recognized relievers.
David Bednar He ended up taking the lead role for the last innings, but arms appeared around him that far exceeded initial expectations.
Brent Headrick It was one of them.
Paul Blackburn It was another.
Both ended up receiving important responsibilities within a bullpen that became one of the team's strengths.
Headrick had long periods of the season in which he practically stopped allowing races and gaining more and more confidence in pressure situations.
Blackburn also went from being a piece of depth to becoming a pitcher capable of giving Aaron Boone important tickets.
These types of results do not occur solely by individual talent.
They also require preparation, identification of strengths and ability to build specific plans around each pitcher.
Blake doesn't work alone
Although Matt Blake is the main figure of the Major League pitching system, the results of 2026 were the product of collective work.
Preston Claiborne and Desi Druschel are part of the group as assistant pitching coaches and have helped build a much more collaborative structure.
It's not just about a coach telling each pitcher which pitch to use.
The process includes video analytics, advanced information, matchup preparation, mechanics, pitch selection, and constant conversations with each launcher.
Aaron Boone has highlighted the organization and cohesion of the group.
That is especially important during a season in which different pitchers constantly enter and leave different functions.
A starter may end up working from the bullpen in October.
A reliever initially used in low pressure situations can become an important option weeks later.
And a young man can go from fighting to staying in the big leagues to receiving the ball in a postseason game.
The structure has to be prepared for all those scenarios.
Pitching allowed Yankees to survive difficult times
New York's offensive season was not perfect.
There were periods of inconsistency.
There were also injuries and defensive problems that ended up affecting the team at important times.
However, pitching managed to keep the Yankees in many games.
The team finished 2026 with 93 wins and returned to the postseason again.
The removal against Tampa Bay left many questions about how the roster should be built by 2027, but it is difficult to place the pitching corps among the main causes of failure.
Even during October there were important performances by Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and different members of the bullpen.
That is precisely what makes the continuity of the working group a priority issue.
Matt Blake's contract is now becoming more important
Blake reaches the end of his contract at a time when his value within the organization has probably never been greater.
The Yankees have already expressed interest in maintaining it and there are obvious reasons to do so.
The organization has a rotation that can continue to be one of the best in the Major Leagues.
Schlittler continues to develop.
Cole returned from a prolonged absence.
Fried and Rodón are still part of the structure.
Weathers and Warren provide depth.
And behind them will continue to arrive talent from the minor leagues.
Completely changing the structure that directs the development of those arms would represent an unnecessary risk if the Yankees have the opportunity to preserve it.
That is why Blake's future may end up being as important as several of the decisions that the organization will have to make with its players.
The Yankees: This is an area that Yankees should not touch too much
from the perspective of The Yankists, The Yankees need changes after the way the season ended.
You have to evaluate the offensive.
The fundamentals must be improved.
There are questions in different positions.
And Brian Cashman will have to make important decisions during free agency.
But changing for changing doesn't make sense either.
When a part of the organization works, the right thing to do is protect it.
Matt Blake and his group have shown that they can develop young people, recover pitchers, adapt veterans and build depth.
That has enormous value at a time when getting quality pitching through free agency can be extremely expensive.
A good development system allows you to find solutions before you have to buy them.
And in 2026 the Yankees once again demonstrated that they have one of those systems.
Holding Blake may be one of the best winter decisions
Over the next few weeks there will be a lot of talk about great names.
free agents.
exchanges.
players who could reach the Bronx.
others who could leave.
But some of the most important decisions of a team do not always appear on the lineup.
Matt Blake has become one of those decisions.
After seven seasons working with the Yankees, the pitching coach leads a structure that managed to take the pitching team to the top of MLB in ERA during 2026 despite major injuries and constant adjustments.
The Yankees need to improve many things by 2027.
His pitching group, however, seems to be one of the pieces they should keep building on.