With Hal Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees crying poor at the MLB Winter Meetings, Brian Cashman was gifted the ultimate distraction in a newfound rival.
The Boston Red Sox traded for former Yankees pitcher Sonny Gray last week. Gray received some brownie points from Boston media when he essentially called out his former employer, saying he hated playing in New York and couldn't wait to play a part in one of the greatest rivalries in sports.
What Sonny Gray said about the New York Yankees, then and now
In a letter written to Yankees fans in the Players Tribune back in 2017 after he was acquired via trade, Gray noted how New York's 2009 World Series team inspired his development before his professional career even started.
"One of the baseball teams that really meant something to me growing up was the 2009 Yankees — the World Series winner, with CC and A.J. Burnett at the top of the rotation. That was the year after I’d graduated high school, and had gotten drafted, but then decided to go to college — and it was right around the age where I was really trying to figure out if baseball was something that I could turn into a career. And I just remember loving to watch that Yankees team, as they made their run that year, and being so impressed by them, and I guess kind of pumped up about baseball by them — just getting very caught up in it," Gray wrote at the time.
Gray's career in New York didn't go according to plan. He apparently hated playing there, so much so that he was comfortable talking about it with Brian Cashman and now Boston's media aparatus.
“What did factor into my decision to come to Boston, it feels good to me to go to a place now where, you know what, it’s easy to hate the Yankees, right?” Gray said. “It’s easy to go out and have that rivalry and go into it with full force, full steam ahead. I like the challenge.”
Gray claimed that pitching for the Yankees "didn't really work" for who he was at the time. We can respect where he's coming from, as not every player is meant for the bright lights of Manhattan, but using that fact as brownie points is a low blow.
Brian Cashman fires back at new Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray
Cashman called out Gray when speaking to Yankees media on Sunday night, suggesting that at the time they acquired him, the then-younger A's ace wanted nothing more than to pitch in the Bronx.
“When he was with the A’s, he was telling our minor-league video coordinator, ‘You got to get me over to the Yankees,’” Cashman said. “‘Tell Cash, get me over to the Yankees. I want out of Oakland. I want a championship.’”
There are two sides to every story. The Yankees likely wouldn't have traded for Gray had they known he wanted little to do with their organization as a whole. Instead, New York took a flier on the 27-year-old, to mixed reviews. Gray made over 40 starts with the Yankees to the tune of a 1.2 total bWAR. That wasn't the impact Cashman was expecting. Per the Yankees GM, Gray told him how much he hated pitching in New York after the 2018 deadline, when the team opted not to deal him elsewhere.
“That’s when he told me he never wanted to be here,” Cashman said. “He hates New York. ‘This is the worst place.’ He just sits in his hotel room.”
None of this is what the Yankees should be focused on
Cashman and Gray can go back and forth all Winter Meetings for all we care. But for Yankees fans, this is a step in the wrong direction. Sure, Gray provided offseason rivalry fodder to keep these two fanbases screaming at each other all winter. The Yankees have enough work to do as is, though, and Cashman ought to have his eye on the prize.
The Yankees GM already noted that their lineup is lefty-heavy, and the team hasn't hosted Kyle Tucker for a visit (which the Blue Jays have done), so that's not good news for their rumored pursuit. Keeping Cody Bellinger around would be a wise backup plan for Cashman if they are indeed out on Tucker.
New York could also use some bullpen help, especially after losing Devin Williams to the rival Mets. A rotation arm is to be expected from this free-agent class as well. To put it simply, the Yankees have enough items on their to-do list as is. Getting in a war of words with Gray – and Boston fans, which are built to destroy this evil empire – won't help them achieve their offseason goals.