After the New York Yankees were eliminated from the postseason by the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, several franchise legends, including Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and CC Sabathia, criticized the culture and the repeated mistakes.

On Friday, Joba Chamberlain, a member of the Yankees’ 2009 World Series-winning team, said the criticism from former players shows their genuine concern for the franchise after repeated postseason failures.

“Everybody’s kind of gotten to the point where the Yankees being good is great,” Chamberlain said on the ESPN show. “The Yankees being bad is great. It doesn’t matter. What comes with the Yankees is that they are storied for so many reasons. With the guys who are saying stuff, it comes with a lot of meaning because they care about what this organization is doing.

“If you get a guy who’s in for a year and doesn’t really do anything, it doesn’t hold as much weight as when you have individuals who have done things in New York that nobody else has done, have embraced the city, and have been embraced by the city.”

Chamberlain wants the Yankees to absorb the criticism from former players in a positive way.

Yankees Management Pushes Back Against the Criticism From Former Players

The Yankees extended their World Series drought to 17 years after they were swept in the ALDS.

One of the strongest criticisms came from former Cy Young winner CC Sabathia, who said the Yankees clubhouse lacks veteran leadership to help players maintain the franchise’s traditional standards. Former first baseman Anthony Rizzo said the Yankees keep making the same mistakes in the postseason. Former Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said he no longer feels welcome around the organization.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone defended the clubhouse against claims of a lack of accountability.

“I know how hard it is to play every single day,” Boone told reporters. “I know how hard it is to walk out there every single day in a game of failure. Even when you’re having a great year, you fail all the time in this sport. And that’s why it’s very tough mentally and emotionally to play this game at a very high level, especially here. The accountability factor of playing here, I feel like, is very high.”

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he has been on the phone with people who had criticized the team. However, he didn’t name anyone he may have already talked to.

The debate over the criticism comes as the Yankees enter the offseason with clear demands from captain Aaron Judge that they go “all-in” to contend for the World Series next year.