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LAS VEGAS — New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman hears the sharp criticisms, reads the vitriol-filled attacks, and cringes knowing that much of it is coming from hallowed members of his own organization.

It’s four-time World Series champion catcher Jorge Posada blasting his former employers one day, and Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage the next. It’s Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez ridiculing the Yankees one day, it’s Paul O’Neill the next. It’s Hall of Famer CC Sabathia taking his shots one day, and Milwaukee Brewers World Series champion manager Pat Murphy the next.

Cashman knows the Yankees haven’t won a World Series championship since 2009, and after being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the postseason this year, it's 17 years without a title. That feels like a century when it comes to Yankees’ lore.

But, man, is it getting rough out there in the New York streets.

“The Yankees mean a lot to (people), whether it's the people that are throwing complaints, or throwing allegations, or our fans who are upset,’’ Cashman said. “We know we have a history of success that we're always trying to live up to. We're having a lot of things that we're always trying to do the best of our abilities, and the most important one is to deliver a championship.

“So, I kind of recognize that we need to do better always. So, do I get upset initially? Yeah. Do I get motivated? Absolutely, always. I don't need anything to motivate me anymore. I feel like our fans and our (media) keep us motivated enough.’’

Oh, do the tabloids ever.

“I mean, got a cattle prod constantly stuck right where you don't want it,’’ Cashman said, “nonstop with electrodes going. So that keeps you alive. But you also, when you take a step back, you got to channel and recognize it's coming from a place of hope and love of wanting things to be better than they currently are, and so that's where we're constantly trying to push to get to.

“And even though we've been there before, it hasn't been as timely as it needs to be, so I get it. And the longer it goes, the louder it gets.’’

Oh, it has been deafening this winter.

“It can make you angry,’’ Cashman said. “It can make you re-evaluate things. It can make you question things, question the individuals, like 'What do you mean by that?'"

Cashman is well-aware that Jeter and Rodriguez are paid to be critical on TV. Gossage is no longer welcome as a spring-training instructor or at Yankees events because of his bitterness towards Cashman and Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner. But Cashman was confused by Posada saying he no longer feels part of the organization. And he was taken aback by Murphy’s private comments ridiculing the Yankees in his World Series championship celebration with Jake Bauers, which was picked up by a hot mic.

But, hey, Murphy is the only one who apologized.

“I can tell you it meant a lot,’’ Cashman said. “They just won the World Series the night before, and then the next morning I get a phone call from him, walking through, apologizing for the comment, not realizing there was a live mic, explaining how he kind of uses anything he can to motivate his players.

“But my biggest takeaway was the fact that he took the time on the greatest, within 12 hours, arguably some of the greatest times that he's had walking this planet Earth − outside of the birth of his kids − to realize that he said something that he regretted. He wanted to take the time to track us down over here at the lowly New York Yankees to apologize for that. So that meant a lot to me.’’

Murphy, who on Tuesday won his third consecutive NL Manager of the Year award, had just received the game ball from the last out of the World Series from Bauers. Murphy hugged Bauers, and said:

“You're going to be a rich (expletive). Just remember when you were on that horse (expletive) Yankees team and you guys were all playing for yourself? Just remember, say, 'This is the way we used to do it.'"

Murphy insisted it was said simply as a motivational tactic, knowing that Bauers once played for the Yankees, and became a star player with the Brewers.

Posada, on the other hand, said he no longer feels welcomed by the Yankees, and stopped going to spring training as a guest instructor because he felt like they didn’t want him around.

Posada’s views stunned Cashman, who said he never heard those sentiments from Posada, and that he was free to call him or Steinbrenner at any time.

“We value our present, but we also value our past,’’ Cashman said. “In Jorge's case, he's invited every spring. He's invited to Old Timers’ Day. … I mean, Jorge wants us to be great. We want us to be great. And unfortunately, you know, we haven't been. We've been good, but we haven't been great.

“That's the trick of trying to figure out how to get from good to great. … I try to remind people how difficult it is. There's a lot of great teams that we've put together that fell short. We’re disappointed, and I remind any of the former players when we are letting our fans down by not playing up to our capabilities, or falling short of our dream, or our hopes, that it might not look good. Or it might look like we're checking all the boxes. That's what losing looks like.

