And the Yankees Still Don’t Have a Hitting Coach

"My bad..." - Brian Cashman

News broke shortly after the New York Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs that the team was firing Kevin Long as the team’s hitting coach. Multiple reports on multiple news sites stated that New York would likely have a replacement in house by the time the World Series started. When the World Series ended the team announced that they had interest in Kansas City Royals DH Raul Ibanez for the job and then Ibanez expressed a mutual interest for the position. Then the Tampa Bay Rays announced their pool of potential managers for 2015 and Ibanez was on the list and is now presumably holding up the entire operation. I said all that to say this, the Yankees still don’t have a hitting coach.

I understand and admit that a hitting coach is not going to make or break anything on this team full of veterans and stars. Free agents will not stay away from New York due to the unknown on who will coach the hitters in 2015. Players won’t be disgruntled and demand or ask for trades simply because the team doesn’t have a hitting coach. It’s just a hitting coach but don’t the Yankees kind of need one or two?

What’s the hold up here?

P.S. this was written yesterday afternoon and scheduled for this morning so if news breaks late that the team signed a hitting coach, you're welcome. That usually happens when I schedule and write posts in advance.