LAS VEGAS (AP) — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman accepted Pat Murphy's apology after the Milwaukee manager criticized New York's 2023 team for a selfish culture minutes after the Brewers won the World Series last month.
When first baseman Jake Bauers gave Murphy the ball from the last out of the Game 5 win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 28, the manager used a profanity while referring to the Yankees.
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Murphy made a reference to Bauers' likely big-money free agent contract this offseason and implored him to recall his time on the 2023 Yankees, who went 82-80 and failed to make the playoffs, and compare it with his success this year.
"You guys were all playing for yourself. Just remember, say, `This is the way we used to do it,’” Murphy said during the on-field celebration, a remark recorded in a video posted by Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin.
“He took the time on the greatest — within 12 hours, arguably some of the greatest times that he’s had walking this planet Earth outside of the birth of his kids — to realize that he said something that he regretted, that he's caught on a live mike," Cashman said Tuesday at the general managers meetings. “He wanted to take the time, track us down over here at the lowly New York Yankees to make sure he would apologize for that, so that meant a lot to me.”
Cashman said Murphy explained “how he kind of utilizes things — anything he can to motivate his players.”
Murphy won the NL Manager of the Year award Tuesday night, becoming the first skipper in either league to earn the honor three seasons in a row. He said Cashman “was very gracious and very, very kind” when they spoke.
“I didn’t mean to specifically talk about the Yankees necessarily,” Murphy said. “It was kind of like this big-market team that signs a lot of long-term deals and guys that are established. ... I could have used anybody’s name. I could have said the Dodgers or the Giants or whoever.”
New York was swept by Tampa Bay in an AL Division Series and has not won the World Series since its 26th title in 2009.
“The Marlins beat us in the World Series and I remember they put our logo on the World Series ring, that they beat the Yankees,” Cashman said. “We have a history of success that we’re always trying to live up to.”
Cashman said he understands the anger of the team's fan base at the end of each season without a title.
“Do I get upset? Initially, yeah. Do I get motivated? Absolutely, always,” he said, surrounded by reporters. “I don’t need anything to motivate me. I feel like our fans and you guys and girls keep us motivated enough. If that doesn’t, I mean, we've got a cattle prod constantly stuck right where you don’t want it non-stop with electrodes going. So that keeps you alive. But also when you take a step back, you've got to channel and recognize it’s coming from a place of hope and love of wanting things to be better than they currently are.”
Cashman, entering his 30th season in charge of baseball operations with the Yankees, said his new contract had been finalized but didn't reveal its length.
“Even though we’ve been there before, it hasn’t been as timely as it needs to be, so I get it,” he said of the title drought. “And the longer it goes, the louder it gets.”
Yankees left-hander Max Fried had surgery to remove a bone spur from his pitching elbow.
“That was a late surgery added,” Cashman said. “Six weeks of rest and rehab and then a throwing program starting sometime I think second week of December. Should be ready for spring training.”
Fried, a three-time All-Star who turns 33 in January, was 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA in 20 starts. Because of what the team said was a left elbow bone bruise, he didn't pitch for the Yankees between May 15 and July 22, and between Aug. 13 and 29.
Cashman said he was surprised former All-Star catcher Jorge Posada said on a podcast with New York Post reporters that the team made him felt unwelcome.
“If any of our former guys want to engage, they know where to find us,” Cashman said. “He is welcome. I obviously did have those conversations with him. ... Jorge wants us to be great. We want us to be great. And unfortunately we haven't been — we've been good but we haven't been great."
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