“It's not because the care factor is not there or the work's not going on behind the scenes. … We're going to keep pushing at it. And if somebody's got some good, constructive suggestions of how to get there, I'm open-minded, not shy.’’

Hey, when you’re the Yankees and have 27 World Series championships, been to the postseason 26 times in the last 31 years, and haven’t had a losing record since 1992, you set a lofty gold standard.

And when you don’t get there, well, anyone is free to take shots.

“Listen, the Marlins beat us in the (2003) World Series,’’ Cashman said, “I remember they put our logo on their World Series ring. They beat the Yankees.’’

The only way to shut up the critics now, Cashman realizes, is by getting back to the big dance and being the last man standing, perhaps doing it with a payroll that’s similar to the one they had a year ago.

They’re not in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes, but they need to find a third baseman, come up with a second baseman, need to re-sign All-Star closer David Bednar and several other relievers, get a backup catcher and must have Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton stay healthy.

They plan to bring Stanton back for one last season, hoping he can finally stay healthy and provide an impact bat. They plan to bring back third baseman Ryan McMahon, who's looking to bounce back, infielder Anthony Volpe to secure second base, and shortstop George Lombard Jr., who they need to play like a veteran. They need a left fielder to emerge from within or via free agency.

They also must do it within a budget that Steinbrenner is setting, likely close to the $300 million payroll from a year ago, which could rule out some free agents like outfielder Randy Arozarena or infielder Luis Arraez .

“I've been given a budget by Hal and we're trying to now connect with teams and agents,’’ Cashman said. “You know, the winter has just started, so we’ll see what is feasible and what isn't feasible.’’

When asked what the budget will be in 2027, Cashman declined to tip his hand.

“I would just say,’’ Cashman said, “business as usual.’’

Cashman did insist that they aren’t giving up on Stanton, who is owed $25 million in the final year of his contract, with the Miami Marlins kicking in $10 million. Stanton will be coming to spring training despite playing in just 24 games last season and 77 games in 2025.

“He’s not going anywhere,’’ Cashman said, “he’ll be in spring training without a doubt and hopefully healthy and ready to go. … There's never been a time when he's healthy that he's not been impactful. So, if he’s healthy, I know he can impact. Always has been. So, hopefully, we'll get a healthy Stanton. He's a big presence in our clubhouse. A great leader. He's wired right. He's doing everything (he) possibly can (to) impact us in a positive way.

“So yeah, he's not going anywhere.’’

Time will tell whether the Yankees are going anywhere, either, with Cashman saying he has no clue whether a salary cap will be implemented into the sport as Steinbrenner desires, which could impact just how they treat the rest of this winter. If a cap comes into play, the payroll will be reduced, but the question is how quickly.

“That would be a commissioner’s office question to ask,’’ Cashman says. “I'm just a lowly general manager.’’

And a GM who’s desperately trying to win as quickly as possible, and at least soften that vicious criticism ringing in his ears.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brian Cashman hits back at criticisms from Yankees legends, fans, media

The GM Meetings got underway on Monday in Las Vegas. While not typically a source of major news like signings and trades, the looming CBA negotiations and lockout set to begin on December 1 are putting a little different spin on the annual meet-and-greet as teams look to position themselves for the uncertainty to come. For the most part though, this is still an event that produces quotes more than action. Tigers’ president of baseball operations Scott Harris was asked about the club’s offseason focus and said that they’re prioritizing high leverage relief help that adds swing and miss to the bullpen.

The Tigers really have two possible paths to improving a bullpen that was a disaster in high leverage situations in 2026, despite pretty solid numbers overall. Harris talked a lot in his end of the season press conference about building up a big enough surplus in starting pitching that they’ll have good arms spilling over into relief work. As a result of those quotes, we’ve kept in mind that part of the solution for the Tigers might be to go after starting pitching to allow them to use some of their current starters who aren’t really built up to a major league workload to flex into the bullpen instead.

Of course, Harris was very vague about the timetable for such a surplus emerging, and that’s more of a long term perspective. The Tigers have a good crop of young pitchers brewing in the A-ball levels, but few if any of them are at a point where they could be converted and promoted the major leagues next season.

