A “Core Four” Yankee no longer feels welcome in the Bronx.
Jorge Posada told The Post’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on the latest episode of “The Show” podcast that he thought the Yankees no longer wanted him after being asked about the possibility of helping the team.
“It has to be the right one — I mean, I could, but I don’t think they want me to tell you the truth,” Posada said in the episode, which aired Tuesday afternoon.
“I don’t feel welcome when I go there, you know? Even in spring training, I don’t feel like… I just feel 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’s shocking revelation came after Sherman asked him if the Yankees needed someone besides manager Aaron Boone who cares about the team’s brand and has the fire the former catcher showed during his career to stand up and say certain plays are “unacceptable.”
The 56-year-old, whose number 20 was retired by the Yankees in 2015, won over fans during his 17 years in the Bronx from 1995-2011 with his fiery passion and offensive skills, winning four titles as part of the Core Four alongside Hall of Famers shortstop Derek Jeter and closer Mariano Rivera as well as left-handed starter Andy Pettitte.
Watch the full episode of “The Show” featuring Jorge Posada below.
When asked what would make him feel that way, he didn’t offer a specific time but referenced the difficult end to his career with the Yankees.
“I don’t know what happened. I just prefer to move forward,” Posada said. “My last season of my career was very difficult when it came to dealing with everything on my side and also from the Yankees towards Jorge Posada. So, it’s hard to go back and feel that way again.”
Posada’s final season in 2011 was marked by public disagreements with the team regarding his playing time and his move to designated hitter.
He believed it was the front office that called, not then-manager Joe Girardi, and clarified Tuesday that he spoke to Girardi about the decisions, but not general manager Brian Cashman or owner Hal Steinbrenner.
“The fact that I never had the chance to fight for my job was the hardest part,” Posada said at the time. “I have no issues or problems with Joe.”
Cashman, who declined to comment for this story, acknowledged the difficult ending at the time.
“Sometimes there are tough times, but you try to get through them,” Cashman said then. “We obviously went through a tough time this year… but we all fought through it. »
Posada told Sherman and Heyman that he did not regret going public with his thoughts.
Posada appeared behind the plate just once in 2011, compared to 90 starts as a designated hitter and 14 as a first baseman, and posted an OPS of .714.
The Yankees instead selected Russell Martin as their starting catcher during a season that ended in an ALDS loss to the Tigers.
Posada has been a part of the franchise even though he hasn’t felt welcome, attending several Alumni Days and appearing for the 1998 championship team’s 25th anniversary in 2023.
“I’m going to express how I feel and…if something’s wrong, I’m going to tell you,” Posada said. “That’s how 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 hardest thing with people. I’ll tell you straight what’s wrong.”
Since hanging up his cleats, Posada has remained involved in baseball.
He worked under Derek Jeter in the Marlins front office and also served as bench coach for Team Italy in this year’s World Baseball Classic.
He said he enjoyed his role on the Marlins, especially since he didn’t have to be there all the time.
Posada now finds joy in being with his family.
Watching the 2026 postseason from afar, Posada noted that he expected a better performance from the Yankees.
“They keep coming up short and it’s just about being hot, being healthy and all that at the right time,” Posada said. “I felt like the launch was phenomenal. I feel like they had everything going forward. Losing (Aaron) Judge, not to make excuses, but losing Judge is a big piece in the middle of the lineup. And then you have guys that they got in the trade and I felt like they still had the same thing. So it was tough to see that fail because I thought they were going to take it a little further.”
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