Brian Cashman did not like his baseball team last year, not even a little bit. When I asked him before Yankees-Mets on Monday night whether he was angry at the 2021 Yanks, this was his response:

“Yeah, for six months.”

But the general manager does not feel any such rage over his boys of summer, 2022, and how they have spent most of this month turning a magical season into something that, at times, is worthy of contempt. During Paul O’Neill Day on Sunday, as the franchise was retiring the four-time champ’s No. 21, the fans booed the mere mention of Cashman’s name, and lit into owner Hal Steinbrenner on his walk onto the field and back to the dugout.

Though he wasn’t part of the ceremony, Cashman was in the building and heard those fans loudly and clearly. He has proven his toughness in the toughest market over a quarter century running its most important team, but yeah, if the Stadium crowd was trying to send the GM a message, it landed.

“I don’t care who you are, you always hear that stuff,” Cashman said. “Here it’s coming from, hey, these guys want to win and they’re letting us know they are not happy about the current state of things. It’s up to us to turn the jeers into cheers, that’s the challenge of the job. Our job is to make them happy and make them proud, and in this recent stretch we haven’t been able to do that.”

But Cashman still believes these Yankees will make the paying customers happy and proud in the end.

“This year’s team has been pretty spectacular,” he told The Post by phone, “the more recent experience notwithstanding. It’s an extremely talented group that obviously cares a great deal for each other and for the win column.

“We’re going through some difficult times right now, but I like this group a lot and I believe in this group and I think this group has a chance to do some special things. And we’re going to do everything in our power to support it.”

Asked directly if he still had faith in this team’s ability to win the franchise’s first World Series title since 2009, Cashman said: “I do. I do. I think this team has a chance to do special things, including winning a World Series title that is certainly in our grasp. We’ve still got to earn our way to October.”

Before the series opener with the Mets, Cashman addressed a few other pressing issues with The Post.

On Frankie Montas and his struggles since arriving via trade: “Obviously he’s struggled since he got here, but in fairness to him he had long period of off time between the trade, a death in family, and the rehab [for shoulder inflammation] right before his trade. Hopefully we’ll see the real version of what he is capable of because he’s a hell of a pitcher. I know he’s tough enough and I know he’s good enough, but it doesn’t matter what I say.”

On whether Aaron Hicks is a salvageable player and asset: “I hope so. Obviously he’s down and out right now and he’s got to fight his way back. He’s working hard and ultimately the proof will be in how things play out. He’s fighting through it.”

On the injury-ravaged bullpen: “I think there’s a lot of talent down there … once guys settle into their roles. We’ve had some significant losses due to injuries … [Aaron Boone] is trying to figure out the best way to deploy them, and the only way to do that is run them out there and see who handles it.”