EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsJorge Posada said the New York Yankees should consider adding a strong voice to their coaching staff who will "push" the the players to higher standards of accountability.But that voice likely will not be Posada, who said he doesn't "feel welcome" with the Yankees despite his status as a widely respected five-time World Series champion.Posada, who played his entire 17-year career with the Yankees, was asked whether he would be interested in rejoining the organization during a recent interview with the New York Post's "The Show" podcast."I mean, I could, but I don't think they want me there, to tell you the truth," Posada said during the interview, which was published Tuesday."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, I don't feel welcome. I don't feel like they want me there, so I don't go."Posada did not elaborate on why he feels unwelcome but mentioned his final season as a player in 2011, when he was moved off his customary position as the Yankees' catcher and feuded with management over decreased playing time as a part-time designated hitter."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," he said. "So it's tough to go back and feel that again."A five-time All-Star known for his fiery personality, Posada bemoaned some recent stretches of sloppy postseason play by the Yankees, saying that team standards need to be established and upheld during the regular season and adding that players should understand "this means something.""[Mental mistakes are] magnified during the playoffs," he said. "So during the season, if it happens and you don't address it, that's when it becomes a problem. So it needs to happen more during the season and make these guys more accountable."You didn't run to first base? Get him out of the game. Make him understand that this means something. It's not a game, it's really a job, and some guys are not doing their job."Posada stressed more than once during the interview that he thinks general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone are the right people to lead the Yankees, adding that the players are primarily responsible for New York's shortcomings in the postseason."It's not on Boonie, it's not on Cash," Posada said. "Cash tries to put the team together as best as he can. Is it on the players? Yes, because they're the ones that go out there and play the game. ... Do they need to change a little bit maybe there? Boonie is coming back, but you can make some changes in the coaching staff and bring in somebody who would push some of these players."Posada, 56, has held multiple baseball leadership roles since retiring in 2011. He joined former teammate Derek Jeter in a front-office position with the Miami Marlins from 2019 to 2022 and served as the bench coach earlier this year for Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic.As for his coaching prospects in the majors, Posada admitted his no-nonsense approach could be viewed as a negative by some teams, including the Yankees."I'm going to express the way I feel and ... if something's wrong, I'm going to tell you," he said. "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 my probably my toughest thing with people. I'll tell you straight up what's wrong."