The other path is obviously to target free agent relievers or to try and trade for them. We’re keeping an open mind, as perhaps the final answer will be help from both pathways.

The quote from Harris comes courtesy of Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic.

“Pitching is going to be the focus for us this winter….We want to add more swing and miss to the back end of our pen. We want to add a stable veteran presence who can get righties out and lefties out and add a little bit more leadership to our clubhouse.“

While Tigers fans can rip him for being a step behind, Harris did try to add more swing and miss last year by bringing in Kenley Jansen and signing Drew Anderson. The duo did strike out a solid amount of hitters, but they failed in the big moments and Anderson seemed much more steady as a starter. Kyle Finnegan was someone they hoped would be a big factor in this regard, but his first year on a two-year guaranteed deal was even worse than Jansen and Anderson’s work. It’s pretty simple to see what the Tigers need. The problem with Harris, now through four seasons running the Tigers, continues to be execution in developing and ungrading the major league roster.

There’s really nothing to do but take him at his word and think about the criteria he lists. He wants right-handed high leverage help, but it’s important to add relievers who can get out lefties and righties both. He wants swing and miss. And he wants a veteran with some leadership qualities. Few of these qualities are present in RHP Jacob Waguespack, the Tigers lone free agent signing for 2027 so far, and that remains an odd decision that crowds the field of right-handed relievers with more mediocrity, but that deal was at least cheap enough to be jettisoned along the way should the Tigers make an upgrade.

Even so, the Tigers have five spots available for right-handed relievers, assuming Drew Sommers, Brant Hurter, and Tyler Holton are all in the pen. Will Vest, Kyle Finnegan, Drew Anderson, Beau Brieske, and Waguespack are already in house, and none of those players have options. We’re not looking too good here in terms of skills, nor in terms of flexibility, folks. Obviously the last two are easily cut, but having zero right-handed relief help with options is a tough starting point.

Based on Harris’ stated desires, we might look to Yankees’ closer David Bednar, who has been a consistent force over the last five years, with only an ugly 2024 campaign for the Pirates marring what has otherwise been an outstanding run for the 32-year-old right-hander. The problem here is that Harris really hates paying top dollar in free agency and that just isn’t compatible with landing good relievers with high strikeout rates. Something is going to have to give, or it will be the Tigers bullpen giving again in 2027.

Bednar is really good, but he’s not Mason Milller or Adrian Morejon either. Even so, Bednar is expected to receive a three-year deal worth around $45M. He also received a qualifying offer from the Yankees, meaning the Tigers would have to surrender their third most valuable draft pick if they signed him. Next year, that pick will be the Competitive Balance Round A selection, expected to be the 43rd overall pick. That’s a pretty valuable pick.

Even when we consider that free agency might look different after the CBA is agreed, giving up that pick while also handing out a fairly pricey contract to a reliever entering his mid-30’s doesn’t feel like a Scott Harris thing to do. Almost certainly, their long term plans center around crushing a draft where they’ll have at worst a top 11 pick in the first round, and possibly as high as the first overall pick if they get extremely lucky in the draft lottery, plus two more picks before the second round and a huge bonus pool.

Harris surprised us with the late signing of Framber Valdez last offseason, by a huge margin the largest free agent deal he’s signed a player to, but that was in response to losing Reese Olson for the season. The need for a killer reliever is great, and I expect Harris to be a little more aggressive in pursuing relief help than usual, but I highly doubt giving up a draft pick is in the plans.

So, that leaves us looking at options like RHP Bryan Abreu and RHP Evan Phillips—I’m pretty intrigued with Phillips in particular—with perhaps someone like 37-year-old RHP Raisel Iglesias as another option. Iglesias doesn’t get quite the strikeout rates as the other two, but his changeup allows him to handle both-handed hitters pretty consistently and he has tons of closing experience. The fear here would be Harris going bargain bin and landing on RHP Emilio Pagan instead. Pagan doesn’t really provide the level of swing and miss that Bednar, Abreu, and Phillips do, but would perhaps thrive in a more neutral ballpark as home runs have been his biggest issue in recent years. If they’re not actually so caught up in swing and miss, a big-time strike thrower and ground ball getter like RHP Jonathan Loásiga would be the better option in my opinion over Pagan.

