John Flaherty not surprised he's out as YES Network Yankees analyst

John Flaherty said it was “definitely not a surprise” when the YES Network informed him in late October that he would not be back on its Yankees coverage in 2026.

He already had learned in August that his contract would not be picked up, so the odds of a new deal being negotiated were slim.

But after 20 years with the network, he quickly counted his blessings and moved on.

“It's amazing, because once you get the news, you’re like, OK, those are not the easiest words to hear,” Flaherty told Newsday on Tuesday night at the 2025 Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala at Chelsea Piers, an event hosted by ALS United Greater New York.

“But immediately I flipped to, I’ve been doing this for 20 years with the YES Network, 38 years in professional baseball, and I very quickly was just very grateful for how long that run had been.

“Then you kind of get out in the real world, so to speak, and start looking around and you’re like, do I want to do something with baseball, TV? Or do I want to do something completely else? I haven’t been in this position since I was in college. So it’s strange, but it’s also very exciting.”

Flaherty, 58, said he does not yet have any firm plans moving forward.

“There are still a lot of people who’ve reached out in the very beginning stages,” he said. “With the TV part of the business, people are trying to figure out who’s not coming back, who’s coming back before you move forward.

“So it’s going to take some time. But I’ve been flattered. I’ve been humbled. I’ve been all of it. It’s a pretty nice spot to be in.”

Part of YES’ motivation was streamlining its roster of analysts, something many have suggested they do for years. YES now will go primarily with David Cone – who also was at Tuesday’s event – Joe Girardi and Paul O’Neill.

“I’ve been hearing the same argument for 20 years, and I understand both sides of the argument,” Flaherty said. “But there are also parts of this that it’s a financial business that has changed. So there is definitely a streamlining in the booth. There’s also a financial part and that’s kind of where we’re at in the TV business these days.”

Asked to name highlights of his 20 years as a YES game and studio analyst and occasional play-by-play man, Flaherty said, “I would say Derek’s 3,000th hit [in 2011], being in the booth for that. That’s the immediate first thought.

“But the totality of the whole network. I’ve been part of teams my whole life, so the YES Network team for the past 20 years has been a big part of my life. So I’m going to miss that part of it, but again, looking forward to what’s next.”

Flaherty said of the response to the news of his departure, “I was very humbled by the responses that I got, not only on social media, but the text messages from people that you wouldn’t expect. So it was very humbling.

“You don’t know how much you affect people on a daily basis when the Yankee games are part of their lives every night. So I was very happy I was able to thank the fans and very humbled by the response.”

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.