LAS VEGAS — Brian Cashman said Nov. 10 that he had spoken with Jorge Posada after the retired catcher publicly questioned whether the Yankees wanted him around. Cashman said the comments surprised him and rejected the idea that Posada was being excluded.
The Yankees general manager delivered a brief answer to the central question about the former catcher’s standing.
“He is welcome,” Cashman said.
Cashman cited the Yankees’ annual spring training invitation as evidence that Posada remained wanted around the team.
“In Jorge’s case, he’s invited every spring,” Cashman said.
He also pointed to Old-Timers’ Day and Posada’s appearance on his daughter’s program, “Story of My Number.” Aaron Boone has continued inviting former players to camp.
Cashman singled out a more personal example of Posada’s continued connection: an appearance on “Story of My Number,” a YES Network program hosted by Cashman’s daughter. The general manager raised that interview himself while explaining why Posada’s comments had caught him off guard.
“He did my daughter’s show (Story of My Number for Yankees Entertainment Network). So, I was surprised. He is welcome,” Cashman said.
Cashman also noted that podcasts and social media now give former players more opportunities to air opinions than they had during Posada’s career. He portrayed that wider audience as part of the job.
“That comes with the territory,” Cashman said.
Cashman said former players could contact him or the Steinbrenner family directly. Addressing the concern that the organization had distanced itself from its alumni, he defended that access.
“We’re not ducking calls. We value our present, but we also value our past,” Cashman said.
He extended the invitation beyond Posada to other former Yankees who wanted to discuss the team’s direction.
“If any of our former guys want to engage, they know where to find us,” Cashman said.
Posada’s complaint reaches back to his final season
The comments surfaced during Posada’s Oct. 27 podcast appearance, when he was asked about potentially helping the Yankees. His answer redirected the discussion from a possible role to his relationship with the organization.
Posada described his discomfort in direct terms during that interview.
“I don’t feel welcome when I go there, you know?” Posada said.
He did not identify a single recent incident that caused the feeling. Instead, he referred to the difficult end of his playing career in 2011, when the Yankees moved him away from regular catching duties.
That final season included disagreements about playing time and his transition to designated hitter. Posada said he had discussed those decisions with then-manager Joe Girardi, while distinguishing those conversations from his dealings with the front office.
His retirement did not end all appearances with the Yankees. He has attended alumni celebrations, including Old-Timers’ Day. The team retired his No. 20 in 2015.
A 14-day response to a 15-year-old wound
The public timeline places Cashman’s response two weeks after the Oct. 27 interview. The season Posada invoked ended 15 years earlier. That gap connects the current dispute to a personnel decision made long before Boone became manager.
The Yankees’ own career record documents the scale of Posada’s connection: all 17 major league seasons, from 1995 through 2011, came with New York. He played 1,829 games and hit 275 home runs with 1,065 RBIs.
The distinction in the two accounts remains important. Cashman addressed access and communication. Posada described the experience of returning. Neither account, by itself, establishes how their private conversation changed the relationship.
Cashman reveals private apology from Pat Murphy
Cashman also discussed a call from Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy after his criticism of the 2023 Yankees was captured during the Brewers’ World Series celebration.
The exchange involved Jake Bauers, who played for New York in 2023. Murphy contrasted that team’s approach with Milwaukee’s while speaking to Bauers after the championship-clinching game.
Cashman said Murphy called the following morning, within about 12 hours, to apologize. The Nov. 10 development was Cashman’s public account of that call, not a newly delivered apology.
Cashman stressed that the timing of Murphy’s call mattered to him. The manager reached out the morning after Milwaukee won the World Series rather than letting his televised criticism stand without explanation.
“He wanted to take the time, track us down over here at the lowly New York Yankees to make sure he would apologize,” Cashman said.
Murphy’s message accused the earlier club of playing selfishly. Cashman said the manager explained that he used such comparisons to motivate players.
Cashman also rejected the suggestion that disappointing results prove the Yankees lack commitment. He said unsuccessful seasons can obscure work taking place behind the scenes.
Yankees leave the invitation open
Cashman described Posada’s criticism as rooted in a shared desire for the Yankees to win. He acknowledged that building good teams had not produced the championship standard both men wanted.
The Yankees general manager framed the disagreement around results while making clear that he recognized Posada’s investment in the franchise.
“Jorge wants us to be great. We want us to be great,” Cashman said.
Cashman expanded on that argument by contrasting the club’s recent regular-season success with its continued inability to win a title. He pointed out that Posada won championships during his playing career but also belonged to strong Yankees teams that did not finish the job. For Cashman, the gap between good and great remains the unresolved problem, not proof that the organization has stopped trying.
He also argued that the visible mistakes of a losing season do not capture the preparation and work taking place away from the field. Cashman said former players are entitled to question results, while maintaining that the front office and current roster still care deeply about winning.
Cashman also said he was open to constructive suggestions from former players. He did not commit to adding an alumnus to the coaching staff.
As of Nov. 11, Cashman’s public account confirmed contact with Posada and continued invitations. It did not announce a coaching appointment, a spring training commitment or a new formal role for the former Yankees catcher.
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