Of course, there’s also the trade market, but as Harris has rarely made a notable trade that didn’t involve the Tigers selling off assets whose team control was coming to an end, it’s pretty hard to see a big trade for a reliever happening. Mason Miller might be on the block for offers, but would probably cost Max Clark and a quality pitching prospect or something like Bryce Rainer and Cameron Flukey. That’s not Harris-ball.

Looking to top relievers who reach free agency in 2028, whose teams might decide to cash them in before the lockout, the top possibilities would be the Brewers closer, Trevor Megill, or Phillies closer Jhoan Duran. Both would cost a lot, and there’s nothing to suggest either team is interested in trading their ace relievers just yet. Seranthony Dominguez might be obtainable from the Mariners, and he continues to post good strikeout rates, but he’s also coming off a pretty bad year. Still, that does feel like a Harris move, hoping to land the veteran reliever cheap and get more out of him than the Mariners did this year.

Harris noted on Tuesday that Tigers’ closer Will Vest is doing very well in recovering from elbow and hip surgeries, and that they expect him to be ready to go next year. That would certainly help the cause if Vest can get back to his 2024-2025 prime form, but no one wants to depend on that either. Even so, with Drew Sommers emerging as one of the nastier southpaw relievers in the game, the Tigers aren’t really so far from putting together a much better bullpen. Getting one good caliber right-handed reliever and adding some starting depth to allow them to use River Ryan, Keider Montero, or potentially Reese Olson in the pen as well, would put them in much better position to contend in 2027.

New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns shared parts of his offseason vision at today’s MLB GM meetings.

Stearns said improving the pitching staff and first base is the priority, and that he doesn’t expect to add at second base, per Anthony DiComo. Marcus Semien, Brett Baty, and a group of top infield prospects are expected to be in the mix at second base in 2027.

The Mets’ pursuit of Tarik Skubal is heating up, while Ty France highlights free-agent first basemen.

Stearns added that he didn’t want to shut the door on any position, but second base wasn’t a specific position the front office is targeting in free agency.

Semien got the bulk of the work at second base in 2026, playing 139 games there. Semien’s age-35 season was disappointing, with stark declines in his advanced fielding metrics, not to mention the basic eye test. Semien was in the 94th percentile or better in outs above average in 2022-25, but was in the 5th percentile in 2026. His offensive numbers were also down across the board.

Baty played at second base in 25 games last season and was also disappointing overall. Streaky at the plate and unable to lock down an everyday spot, a breakout season for Baty remains a hope and a dream.

If Semien and Baty remaining the top options at second base for the Mets in 2027 doesn’t exactly thrill you, fear not. DiComo’s reporting suggests prospects Jefferson Rojas, Émilien Pitre, and Mitch Voit could factor into the equation at second base. All three rank in the top 10 of the Mets farm system.

The 2026 Manager of the Year in the American League is Will Venable, it was announced today. The 2026 Manager of the Year in the National League is Pat Murphy.

Venable, in his second year as manager of the White Sox, received 15 first place votes, 11 second place votes and three third place votes. He narrowly edged out Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays, who received 12 first place and 12 second place votes, along with two third place votes.

Former Ranger minor leaguer Chad Tracy, who replaced Alex Cora as manager of the Boston Red Sox early in the season, finished third, with three first place votes, five second place votes and a whopping 17 third place votes, which seems kind of weird. Stephen Vogt, Aaron Boone and Joe Espada also appeared on ballots.

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker did not appear on any ballots.

Manager of the Year is a weird award, generally going to a manager of a team that exceeds expectations, with bonus points if its a low payroll team. Venable was left off one ballot — that of Brendan Kuty of the Athletic, one of the two representatives from the New York chapter who voted for A.L. Manager of the Year. Kuty went Cash, Boone, and Tracy. The other Boone voter was Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, who had Boone third. Espada’s lone vote, not surprisingly, came from one of the Houston chapter voters, Angel Cantu.

The full results for the American League are here.

Murphy is in his third season as the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, and has won his third straight National League Manager of the Year Award. He got 20 first place votes, seven second place votes, and three third place votes. Walt Weiss of the Atlanta Braves was second, appearing on 26 of 30 ballots and getting seven first place votes. Don Mattingly, who took over from Rob Thomson with the Phillies after Thomson was fired right after the Red Sox fired Cora, and after Cora passed on the Phillies job, edged out Craig Stammen of the Padres by one point. Dave Roberts, Craig Counsell, and Don Kelly also received votes.

