Following up on a fiery appearance in front of the media prior to the league’s yearly GM meetings, New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has continued to grab headlines. In a statement that some have considered too candid, Cashman flatly stated Giancarlo Stanton is destined for another injury. This comment was met with great surprise from the usually more guarded executive.
“We try to limit the time he’s down,” Cashman said. “But I’m not gonna tell you he’s gonna play every game next year because he’s not. He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game. But I know that when he’s right and healthy – other than this past year – the guy’s a great hitter and has been for a long time.”
Nobody can reasonably push back on the veracity of these claims, but being so unfiltered was certainly out of the ordinary. Stanton is one of the most popular and highly compensated players on the team Cashman has assembled, so naturally, this caused a stir. These remarks added fuel to the ongoing media frenzy, making waves across New York City and providing a surplus of material for local radio and reporters to dissect.
A Stantonion Sized Drama
The situation continued to unravel when Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolfe, gave his rebuttal.
Giancarlo Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolfe, responds below to Yankees GM Brian Cashman saying of Stanton, “He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game.” pic.twitter.com/gZHlqy4cfY
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 14, 2023
An important fact worth noting is Wolfe also represents Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto and the Yankees have been linked closely all off-season, with the interest between the two appearing mutual. Luckily, this story was able to take its next turn just a few days later in Times Square.
Brian Cashman in his sleeping bag as he prepares for tonight's Covenant House Sleep Out in Times Square pic.twitter.com/Q8vxPolMAU
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) November 17, 2023
A positive event Brian Cashman takes on annually is his yearly sleep-out. This annual occasion sees him spending a night outdoors to raise funds for Covenant House, an organization combating youth homelessness.
Cashman was not alone in this endeavor, with figures like Saquon Barkley joining him this year in Times Square. The Yankee GM’s recent controversies still found a way to infiltrate the night, though.
Cashman spoke to the media prior to setting up for his slumber. While the focus of this was Covenant House and the work they do, Giancarlo Stanton found a way to come up. The Yankees GM downplayed any animosity between the two, saying he believed “everything’s in a good spot”. The two sides had connected after the comments and cleared the air. The response isn’t particularly surprising, but being asked at that moment did frustrate him a bit. Cashman added that he was quite surprised his words caused such a frenzy, which brings up a dilemma he has to deal with. His position with the fans right now is one where he cannot win until April.
The Pinstripes Are Heavy
Any public comments Cashman makes will always be viewed through whatever the Yankees are doing on the field. Yankees fans are the most spoiled in sports and understandably expect greatness. They’re in the middle of their longest World Series drought in almost 30 years, and just missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Cashman’s mistakes in team building have been magnified due to this, and he has become a punching bag for disillusioned fans. Ask any Yankee fan if they expect Stanton to avoid the IL next season; an overwhelming majority of them would say absolutely not. He’s missed approximately 45% of games in his Yankees tenure. Cashman pointing this out caused chaos, though.
Other aspects of Cashman that have been criticized are not holding his players accountable, and a perceived overreliance on analytics. This off-season, Cashman has been much more honest and pushed back on all of these claims. He openly called the season a failure, said the Yankees have a smaller analytic department than most, and the aforementioned Stanton comments. He has taken responsibility for the underachieving team, placing the blame on his shoulders. He’s also mentioned needing two outfielders and more lefty bats. Both of those are common requests of the fanbase. He still has been a lightning rod for criticism and controversy.
Play Ball
Nothing Cashman says over the next five months will matter. If he can rebuild the Yankees to be winners again by April, he’ll be able to say anything without much pushback. Until then though, he simply has to deal with it. Adding Yamamoto, trading for Juan Soto, and signing a reliable center fielder will make the last two weeks seem like they never happened. At this moment though, they will continue to dominate the narratives around the club and his job. For better or worse, that’s Brian Cashman’s reality as general manager of North America’s most successful and iconic sports franchise.
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