Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was put on the spot at the MLB GM meetings in San Antonio this week. He was asked about the sharp comments made by Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly following the World Series; in a recent appearance on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast, Kelly had some pointed things to say specifically regarding their work ethic and attention to detail.

Joe Kelly said that they had a lot of big superstars in their clubhouse, but their superstars also cared, weren’t lazy, and played hard. That’s the difference and the biggest separator. The remarks were clearly a shot at the Yankees, and Cashman was inevitably asked to respond. It’s not the first time the Yankees have been criticized for their postseason struggles, but Kelly’s comments hit particularly hard. 

Brian Cashman reacts to Kelly’s critique

In response to Joe Kelly’s pointed comments about the Yankees’ work ethic and attention to detail, Brian Cashman said, “I also know people with the Dodgers so I’ve got some internal conversations that I’ve certainly got feedback on.”  According to the New York Post, Cashman also added, “I think it’s more representative of some specific players rather than the overall group. And in Joe’s case, it feels like it’s some reason it’s a little personal, you know, the way he’s out talking like he has. So it feels like that’s more personal than anything else.”

Cashman dismissed it, not considering it to be a representative of the Dodgers organization in general. Brian Cashman claims that Kelly’s remark was more about the players on a certain club than it was about totally disparaging the Yankees. In his speech, Cashman seemed to hint at a personal touch in Kelly’s comments, implying that the Yankees’ culture could be more complex than Joe claims. Recently, the Yankees let go of their first baseman despite him wanting to be with them till the very end.

The Yankees let go of Anthony Rizzo

Anthony Rizzo spoke candidly about his uncertain future with the Yankees following Wednesday’s World Series Game 5 defeat. He had acknowledged throughout the postseason that he could be leaving New York. “I’m a realist,” Rizzo once declared, he had some knowledge that he may be wearing pinstripes for his last games as a result of the team’s summer selections. Despite this information, the 35-year-old expressed his real desire to remain with the Yankees and, ideally, retire with them.

Rizzo became a formal free agent on Saturday, but his desire was ignored. His 2025 option, worth $17 million, was not picked up by the Yankees. New York will pay Rizzo a $6 million buyout to end his two-year, $34 million contract with the team that he inked in November 2022. Now that the Yankees are without their first baseman they might set their eyes on someone in free agency – like Pete Alonso. Sources have said that they have already approached Alonso and are on talking terms with his agent, Scott Boras.

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