Mike Brown won the press conference, but his Knicks mission is a different task
Just about everyone wins the news conference now. Frankly, you won't get hired if you're incapable of winning it.
Gone are the days when Adam Gase can scare small children with his eyes. Gone are the days when Ben McAdoo shows up wearing David Byrne's old suit from his Talking Heads days. Gone are the days when Mickey Callaway all but invites the gathered media to sing 'Kumbaya' as he goes on and on creepily about how much he's going to love his players.
(It doesn't take a full season of 'True Detective' to crack the case of what those three had in common, does it?)
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New York Post
7 minutes ago
- New York Post
Jose Caballero trade gives Yankees new life after failed Oswald Peraza tenure
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free José Caballero smiled, no longer needing a translator for this answer. 'I was winning today regardless,' Caballero said. Advertisement He started the day on the losing side. He finished on the winning side. Oswald Peraza's failed Yankees tenure is over. But the Yankees replaced him with a new utilityman — from the opposing dugout — in Caballero. Advertisement 5 José Caballero hits an infield single during the eighth inning against the Yankees. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect They traded Peraza to the Angels just ahead of the deadline Thursday in exchange for outfield prospect Wilberson De Pena and international money. Then they brought in the speedy Caballero from the Rays — whom the Yankees beat 7-4 on Thursday afternoon in The Bronx — for outfield prospect Everson Pereira and a player to be named later. Advertisement Caballero, who said he grew up a Yankees fan, could be seen hugging teammates in the Rays dugout after getting pulled from the game and learning of the news. His commute to his new team couldn't have been easier, only needing to go from the visiting to home team clubhouse at Yankee Stadium. 5 Rays shortstop José Caballero gets hugs goodbye in his dugout when he learns he's been traded to the Yankees during the Bombers' 7-4 win on July 31, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post 'Everything happened so quickly,' Caballero said through translator Marlon Abreu. 'You have to pick up and move over, switch teams and now you gotta give your best and hopefully bring a championship to this city. Advertisement 'I like to play the game hard. I like to compete. I like to give everything I have. I like winning.' Peraza, still just 25, had been one of the Yankees' top prospects in recent years — No. 2 in 2022 and No. 3 in 2023, per MLB Pipeline — but has struggled mightily in the majors. Now, he gets a shot to salvage his career on the West Coast. 5 Oswald Peraza #18 of the New York Yankees plays third base during the first inning. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS After the Yankees DFA'd DJ LeMahieu earlier this month, Peraza got a run of starts at third base with an opportunity to win the job. But he had brutal production at the plate and made several mistakes in the field, doing nothing to prove he can be a long-term answer at the position. And the Yankees' decision to acquire third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies meant Peraza's role was again diminished. 5 Oswald Peraza reacts after lining out to third in the fourth inning of the Yankees' loss to the Cubs on July 11, 2025. AP Advertisement 'I'll be forever grateful to the Yankees organization for giving me an opportunity to embark on my career,' Peraza said through the translator. 'Just grateful for that. It's kind of tough, my energy level might be a little low right now, but everything happens for a reason and I keep moving forward.' Caballero will fill the backup shortstop and third baseman void left by Peraza's departure, but he has plenty of defensive versatility. 5 Rays infielder José Caballero was traded to the Yankees in the middle of the Bombers' win on July 31, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST Beyond those two positions, he has played all three outfield spots along with second base. Advertisement He entered Thursday with an MLB-high 34 steals and led the American League with 44 last year. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters He owns a .226/.311/.331 slash line this year with a .638 OPS. 'With José Caballero, we got a nice athletic infielder that can defend and pinch-run at a high level,' general manager Brian Cashman said. 'So that's a nice weapon.' Advertisement Cashman insisted that the addition of Caballero was not related to the recent defensive struggles of shortstop Anthony Volpe — who the organization has staunchly defended throughout — and was more about improving the Yankees' versatility, depth and speed off the bench. Caballero also has minor league options remaining, giving the Yankees greater roster flexibility than they had with Peraza (who was out of options).
New York Post
7 minutes ago
- New York Post
Marcus Stroman's rotation case dwindles as Luis Gil's debut looms
Access the Yankees beat like never before Don't miss Greg Joyce's text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he's giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees. Sign Up Now Marcus Stroman has not exactly made a convincing case to remain in the Yankees rotation. Manager Aaron Boone has a looming decision to make when Luis Gil returns and makes his season debut Sunday. Gil has been sidelined since spring training with a lat injury. Stroman was given a huge cushion and saw more than half of it shrink, giving up four runs in five innings during the Yankees' 7-4 win over the Rays on Thursday afternoon in The Bronx. The Yankees jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Stroman gave up four runs in the fourth inning. The game entered a rain delay in the bottom of the fifth inning, and Stroman did not return when play resumed. 4 Marcus Stroman throws a pitch during the first inning of the Yankees' 7-4 win over the Rays on July 31, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST 'They started swinging early, and I think I was in the zone a little too much in that [fourth] inning,' Stroman. 'I felt really good until then, was able to regroup in the fifth and give us a chance to win.' Thursday's start followed another rough showing in which gave up four runs in just 3 ²/₃ innings in a 9-4 loss to the Phillies. For the season, Stroman owns an unsightly 6.23 ERA over nine starts. He pitched more than five innings in only one of those starts. CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS 4 Marcus Stroman reacts on the mound during the Yankees loss to the Phillies on July 26, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post Stroman and hard-throwing rookie Cam Schlittler are the two obvious candidates to drop out of the rotation when Gil returns. Schlittler is the more likely of the two, as he can either be sent back down to Triple-A or move to the bullpen. Stroman pointedly said, 'I won't pitch in the bullpen,' during spring training when asked about the possibility. Schlittler's high-end velocity could make him a useful bullpen option, though he's hardly done so as a pro. 4 Cam Schlittler throws a pitch during the first inning of the Yankees' loss to the Rays on July 28, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters He owns a 4.91 ERA in three MLB starts this year. Boone said they 'haven't even gotten to those conversations yet' in regards to either Stroman or Schlittler moving to the bullpen. 4 Mark Leiter Jr throws live batting practice before the start of the Yankees' win over the Rays on July 31, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST Mark Leiter Jr. (left fibular head stress fracture) threw live batting practice before the game, throwing about 15-20 pitches while facing since-traded Oswald Peraza and Aaron Judge. (Judge did not swing but was tracking pitches as he goes through his hitting progression on his way to a return from a right flexor strain.) As long as Leiter recovers well from Thursday's session, he could pitch in a rehab game this weekend before potentially being activated during the Yankees' series against the Rangers that runs Monday through Wednesday. Boone didn't waste any time getting Austin Slater involved. The Yankees' new addition — acquired Wednesday from the White Sox ahead of the trade deadline — was immediately in the lineup for Thursday's win. He started in right field and batted seventh, going 0-for-4 at the plate while driving in a run on a fielder's choice. 'As a kid,' Slater said before the game, 'you always dream about playing for the Yankees.'
