Aaron Judge called for big changes before the Yankees’ disastrous season ended, telling reporters there were “a lot of things around here that need to be fixed.”
Some saw that as the captain calling out Brian Cashman, considering he has publicly voiced his support of Aaron Boone. Keith wouldn’t be surprised, as he can’t imagine Judge is the biggest fan of the longtime GM.
“You are part of the reason Judge is Judge, and you fumbled the bag with Judge,” Keith said of Cashman. “You hear Judge’s comments, and he doesn’t say anything about Cashman but he has a lot to say, do you think Judge is a Cashman guy? Absolutely not.”
Judge’s negotiations during last season grew tense after Cashman publicly disclosed the Yankees’ preseason extension offer, and Hal Steinbrenner stepped in from offseason vacation to finally lock Judge up to a long-term deal following his 62-homer campaign. So, with that in mind, and Cashman’s previous history of contentious negotiations with fan favorites, Keith can’t imagine Judge is a big Cashman fan.
“If you go back to last season before opening Day, I told you guys, he treated Judge like he did our other beloved Yankees,” Keith said. “Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, and Aaron Judge. They all have one thing in common. In dealing with Brian Cashman for their contracts, they asked him to keep it quiet and asked for one thing but he did another thing. He didn’t necessarily do right by them.”
