Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

WATCH: Yankees turn back clock, revive classic spring training custom

Old meets new!

Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Maybe no team has been through as much as the New York Yankees since 2023. Maybe that’s just my self-bias talking. But forgive me for being constantly disappointed – by injuries, questionable management calls, and… more injuries. After their humiliating exit before the 2023 postseason (much to the rest of the league’s delight), the Yankees bounced back with a blockbuster Juan Soto trade. That move carried them all the way to the World Series – until a certain Freddie Freeman happened.

Then came another gut punch. Soto switched boroughs, heading to Queens. Not exactly easy to digest.

So maybe, just maybe, the Yankees sought comfort in what could be an awkward start to spring training by bringing in a few special veterans – names deeply tied to the franchise’s history. Sure, free-agent deals are just business as usual, but allow me to sympathize, please.

Who’s on the guest list?

Jorge Posada, Mike Mussina, Bucky Dent, Joe Torre, CC Sabathia, Alfonso Soriano, and Tino Martinez – along with, for the first time in years, Roger Clemens, according to sources. And that’s not even the full list of guest instructors.

Gerrit Cole, Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Max Fried and Ron Guidry all hanging out pic.twitter.com/bESJTcsmyA
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) February 17, 2025

The video above shows CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and Ron Guidry already at camp, offering their expertise to an elite pitching staff led by Gerrit Cole. New signee Max Fried joins the mix, along with Carlos Rodon – who looked like he found his groove last season – Clarke Schmidt, 2024 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, and Marcus Stroman.

Willie Randolph and Ron Guidry have remained regular presences and will continue their instructor roles this spring. Andy Pettitte, in his role as a special advisor, will be around the team intermittently throughout the year. Last spring, Joe Torre even threw on a uniform and made a pitching change during a game – part of a tradition largely spearheaded by manager Aaron Boone, who has been behind many of these individual invitations.

ALSO READ: Red Sox Spring Training Gets Spicy as Rafael Devers Rejects Position Change Talk

Roger Clemens’ return is particularly notable because, as far as anyone can remember, he hasn’t been involved with the team since 2007 – his final season in pinstripes.

New York Yankees

Yankees

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.