New York Post
37 minutes ago
- New York Post
Yankees beefed up their biggest area of need with tall task lying ahead
At long last, the Yankees found some relief for their beleaguered relief corps. Before Thursday's trade deadline passed, the Yankees pulled off a three-headed makeover of the back end of their bullpen, acquiring Pirates closer David Bednar, Giants closer Camilo Doval and Rockies righty Jake Bird to address the club's biggest weakness. They also added Rays utilityman José Caballero to improve their depth and speed off the bench — while trading away Oswald Peraza to the Angels — which came on the heels of trading for third baseman Ryan McMahon, utilityman Amed Rosario and outfielder Austin Slater over the past week. The one area they did not address from the shopping list GM Brian Cashman laid out earlier this month was adding a starting pitcher, though Cashman said they 'knocked on many doors' and just were not able to match up. So now the Yankees have the group they will move forward with for the final two months, trying to erase a 3 ¹/₂-game deficit in the AL East after they skidded through a 16-24 stretch over their last 40 games before Thursday's win. 'I think we've had a good team,' Cashman said on a conference call. 'You can have a good team that's not playing well, so I think that would characterize what the most recent stretch has been. But I do believe that that team, which is now different than this team, is good and has a chance to do good things. It was our job to try to find a way to improve upon it.' 4 The Yankees acquired Pirates closer David Bednar before the end of the MLB trade deadline on July 31, 2025. D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images Most notably, that came through beefing up the back end of the bullpen, with the trio of new relievers set to join closer Devin Williams, setup man Luke Weaver and lefty Tim Hill in the late innings to form what the Yankees hope is a newfound strength of the team. Aaron Boone indicated that Williams would remain the closer, but the manager now has much better options to navigate the late innings with a lead. 4 The Yankees acquired Giants closer Camilo Doval before the end of the MLB trade deadline on July 31, 2025. Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images 'Shortening the game's been a little bit of a challenge for us over the last month and a half with some of the injuries we've had,' said Boone, who added he had been pounding the table for Bednar in particular. 'I know we got some high-powered guys now to go with what's already a pretty good flock of guys, too.' All three relievers are under team control beyond this season — Bednar through 2026, Doval through 2027 and Bird through 2028 — which is notable with Williams and Weaver set to hit free agency this offseason. 4 The Yankees acquired Rockies reliever Jake Bird before the end of the MLB trade deadline on July 31, 2025. James A. Pittman-Imagn Images The Yankees' bullpen entered Thursday with a 4.24 ERA, which ranked 21st in the majors. Since July 1, their relievers had combined to post a 6.29 ERA, which was the second-highest mark during that stretch, as they became overworked and exposed with injuries to Fernando Cruz (expected back in late August) and Mark Leiter Jr. (could be back next week). In a market where the prices for top-end relievers was steep, the Yankees gave up three prospects for Bednar (catchers Rafael Flores — the biggest name the Yankees gave up Thursday — and Edgleen Perez and outfielder Brian Sanchez), four for Doval (catcher Jesus Rodriguez, right-hander Trystan Vrieling, infielder Parks Harber and left-hander Carlos de la Rosa) and two for Bird (infielder Roc Riggio and left-hander Ben Shields). 4 The Yankees traded for Rays infielder José Caballero during their win over Tampa Bay on July 31, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post For Caballero, the Yankees shipped outfield prospect Everson Pereira and a player to be named later or cash consideration to the Rays. Bednar, 30, is a two-time All-Star who had a rough 2024 and was even demoted to Triple-A early this season before coming back and thriving. Overall, he had a 2.37 ERA with 17 saves and 51 strikeouts in 38 innings. Doval, 28, is a former All-Star who had a 3.09 ERA with 15 saves and 50 strikeouts in 46 ²/₃ innings. He is known for a cutter that sits in the upper 90s And Bird, 29, had a 4.73 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 53 ¹/₃ innings this season, numbers that were inflated by a bad July in which he gave up 14 earned runs in his last eight games (spanning 5 ¹/₃ innings). 'I think we definitely got better today. They're three incredible pitchers,' Williams said. 'You got a lot of options for Booney now. It's kind of hard to go wrong.'
