The Yankees are nearing a deal to bring back pitching coach Matt Blake, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Blake (age 41) joined the Yankees in November 2019 as the team’s new pitching coach, and the Yankees’ big-league pitching development pipeline has improved significantly since then.
Blake replaced previous pitching coach Larry Rothschild, and Blake, before New York, had success with Cleveland as one of their pitching coordinators. He served as an assistant director of player development for Cleveland from 2016-19, and two months before the Yankees hired him, he was promoted to director of pitching development.
Blake’s Rise To Professional Baseball
Blake was a high school pitching coach in 2015 at Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School near Boston. When the now-Guardians hired Blake in 2016, he helped develop pitchers who went on to rise, including Shane Bieber, Corey Kluber, James Karinchak, and Aaron Civale, to name a few.
The Yankees led Major League Baseball in team ERA during the 2026 regular season (3.23 ERA) in 161 games (1,441.1 total innings pitched) and posted a 1.88 ERA in five postseason games (43 total innings pitched).
The Yankees pitching development pipeline has improved much in the last several seasons with the emergence of Cam Schlittler in 2025, and likely the AL CY Young Winner from his performance in the 2026 regular season, where he posted the lowest ERA for a Yankees starting pitcher (1.95 ERA) since Ron Guidry’s 1978 season, when he posted a 1.74 ERA.
You can also talk about starting pitchers like Will Warren, who has developed into a solid back-end starter for the Yankees throughout the 2026 season. Warren lowered his ERA to 3.92 this season after posting a 4.44 ERA the season prior (2025), and he logged important innings for the Yankees after the rotation was trying to navigate without the likes of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Max Fried through portions of the season.
Yankees Pitching Pipeline Much Improved In The Blake Era
Warren pitched in 33 games in 2026, logging 156 innings, and his last seven starts of the regular season were impressive: a 3-0 record, a 2.12 ERA, 36 strikeouts in 34 innings, and a 1.24 WHIP. The bullpen also improved with Matt Blake as the pitching coach, guys like Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn, Headrick of which was a waiver wire pickup in February of 2025, and they became two of the Yankees top three best bullpen arms in 2026.
Even a guy like David Bednar, who had a solid stint in Pittsburgh, became the Yankees’ shutdown closer after they acquired him, and he had a strong season, posting a 2.47 ERA with 35 saves this season. Even looking at previous years, the Yankees found under-the-radar guys such as left-hander Tim Hill, who found massive success for the Yankees throughout the 2024 season and that postseason run.
Other guys include Jake Cousins, Luke Weaver, Wandy Peralta, Michael King, Michael Tonkin, and even Clay Holmes, who struggled in the closer role but still had some success here.
While the contract specifics and what’s being discussed are still unknown, this is a guy the Yankees couldn’t lose, and they are one step closer to ensuring he continues doing what he’s doing in the Yankees’ pitching pipeline.
Yankees’ Close To New Deal With Matt Blake: Sherman