The New York Yankees have a tough offseason ahead of them with many major MLB questions for the roster. Pitching looks great, but the offense badly failed the Yankees in the postseason. Both manager Aaron Boone and owner Hal Steinbrenner spoke to the media this week about the disappointing elimination and goals for next season. Steinbrenner seemingly blamed various hitters for the team’s failure.
Boone dropped a quote that fully went against that and said it indicates poor leadership to pass blame:
“That’s not leadership. That’s me giving red meat to people that want to be upset with somebody.”
Yankees fans took note of Boone and Steinbrenner having different philosophies about how to deal with failure. Steinbrenner’s comments implied hitters Jazz Chisholm Jr and Trent Grisham didn’t play up to par. Both men are free agents and expected to be on other teams next season to see Hal passing the blame easier.
Boone didn’t want to blame any players and felt it was out of line to throw any individuals under the bus. Leadership was a huge concern for the Yankees this season, especially with captain Aaron Judge injured for most of the year. Steinbrenner and Boone not being on the same page is not the best sign for this partnership moving forward.
What Hal Steinbrenner Said That Aaron Boone Disagreed With
The end of season press conference for Steinbrenner featured him fully blaming the offense. Steinbrenner said that the hitters underperformed against the Tampa Bay Rays, but most teams have suffered the same fate against the top AL team.
The following comments showed Steinbrenner stating the players deserved more blame than Boone or the front office:
“The offense had a big part of why we — and I don’t mind saying it — didn’t get to where we strive to get every year,” Steinbrenner said. “That was during the whole year. In the postseason, if you look at their performance against the two starting Boston pitchers and their performance against probably all of the Rays’ pitchers, it was just not good. I don’t know how else to put it. And if you don’t score runs, you’re not going to win.”
Steinbrenner also said the offense could have been better against the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card series. The Yankees dominating the Wild Card series makes Steinbrenner’s comments a bit stranger to take there.
Hal Steinbrenner Received Yankees Fan Backlash
The back cover of the New York Daily News showed an edited photo of Steinbrenner pointing to pass the blame to Chisholm and Grisham. Yankees fans were upset with GM Brian Cashman for not making any noteworthy new additions last offseason.
Hal points finger at lineup — not leadership — for postseason flop
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Cashman and Steinbrenner believed that re-signing Cody Bellinger was enough to make the offense successful. Otherwise, they ran back most of the same lineup and saw that failing them most of the season.
Injuries to Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hurt the Yankees since they are the top two power hitters. Cashman and Steinbrenner did not have any solution and only traded for platoon bats at the trade deadline. Yankees fans currently have rage towards Boone, Steinbrenner and Cashman alike.
Aaron Boone Goes Against Hal Steinbrenner Comments On Yankees Failure