The full results for the National League are here.

Earlier today, when addressing the media from the General Manager Meetings in Las Vegas, David Stearns told reporters that Kodai Senga will use the offseason and spring training to prepare to be a starting pitcher in 2027. In related news, Ken Rosenthal reported over at the Athletic that ‘multiple teams’ have expressed interest in trading for Senga.

Senga, who was demoted to the bullpen mid-season in 2026 and thrived in his new role, has one year, $14 million left on his contract, plus a club option for 2028.

The 33-year old right hander has been a mixed bag for the Mets, with a stellar rookie campaign, followed by two injury plagued seasons, and then this year’s bullpen transition. When he is on, he is an electric pitcher whose ‘ghost’ forkball is one of the most devastating pitches in baseball. When he’s off, he is both walk and home run prone.

The Mets’ 2027 rotation is very much in flux, with veterans like Senga and Sean Manaea under contract, Tylor Megill coming off of Tommy John Surgery, and the quartet of young starters in Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, Zac Thornton, and Jonah Tong all vying for a rotation spot. With the Mets reportedly interested in upgrading their rotation and with a meeting planned with Tarik Skubal, the team will likely look to unload a veteran starter.

LAS VEGAS — Buster Posey wasn’t quite ready to name the Giants’ new hitting coach when he met with reporters Tuesday inside the ARIA Resort and Casino on the second day of MLB’s general managers meetings. But he announced a historic internal promotion.

Taira Uematsu, whose rise through the organization’s coaching ranks began as a minor-league bullpen catcher in 2006, will replace Shane Robinson in the first-base coach’s box next season.

Uematsu, originally from Japan’s Chiba prefecture east of Tokyo, will become the first base coach in MLB history born in Japan. He filled in as an interim while Robinson dealt with family matters for a week this past season and has performed the role in spring training.

“History aside, Taira is one of the most dedicated, loyal people I’ve been around — one of the hardest workers,” said Posey, who was drafted by the Giants two years after Uematsu’s initial hiring. “He really grew on [first-year manager] Tony [Vitello] last year. I’m personally really excited for Taira because he’s been here longer than I’ve been here.

“To see the work that he’s put in, I know he’s going to be really excited about the opportunity.”

Under former manager Bruce Bochy, Uematsu earned the nickname “Mr. Omnipresent” for the number of tasks he took on. He was promoted to the major-league staff by Gabe Kapler and maintained his title as quality control coach last season under Vitello.

One of Uematsu’s primary responsibilities was studying opposing pitchers’ tells and times to the plate, which should make him well suited to take over at first base. The Giants finished 22nd in MLB with 88 stolen bases, but the pace picked up considerably down the stretch.

Their baserunning improved after a midseason change in the third-base coach’s box, reassigning first-year base coach Hector Borg and bringing in veteran Gary Pettis.

Pettis will return as the third-base coach, Posey confirmed. Ron Washington, who transformed Luis Arraez’s defense before he was traded, will also be back as their infield coach.

Robinson will remain in the organization on the minor-league side, serving as a roving outfield coordinator. Posey said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

On the pitching side, the Giants had already announced that the same personnel will return but in restructured roles. Justin Meccage will remain the head pitching coach, Frank Anderson will go from director of major-league pitching to assistant pitching coach, and Christian Wonders, the assistant pitching coach last season, will be the new director of minor-league arms.

Posey said there weren’t “clear lines of communication” among the pitching coaches last season.

“It never felt like, ‘Hey, I’m trying to go around your back and do something without you knowing it,’ but it was just a little scattered at times,” Posey said. “I think the players felt it some, too.”

As far as a new hitting coach, Posey said the Giants were “pretty close” to finalizing a hire. Whichever candidate emerges from the process will be San Francisco’s third hitting coach in as many seasons, following the departure of Hunter Mense for Kansas City.

LAS VEGAS — A resolution is coming to the Giants’ quagmire involving Harrison Bader, a motorized scooter, a firetruck and an after-midnight crash that resulted in a broken foot.

