Yankees GM fires back at legends Jeter and A-Rod after criticism

In their zeal to create compelling studio television, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez rankled their former boss.

Brian Cashman, the New York Yankees’ longtime general manager and vice president, fired back at criticism of his regime and the handling of manager Aaron Boone in an appearance on an area radio station.

After the Yankees were eliminated in Game 4 of their American League Division Series by the Toronto Blue Jays, Jeter and A-Rod fired some shots from their Fox Sports postgame show perch.

Rodriguez called these Yankees “one of the worst constructions of a roster I’ve ever seen,” after the club won 94 games, defeated Boston in the AL wild card series and succumbed to the Blue Jays, who also won 94 games and claimed the division title on a tiebreaker.

Jeter, while claiming he had no “inside knowledge,” repeated the well-worn claim that Boone merely parrots front office strategy and that in-game maneuvers are scripted by his superiors.

“I’m pretty sure Aaron’s not the one that’s calling every move that they make throughout the game,” Jeter said on air.

Cashman appeared on WFAN, the Yankees’ flagship station, to push back against the two baseball legends who once patrolled the left side of his infield. He intimated that he called Jeter to discuss the criticism.

“Clearly, they don’t know,” Cashman said. “I know DJ said that, I don’t know what he meant by it, he did say he doesn’t have inside knowledge when he said it, but he did say it, for whatever reason. And I think that’s the bugaboo that people get to throw out there when they got nothing else to throw.”

Cashman bemoaned the notion of “analytics, analytics, analytics” and that “none of that is accurate,” though the perception has existed ever since Boone replaced Joe Girardi – who was fresh off a trip to the 2017 ALCS – as Yankee manager before the 2018 season.

Jeter retired as Yankees shortstop after the 2014 season and went on to take an ownership stake and president position with the Miami Marlins before they parted ways in 2022 after five years. He intimated before his Hall of Fame induction that year that he looked forward to being a more regular presence around Yankee Stadium, even if that didn’t involve an official role.

Rodriguez, who Cashman signed to a $275 million extension when A-Rod opted out of an earlier deal in 2008, was ensnared in performance-enhancing drug scandals for two of his last six seasons as a Yankee. 

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.