Yankees general manager Brian Cashman responded to criticism from a pair of the franchise’s most prominent former players during a Thursday appearance on WFAN Sports Radio’s “Evan & Tiki” program.
Last week, after the Toronto Blue Jays defeated New York in the ALDS, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter placed the bulk of the blame for the Yankees’ disappointing playoff run on the front office. Cashman, who has served as the franchise’s general manager since 1998, strongly disagreed with their analysis, particularly Jeter’s suggestion that the front office had interfered with manager Aaron Boone’s decision-making during games.
Brian Cashman had A LOT to say in response to Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez’s comments on the front office making in-game decisions for Aaron Boone 😳 @EvanRobertsWFAN @ShaunMorash pic.twitter.com/bNMXznJ8WH
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) October 16, 2025
“It’s not true, clearly,” Cashman said. “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 said he doesn’t have inside knowledge when he said it, but he did say it, for whatever reason.”
After Game 4 of the ALDS, Jeter and Rodriguez discussed the Yankees’ season and Boone’s performance as manager on the Fox Sports postgame broadcast.
“He sticks up for his players,” said Jeter, who played alongside Boone on the 2003 Yankees. “I know he takes a lot of heat. But, look, I’m not saying it from any inside knowledge, but I’m pretty sure Aaron’s not the one that’s calling every move that they make throughout the game.”
Rodriguez echoed Jeter’s defense of Boone. “Honestly, from the entire organization, he’s the one guy I would circle that is the least to blame,” he said. “I mean, he’s got a lot of talent, but for me personally, it’s one of the worst constructions of a roster I’ve ever seen. You have three left-handed catchers, five DHs, you have a first baseman in and out. It’s just a very difficult hand for Boone, and honestly, they were exposed against a much better Jays team.”
“[Aaron Boone] is the one guy I would circle that has least to blame…one of the worst constructions of a roster I’ve ever seen.” A-Rod
“I’m pretty sure Aaron’s not the one that’s calling every move that they make throughout the game.” Derek Jeter pic.twitter.com/uwG5jtb07M
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 9, 2025
In Thursday’s radio interview, Cashman expressed frustration with voices from outside the Yankees organization — even those of beloved former players — making assumptions about his influence on Boone’s in-game calls.
“I think that’s the bugaboo that people get to throw out there when they’ve got nothing else to throw,” Cashman said. “Essentially, [Jeter] agrees with me that Aaron Boone is a good manager … and I agree with him. And then there’s always the bogeyman of, ‘other people are making the calls — analytics, analytics, analytics.’ People like to throw that, too, and none of that’s accurate.”
Cashman said that over his 27 years running the Yankees front office, he has never interfered with managers’ decisions in the dugout.
“At the end of the day, you put Joe Torre on a deposition, you put Joe Girardi under a deposition, or you put Aaron Boone under a deposition, I’ve never picked the lineup,” he said. “We’ve never picked the lineup. We don’t tell him who to play. We don’t tell him who to pitch, whether it’s the [bullpen] or the rotation.”
Cashman added, “It’s just a sad, sad throwaway comment for people to make that don’t really know.”