The Giants and MLB are expected to release a joint statement following their investigation into Bader’s late-night scooter crash in July that effectively ended his first season in San Francisco, president of baseball operations Buster Posey said on Tuesday.

“Something should be released,” Posey said when asked about the erstwhile outfielder on the second day of MLB’s general managers meetings at the ARIA Resort and Casino.

“Nothing real juicy,” he added, “so not to get your hopes up.”

A Giants official later clarified that there would be nothing coming for at least a few weeks.

Just as notably, Posey confirmed that Bader remains in the organization and in the Giants’ plans for next season, even among a crowded group of nine outfielders on their 40-man roster.

The Giants suspended Bader’s pay for the remainder of last season following the crash. He is still owed $13 million for 2027 after signing a backloaded two-year, $20.5 million contract as a free agent last winter.

At the time of the crash, Bader had already missed extended time with plantar fasciitis. In 30 games, he posted career lows in batting average (.170) and OPS (.571) while slugging five home runs — two for grand slams.

“He’s going to have to go out and play and play well to get playing time,” Posey said.

Posey indicated the plan is for Bader and Drew Gilbert to split time in center field. Bader bats right-handed, while Gilbert is a lefty with significant platoon splits. Jonah Cox, a speedy right-handed hitter, provides arguably their best defensive option in center.

“I think as a group, and [manager] Tony [Vitello] as well, is going to more open to a little bit more matchup-based stuff out there,” Posey said. “Try to take advantage of some of these younger guys that maybe defensively are ahead of other guys.”

Casey Schmitt and Jung Hoo Lee are the likeliest candidates to start in left and right, respectively, but Victor Bericoto, Bo Davidson, Turner Hill and Scott Bandura all made their major-league debuts last season and could also fit into the outfield picture.

Posey said it would be a fluid situation going into spring training, whenever that takes place once the owners and players association agree on a new collective bargaining agreement.

“Perfect-case scenario,” he said, “is you can mix and match some of these guys and give Tony different options depending on the day and if he wants to make some changes in the game.”

As the off-season moves on and the 2027 Mariners roster takes shape, it will apparently be lacking the longest-tenured Mariner. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that the Mariners have informed J.P. Crawford the team doesn’t intend to bring back the 32-year-old shortstop, who just completed the final year of a five-year contract extension. He’s been a Mariner since 2019, the longest-tenured player in the clubhouse since Dylan Moore departed in 2025.

At the end of the 2026 season, Cal Raleigh talked about how seeing Mitch Haniger’s go-ahead single from Game 161 in 2021 in a video package on the big board reminded him of his first year in the big leagues, coming up and watching Crawford who was in the midst of what was at the time his best career season.

“J.P.’s been here the entire time I’ve been in this organization…he’s been a great person, a great leader, a great staple in this clubhouse. It’s been a pleasure being his teammate.”

“I love J.P. the player, I love the person. It was a little emotional seeing him walk off the field, not knowing what’s going to happen. It’s just tough. You spend so much time with these people, you invest yourself and your livelihood with them…it’s just hard. It’s hard turning that page.”

Assuming this is the end, Crawford’s 974 games rank as 10th most in team history. Crawford’s final game as a Mariner was marked by a long and loud standing ovation after he was removed from the final game of the season in the fifth inning.

“The ovation, the love that he got, there’s a reason for it,” said Bryan Woo. “He means to much to the team, the organization, the fans, everybody. He was a huge piece in the turnaround of this organization and so he got recognized for that.”

After arriving in 2019 in a major trade with the Phillies, Crawford was the face of the youth movement in the Mariners under Jerry Dipoto, memorably present for the passing of the torch at both Félix Hernández’s final game as a Mariner and Kyle Seager’s. 2019-2021 were turbulent years for the growing-pains Mariners, churning through players as Dipoto sought to overhaul an aging and expensive team, but Crawford was a steady hand, anchoring the team at shortstop, and taking home a Gold Glove in 2020.

Over his eight years in Seattle, Crawford grew into a clubhouse leader, establishing relationships with every player regardless of position or level. After signing his contract extension, he purchased a home in Woodinville that is the de facto gathering space for team parties, like the annual “Crawchella” he hosts.

