Brian Cashman Defends Yankees amid Criticism from Dodgers' Joe Kelly After Title Loss

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly was critical of the New York Yankees in the wake of his team's World Series triumph over the Bronx Bombers, describing them as a "sloppy" team who played "bad ball" during a Monday appearance on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast.

"It was just a mismatch from the get-go," he continued. "If we had a playoff reranking, they might be ranked eighth-or ninth-best playoff team. You know what I mean? You're putting the [San Diego] Padres ahead of them, you're putting the [Philadelphia] Phillies ahead of them, you're putting the [New York] Mets ahead of them, you're putting the [Atlanta] Braves ahead of them—and the Braves just got unlucky because they had to play that doubleheader. You're putting—I mean, the [Cleveland] Guardians played like crap, but the Guardians played better, the better D (defense), better baseball all around."

On Tuesday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman responded to those remarks.

"I heard that," he told reporters. "I also know people with the Dodgers, so I've got some internal conversations that I've got certainly feedback on. I think it's more representative of some specific players rather than the overall group. And in Joe's case, it feels like it's for some reason, it's a little personal, the way he's out talking like he has."

The Yankees did play undisciplined baseball during the World Series, namely in the decisive Game 5, when a host of errors and mental lapses cost the team a 5-0 lead and ultimately the game.

"First and foremost, I acknowledge that we played poorly in the World Series," Cashman noted. "We all saw that, and unfortunately our A-game didn't show up when it counted the most."

It's harder to argue that the Yankees were a worse team than the Guardians, however, who New York defeated in five games during the ALCS.

As for why Kelly—who didn't actually pitch in the World Series and was left off the postseason roster entirely because of a shoulder injury—was so outspoken and critical of the Yankees is hard to say, though he did spend five years as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (2014-18). Perhaps the bad blood from that famous rivalry persisted.