New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, speaking to reporters from the annual General Mangers Meetings in San Antonio, Tx., on Tuesday, said that recent critical comments made by Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly are not indicative of how the World Series-winning club views New York.
"I heard that, I also know people with the Dodgers," Cashman said. "So I’ve got some internal conversations that I’ve got feedback on. I think it’s more representative of some specific players rather than the overall group.
"In Joe’s case, it feels like for some reason it’s a little personal the way he’s been out there talking like he has. … So I can’t make much more than that. I know he’s certainly talking a lot right now, and he won – or they won."
Brian Cashman was asked about Joe Kelly's comments on the Yankees:
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) November 5, 2024
"In Joe's case it feels like for some reason it's a little personal the way he's out talking like he has. They won, so I can just say what I just said" pic.twitter.com/BrHzzktN5a
Kelly, among other things, said the Dodgers made their now-infamous Game 5 fifth-inning comeback, which was sparked by a comedy of errors from the Yankees, because New York "started kicking the ball around and playing Yankee baseball."
Kelly during an appearance on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast followed up those comments by saying the World Series was a "mismatch" and had the playoff teams been re-ranked, said the Yankees would have been the "eighth or ninth-best playoff team."
Kelly's comments came on the heels of reporting from the New York Post's Joel Sherman, who outlined the Dodgers' apparent scouting report, which was to simply put the ball in play and "make the Yankees execute."
But Cashman, leaning on his sources in the Dodgers' organization, feels that the club's view of his Yankees as a team of "talent over fundamentals", comes from a select group of players, and not the entirety of the organization.
Figuring out a way to improve fundamentally should be a part of New York's winter plans. But Cashman may have bigger fish to fry this offseason, namely retaining free agent slugger Juan Soto, who could command a contract that makes him the second-highest paid player in baseball behind Shohei Ohtani.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Brian Cashman Reacts to Joe Kelly Bashing Yankees After Dodgers’ World Series Win.
