New York Yankees Lose Two Staff Members to NL Club

Two former New York Yankees coaches who specialized in defense and baserunning have been hired by the Chicago Cubs.

Oct 16, 2017; Bronx, NY, USA; An view of the a field logo before game three of the 2017 ALCS playoff baseball series between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Two former New York Yankees coaches who specialized in defense and baserunning are joining the same organization.

On Friday afternoon, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma reported that the Chicago Cubs are hiring Jose Javier as their new first-base coach. He replaces Mike Napoli, one of multiple assistants let go at season’s end as manager Craig Counsell begins to put his stamp on the organization heading into his second year at the helm.

The Chicago Cubs have hired a new first-base coach for Craig Counsell’s staff and made some changes in player development, adding people from the New York Yankees organization. News story with @sahadevsharma: https://t.co/AtasH4GIUP

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) December 6, 2024

Javier, 32, spent this past season as a defensive coach for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he focused on outfield defense and baserunning. Before coaching, he played six seasons in the Yankees’ minor-league system, starting in the Dominican Republic.

The Athletic also revealed that the Cubs hired Matt Talarico away from the Yankees to join their player development department, where he will hold the title of offensive coordinator, base running. Talarico had previously served as New York’s director of speed development, as well as its baserunning coordinator and a roving hitting coach.

The Yankees’ defense and baserunning have been under heavy scrutiny since their World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where both areas were seen as significant shortcomings. Dodgers players Joe Kelly and Miguel Rojas both made public comments about how Los Angeles viewed the Yankees’ fundamentals as a weakness. 

In 2024, New York ranked 10th in Outs Above Average and 12th in defensive runs saved. However, they finished last in both FanGraphs’ baserunning runs above average metric and Statcast’s comprehensive baserunning metric, while also tying the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves for last in team sprint speed.

On Halloween, New York Post columnist Joel Sherman reported that the Dodgers’ metrics rated the Yankees as the “worst baserunning team” in the sport, with the “worst positioned outfield.” Despite these critiques, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman strongly defended the team's programs.

“I think we’re considered one of the best in the business with our baserunning program,” Cashman said, adding that Talarico was interviewing for three different MLB jobs at the time. “If we’re so bad, then why are so many teams asking for permission to talk to our baserunning expert that works with both our major league and minor league teams?”

Brian Cashman said the Yankees' director of speed development and baserunning, Matt Talarico, is currently interviewing for three different MLB jobs.

"I think we're considered one of the best in the business with our baserunning program."

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) November 5, 2024

While Cashman acknowledged that his team underperformed in the World Series, he felt Kelly’s comments were exaggerated and did not fairly represent the Yankees’ overall performance. The Yankees’ Double-A and Triple-A teams both finished in the top three in stolen bases this season, but the major league squad lacked speed, with nearly every regular starter—except for Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr.—ranking below the 50th percentile in sprint speed.

Alongside their postseason struggles, defensive and baserunning miscues were a concern in the second half of the regular season. Rookie Jasson Domínguez struggled to adapt defensively in left field, while Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres were particularly prone to running the team out of innings.

Soto recorded the second-most outs on the bases in MLB, while Torres posted a -4.6 BsR, making him statistically the sixth-worst baserunner in the league. Both players are currently free agents.

Javier and Talarico are not the only staff members to leave the Yankees this offseason. Last month, the New York Mets hired assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel from the Yankees to fill the same role, while former hitting director Joe Migliaccio was hired as the Miami Marlins’ new director of hitting.