Max Mannis

Asked my guy @JeffPassan if he'd film a quick shoutout for @MaxMannisPod. Wasn't ready for what came next.

Pretty cool that baseball is doing better than I can ever remember before right as the Yankees are starting off the season by running laps around the AL. Life ain't bad.

Max boy oh boy do I have some news from the future for you

We've come a long way.

I think the ALDS performance vs. Toronto was the tipping point for a lot of people within the organization, and they knew they'd have to make SOME kind of substantive change to appease the fanbase amid the "run it back" allegations. Surgery timeline kinda gave them the perfect excuse, and Caballero played just well enough to make everyone know it was a no-brainer.

So realistically, was this the Yankees plan all along ever since they traded for Caballero? Ever since last October? Or did they not plan to do this but Cabby forced their hand?

This man is operating different this year

Anthony Volpe has been everyone's go-to example in recent years of how organizational stubbornness was making fans lose trust in the organization. It was symbolic of the team digging in their heels well past the point where they should've. This was one of the hills the team chose to die on the hardest. This was obviously the right call, but I'm still pretty stunned. Feels like it'll go down as a pretty foundational moment in this era of Yankees baseball. Hope Volpe goes and crushes it at Triple-A and this story becomes even cooler.

Holy moly they did it.

Can we have an honest conversation about where Yankees fans' heads are at right now? This team looks GREAT and has reinforcements coming, but everyone's a little scared to be 100% in because we've seen this movie before. Running it back was frustrating but everyone KINDA understood why the front office had reason to believe in it... and now it's kinda just working? Volpe stuff also feels like a pretty massive organizational mindset shift early on, relative to previous years. Importantly, the whole AL looks pretty awful. Kinda giving strong 2024 vibes. I guess what I'm asking is, how much is an appropriate level to be buying in right now? What more do we gotta see to 100% believe?

A Yankees-Braves World Series rematch 30 years after 1996 would be some top tier script writing from the baseball gods

There were some times last year where it looked like the Yankees might've fumbled by trading away Agustin Ramirez and Carlos Narvaez. No longer.

Vibes are good, folks! Give me your current thoughts on the Yankees in five words or less

Went back and forth with myself a lot this winter deliberating who was better, Boston or Baltimore. The answer is both of them stink. Not complaining!

Yankees win. Jasson looks awesome. Ben Rice avoided disaster. Volpe isn't being gifted his job back. Life is good.

Homer from the left side and two doubles from the right side for Jasson. Judge and Rice go yard. Volpe probably staying in the minors. No one else in the AL is legit good. Somebody pinch me

Official verdict on this eighth inning:

Do the Yanks have something on Kittredge?

👽👽👽👽👽

Brent Headrick is the Chad Green of Lucas Luetges

Dudes rock