New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made waves in the baseball world last week after he called Giancarlo Stanton “injury-prone,” a message that did not sit at all well with the slugger's agent.
Although Cashman reportedly cleared the air with Stanton and his agent Joel Wolfe, he walked back his comments on Friday.
“I value Giancarlo Stanton as a player. Without a doubt, he’s one of the big drivers when we do win. He’s one of the few players you bring to New York that hasn’t backed down, that has handled himself in a professional manner through thick and thin,” Cashman explained, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
“He’s one of the few players that, when the money’s on the line – if you look at his postseason numbers, it’s pretty impressive. He’s a gifted, talented player. He’s a feared hitter. We’d love to be able to deploy him at all times.”
Cashman confirmed that he has spoken with both Stanton and Wolfe, and that “everything's in a good spot.” He did admit he was surprised how the situation was “twisted” and played out over the last week.
Yankees' Cashman criticized for comments
The longtime Yankees executive was criticized for speaking like that about one of his own players, and Wolfe believes it could harm New York's reputation with potential free agents.
“I read the context of the entire interview. I think it's a good reminder for all free agents considering signing in New York both foreign and domestic that to play for that team you've got to be made of Teflon, both mentally and physically because you can never let your guard down even in the offseason,” Wolfe said in a statement.
Despite Cashman's questionable comments, he admitted that, when healthy, Stanton is “a great hitter and has been for a long time.”
That is certainly true, although the 34-year-old has only played 391 of a possible 708 regular-season games since 2019. He also had the worst season of his major league career in 2023, slashing just .191/.275/.420 with 24 home runs in 101 games.
It's clear that Giancarlo Stanton isn't the player he once was. Regardless, Brian Cashman will likely think extra hard before criticizing one of his own players again.
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