Jorge Posada Says He No Longer Feels Welcome Around New York Yankees

Former New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada revealed during an appearance on "The Show" podcast with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman that he no longer feels welcome around the organization. The longtime backstop, who spent all 17 seasons of his Major League Baseball career in pinstripes, explained that persistent discomfort has kept him from visiting franchise facilities, including the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Florida.

When asked whether the Yankees could benefit from adding him or another passionate former player to manager Aaron Boone's coaching staff, Posada dismissed the idea that the team would be interested. "I mean, I could, but I don't think they want me there, to tell you the truth," Posada said. He detailed his unease when visiting the club, adding, "I don't feel welcome when I go there, you know? Even in spring training, I don't feel like — I'm just like, I don't know, like, I don't feel welcome. I don't feel like they want me there, so I don't go."

Posada linked his alienation directly to the contentious end of his playing career in 2011. That season, the Yankees signed Russell Martin to take over starting catching duties and shifted the veteran into a designated hitter role, where he started 90 games alongside 14 starts at first base and made only a single appearance behind the plate. The strain culminated on May 14, 2011, when Posada asked out of the lineup against the Boston Red Sox after being penciled into the ninth spot, though he apologized the following day to then-manager Joe Girardi.

"My last season of my career was a really tough one when it comes to handling everything on my part and also the Yankees toward Jorge Posada," Posada stated. "So, it's tough to go back and feel that again." Posada noted that he spoke with Girardi during that difficult campaign, but had not spoken with general manager Brian Cashman or principal owner Hal Steinbrenner at the time. Cashman declined to comment regarding Posada's podcast remarks.

The fractured dynamic emerges despite significant formal honors from the franchise. Regarded alongside Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte as part of the Yankees' famed "Core Four," Posada collected 275 career home runs, 1,065 RBIs, five All-Star nods, and five Silver Slugger awards, with reports differing on whether he earned four or five World Series rings with the franchise. The Yankees retired his No. 20 jersey and dedicated a plaque in Monument Park in 2015, and Posada has returned for select events, including Old-Timers' Day, the 1998 championship team's 25th anniversary in 2023, and a pregame Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony.

While Posada stated that he does not believe the Yankees need to dismiss Boone or Cashman, he emphasized that the team lacks a guiding voice in the dugout willing to push players directly. "I'm going to express the way I feel and … if something's wrong, I'm going to tell you," Posada explained. "That's the way I played the game. We wanted to win, and we wanted to be there to do the right things. I'm very honest, and that's probably my toughest thing with people. I'll tell you straight up what's wrong."

Posada's comments prompted swift reactions from former teammates and commentators. Former Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain, who played with Posada from 2007 through 2011, posted on X that the remarks say a lot coming from him, later replying to a fan that "it seems like there are some that they love that are still around." SiriusXM host Adam Schein argued the issue stems from clubhouse culture, questioning why young catcher Austin Wells is not receiving guidance from Posada and calling on team captain Aaron Judge to assert stronger leadership.

Following his playing career, Posada remained in the sport outside the Bronx, working in the Miami Marlins front office under Jeter and serving as a bench coach for Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic. However, his recent admission illustrates that unresolved grievances from over a decade ago continue to keep one of the defining figures of the Yankees' late-1990s and 2000s dynasty away from the current franchise.