The Yankees have exercised Matt Blake’s club option for the 2026 season, a source told the Daily News on Monday.
The pitching coach is one of two Yankees staffers who entered the offseason with club options for next year. Major league field coordinator/director of catching Tanner Swanson is the other.
Blake has become an instrumental part of the Yankees’ pitching department since taking his current job in 2019 and is considered one of the game’s top pitching coaches. While the team’s 2025 bullpen fell short of expectations despite having more star power than Blake has been accustomed to – Yankees relievers ranked 23rd with a 4.37 ERA – the coach oversaw a rotation that finished fourth with a 3.61 ERA despite suffering numerous injuries. That included Gerrit Cole undergoing Tommy John surgery and not throwing a single pitch.
Back in August, Blake said that he hoped to remain with the Yankees and added that he had not had any talks with the team about an extension. A few weeks later, general manager Brian Cashman said there was no need to discuss an extension with Blake with the Yankees in possession of a club option.
With Blake’s option picked up, an expected outcome, the source also confirmed that Desi Druschel is rejoining the Yankees’ coaching staff.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the return of Druschel, who was Blake’s assistant pitching coach in the Bronx for three seasons before taking a similar role with the Mets this past year. When the Queens club let lead pitching coach Jeremy Hefner go after the season, Druschel was given the opportunity to stay with the Mets. However, they also gave the pitch design specialist permission to speak with other teams, prompting his switch back to the pinstripes.
With Druschel working on Carlos Mendoza’s staff last year, Preston Claiborne took over as the Yankees’ assistant pitching coach. The former Yankees reliever is still on the team’s coaching staff, the source said. Either Claiborne or Druschel will become the Bombers’ bullpen coach after Mike Harkey, who filled the role for 16 seasons over two stints, wasn’t invited back.
Harkey was on an expiring contract.
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