Hal Steinbrenner Appreciated Brian Cashman’s Passionate Yankees Defense

By Joel Sherman Published Nov. 14, 2023, 6:44 p.m. ET

Hal Steinbrenner may not have been a fan of the strong language used, but he certainly welcomed the fiery defense put forth by Yankees GM Brian Cashman last week in response to criticisms of the baseball operations department. In a candid email exchange, the Yankees owner expressed his support for Cashman’s passion, acknowledging the frustration caused by false narratives about the organization being spread by uninformed individuals.

While Steinbrenner chose not to delve into specific details on record regarding the “false narratives,” he did make it clear during his own press conference that the perception of analytics driving every decision made by the Yankees, especially in regard to in-game choices made by Aaron Boone, is inaccurate.

During the general managers’ meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., Cashman engaged in a lively and at times contentious exchange with reporters, fiercely defending his department by proclaiming, “I think we are pretty [bleeping] good, personally.”

Addressing the Yankees’ injury woes and the impact of Eric Cressey, the team’s director of player health and performance, Cashman candidly discussed Giancarlo Stanton’s injury-prone nature, prompting a response from Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolfe, cautioning free agents considering signing with the Yankees to be mentally and physically tough.

Wolfe, who represents top foreign free agent and Yankee target Yoshinobu Yamamoto, declined further comment when contacted by The Post.

Steinbrenner refrained from publicly commenting on Cashman’s remarks about Stanton and the ensuing fallout.