Michael Kay defending Aaron Boone and indirectly calling out Brian Cashman is bold

How about this?! The same guy Aaron Boone called "unbelievable" for criticizing some of his decisions last season is now ... being backed by that same guy?! Michael Kay, the Yankees' play-by-play voice on the YES Network, had a pretty telling assessment of the 2023 Yankees on "The Michael Kay Show" Tuesday.

Hmmm ... wonder what that assessment could be! What could any logical person say about the Yankees after they left 28 runners on base in their two losses Sunday and Monday -- one of which came against one of the worst teams in the league?

Kay has long been frustrated with this team's performance. He (rightfully) ripped Joey Gallo to shreds on his way out of town. He's been critical of the team's offseason spending and deadline acquisitions, in addition to the various stars the front office (for some odd reason) willingly passed on. He hasn't been easy on Boone whenever the manager pops onto his show.

But now with the spotlight burning a hole in Brian Cashman's forehead, Kay decided to take a shot at the Yankees general manager without mentioning his name.

Many angry fans have spread blame all over the place, which is probably fair, but those who aren't focusing on roster construction are perhaps missing the core of the issues. That's where Kay decided to lay down the hammer.

Michael Kay defending Aaron Boone and indirectly calling out Brian Cashman is bold

Roster construction! Bingo! And injuries! Another bingo! Cashman has largely done a bad (or, if we're being fair, a subpar) job of piecing this team together since 2020, and some might even argue the injuries are his fault. He's continued to acquire injury-prone players or those with lengthy injury histories, dating back to the Giancarlo Stanton trade back in 2017. Frankie Montas was injured when he got him!

But perhaps his most egregious offense is failing to balance this lineup with left-handed bats for THREE years now. THREE! Sure, Boone might not be the best manager, but what's he supposed to do when nobody hits? When nobody can dig deep with runners in scoring position? When he does not have the necessary personnel to effectively battle the league's best right-handed pitching?

Fault Boone for his poor bullpen management and his terrible postgame interviews, but he has what he has. He cannot drastically alter a lineup that features Giancarlo Stanton essentially locked into the DH spot followed by a glut of replacement-level players.

The Yankees "weren't done" after they signed Carlos Rodón. Except they were. The Yankees were confident this current 2023 team could contend for a World Series. But they didn't buy at the trade deadline despite countless holes and shortcomings holding them back as they hover around .500. The Yankees haven't had a true left fielder since 2021 and have been playing guys out of position dating back to 2020. That's not the manager's problem. That's a personnel problem.

Unfortunately for fans (and Kay, if he's ready for a changing of the guard), it appears Cashman's job is safe heading into 2024. And the guy Kay defended with his statement on Tuesday could be the scapegoat.