The New York Yankees have always taken heat for their roster construction in recent years, and that heat has ramped up even further following another playoff defeat.
The Yankees were eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS in embarrassing fashion. After the series loss, former Yankee legends Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter blasted the team’s roster construction on the FS1 postgame show.
“I’m pretty sure [manager Aaron Boone is] not the one that’s calling every move that they make throughout the game,” Jeter said, while Rodriguez said that the roster construction is “one of the worst constructions of roster” that he’s ever seen.
As such, Yankees GM Brian Cashman went on WFAN Radio and defended himself from the accusations made by his former All-Stars.
“It's not true, clearly,” Cashman said. “And they don’t know. Clearly, they don't know. I know that [Jeter] 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. I think that's the bugaboo that people get to throw out there when they’ve got nothing else to throw.”
“It's just a sad, sad throwaway comment for people to make [who] don't really know,” he added.
Cashman and the Yankees will be looking to change the narratives in 2026 after another early playoff exit. The team is running out of time to make the most of the primes of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gerrit Cole, so 2026 could prove to be a pivotal turning point in this current era.