“That’s my brother, man,” said Julio Rodríguez at the end of the season.

“Like, even before I got to the big league club I got to play with him and actually, we got tight. We always had a great relationship before, but after I started playing with him, he became my brother. We’re always gonna be brothers. Baseball is one thing, but the person he’s shown me that he is, that’s a special person, and that’s the least I can say here in front of the cameras. But I love him and I wish him the best. He’s my boy.”

Even as the Mariners drafted and developed Crawford’s eventual replacements – shortstop Colt Emerson and Cole Young, who slid over to second base – Crawford poured energy into the younger players. He batted away questions at spring training about whether it was strained or uncomfortable to play with his own replacements, saying he was a decent person doing what a decent person does in mentoring the younger players.

Crawford developed an especially close relationship with Young, who he played with for two seasons, although Young says their relationship started even earlier than that.

“He’s been awesome to me,” said Young. “I’m not saying just saying that to say it. Even since day one of big-league spring training camp when I was still in A ball, he was always friendly towards me – I guess knew I would be up one day – and he became a friend when I was 19 years old. So that was the first thing I saw, how humble he is and how much he cared about the organization.

And then once I got called up, he’s been a great mentor. Every day he holds me accountable to be the player I can be and the person I can be. And he’s been a really good friend, too. It’s funny because every time in the infield if I’ll say something negative, he’ll find a way to switch it back and make it positive. It just shows how much he cares about his teammates.“

The shape of the Mariners clubhouse – which consistently draws praise from players who arrive via trades or waiver claims – has undoubtedly been strongly influenced by the personality of the California-born, reggae-loving, come-as-you-are Crawford, whose example empowered other players to be themselves.

“Since I got here, I feel like he’s always had my back, and that’s something I want to continue to carry for the people that come here,” said Julio. “Some people want to put others in a box, but we’re all different. We all come from different places. And there are some people that don’t get that, and try to push whatever they want onto somebody else. But he definitely represents being who you are, representing where you come from, and that’s – I can say that about myself, too. Whoever you want to be, just make sure you’re aligned with us, and that’s fine.”

Appreciating people’s differences while making a unified whole is what Young says he’s learned from Crawford and what he plans to do going forward.

“I’ll come to the field every day and go about my business and do all my routines and play the game hard but I’ll also be a friendly person,” Young said. “I’ll take the time to get to know someone and be friends with them. Talk through every situation. Be friendly and open. Everyone approaches the game differently, and everyone is a different person, and just having that open mindset of like, okay, this person’s this way, just being open to everyone and friendly to everyone. That’s so important. In baseball you meet so many different people from so many different backgrounds. It’s so important to be open-minded and get close to your teammates and have a good vibe, especially on the field and in the clubhouse, be friends with them.”

The separator for Crawford, his teammates say, is the genuine care he shows for his teammates, on and off the field.

“I think it’s a different outlook than most people,” said Young. “Like it’s more person-based, which is very unique. A lot of people just look at the numbers, all that stuff. But I think J.P. just really cares about the person in the clubhouse. I’m not just saying that.

The way that J.P. has interacted with me, he’s just a good friend. Not just someone you come to the field with and see them for whenever you’re on the field and then never talk to them after that. He’s an actual friend. And when you come to the field and have that – especially when you first get called up – you feel more welcome. You feel like you have someone in your corner.”

Now Young and his teammates will have to move on without J.P. in their corner – literally, there will be a notable absence in the clubhouse where Crawford’s locker (and nearby lockers that occasionally get annexed) has been a fixture for the past eight years. But Young will take the lessons he learned from Crawford – about including younger players from the jump rather than hazing them, showing genuine care and friendship for teammates, and treating everyone equally while also letting them be themselves – into the next iteration of the Mariners clubhouse.

“Yeah, you carry the speaker because you’re a rookie, but it’s just fun. It’s fun stuff,” said Young. “He’s just always been a good friend. There are a lot of things I’ll take from him, but that’s one of the biggest takeaways. No matter who you are, how established you are, he’ll treat you the same and show you respect, and even if you’re not established at all, he’s still going to be friends with you. It just shows how good of a person he is.

That’s what I learned from J.P., how important it is to know your teammates and be a good person. That’s what I’m going to do, lead by example, the same way that he did.”