The New York Yankees dominated the MLB General Manager meetings last week, mostly in part due to general manager Brian Cashman ranting, borderline throwing a tantrum. Cashman defended the Yankees operation that has been criticized by media and fans alike, including saying he believes they are "pretty f***ing good" and called said narratives "bulls***."
It certainly opened up eyes around the baseball world, as Cashman defended those who work in the organization, whether in the scouting department or those in the heavily-criticized analytics department. This kind of talk comes as the team underperformed their 'World Series or bust' mantra they talked about for years and finished this past season with an 82-80 record to miss out on the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Considering how bombastic Cashman was during his hour-long meeting with reporters, thoughts were circulating about how Steinbrenner felt about it. Well, Steinbrenner was perfectly fine with the tantrum.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reached out to Steinbrenner to get his thoughts on Cashman's rant at the GM meetings. The Yankees owner said that other than the cursing, he had no issue with Cashman's comments. In fact, he believes he did the right thing in calling out the "false narratives."
Hal Steinbrenner defends Brian Cashman's profanity-laced tantrum at MLB GM meetings
"While I don't condone the cussing, I do like the passion," Steinbrenner told Sherman. "There are too many false narratives out there about our organization, being pushed by uninformed and uninvolved people. It is, needless to say, frustrating."
Yup, perfectly fine with a rant from the general manager after the team missed out on the playoffs and hadn't made it back to the World Series since 2009. But the swearing? Too much.
Steinbrenner held a press conference hours before Cashman held his meeting with reporters. The Yankees owner didn't divulge much into what the Yankees were going to do this offseason, hinting at changes that they believe are major, but fans may not think so (okay?). Then there was Steinbrenner's comments about manager Aaron Boone's desire to focus more on bunting in 2024, believing it's making a comeback. But, Steinbrenner did defend the organization from those that raised questions about how it was run.
The Yankees owner said that Boone wasn't following information from the analytics department and using it for every managerial decision throughout his tenure, saying it's "just not true." Steinbrenner also said that fans' criticism of the analytics department in relation to the team's results and roster decisions is "not justified." Oh, and he did not fault the training and strength and conditioning staffs for the amount of injuries the team suffered in recent years.
One has to wonder if the Yankees will change their tune if they miss out on the playoffs in 2024. For now, after a season that they described as being "awful," the Yankees are thumbing their noses at their critics and frustrated fans, and sound like they will continue to run things their way this offseason.
