Gary Denbo Replaces Mark Newman, Pat Roessler Out

Source: Gary Denbo will replace retired Mark Newman as Yankees Sr. VP of Baseball Operations.
— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) October 20, 2014

Gary Denbo has been named as the replacement for the all things prospects job previously held by Mark Newman in the New York Yankees organization. The official title is vice president of baseball operations but Newman definitely centered around the prospects more than anything else during his tenure. Denbo, 53 years old, has been the Yankees minor league hitting coach and manager (1990-1996), minor league hitting coordinator (1997-2000, 2006-2007), assistant minor league director (2000), hitting coach (2001), and scouting and player development consultant (2009-present). Denbo also played four seasons of minor league ball and was the hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Japanese League Nippon Ham Fighters in his coaching career.

Source also says Pat Roessler is out as Yankees director of player development.
— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) October 20, 2014

The team's director of player development Pat Roessler, who has held the position since the 2005 season, is also said to be out of job today. This could be where former Mets GM, and personal friend of Brian Cashman, Omar Minaya fits in.

Mark Newman, VP of Baseball Operations, To Retire

Mark Newman is the vice president of baseball operations with the New York Yankees and is believed to be retiring after this season. Newman has been with the Yankees for 26 seasons and has spent the last 15 seasons as the head of the team’s minor league development system. Whether this was a forced retirement or Newman’s decision remains to be seen as if you remember last offseason Hal Steinbrenner vowed to review all aspects of the Yankees minor league system after a disappointing 2013 season. With the Yankees likely headed towards their second straight season without a playoff berth, although the Yankees system produced many more MLB caliber players this season than last, the heat may have been on Newman and company.

With Newman retiring the Yankees system may be in for a bit of a shake up with Newman being the first domino to fall. It’s no secret that since the 2009 World Series Championship team, the team that had the highest percentage of homegrown talent on the active 25 man roster, the Yankees have struggled to produce much in the way of MLB talent out of their system. That 2009 stat is also a little skewed as that included much of Gene Michael’s work with the Core Four and Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte on the team. That team, and about every team since then, has relied heavily on the free agent market and international market and news rules in the Collective Bargaining Agreement have changed the game and affected the way the Yankees do business.

No longer can teams just spend heavily and expect to win as free agents in their prime are not hitting the free agent market anymore. A definite importance has been placed on the farm system and cost effective full time players and the Yankees are not producing many of those outside of the plethora of bullpen arms they have shot to the Bronx over the last few seasons. This and other factors may have led to Newman’s retirement, although his contract was set to expire at the end of the season anyway.

Former Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman is being considered for the job as well as Damon Oppenheimer, the team’s vice president and director of amateur scouting. One member of the organization that does not seem likely to succeed Newman is Pat Roessler, the director of player development, as his job is likely to be vacant soon as well.