On the first day New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke with reporters at the team’s spring training complex in Florida in February, he said the team was hellbent on winning a championship this year. This statement came a little more than four months after a disastrous 2023 season in which the team’s 82-80 record was their worst since 1992.
There’s been much speculation on what another season without a championship or a deep postseason run could mean for Boone’s future as the club’s manager. The Yankees have an option on Boone for 2025 and have not indicated whether they will exercise it. Doing so without a contract extension could make Boone a lame-duck manager heading into next season, but general manager Brian Cashman told a small group of reporters at Kauffman Stadium that he thought Boone has done a “great job” this season.
“We’re certainly happy to have him as our manager, as you all know that,” Cashman said. “I got nothing more to add other than let’s try to find a way to beat Kansas City.”
When directly asked if the outcome of the American League Division Series impacted what the Yankees would decide with Boone’s future, Cashman said it was important for the entire club to advance in the postseason because their ultimate goal is to win a world championship. He stopped short of indicating the result, positive or negative, would dictate one of the club’s biggest decisions this offseason.
“When the winter starts, the winter starts and we’ll deal with the winter when we need to deal with it,” Cashman said. “Hopefully, it’s a lot later than another week.”
Boone’s career .584 winning percentage is the second-highest among all active MLB managers; only Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers has a higher winning percentage at .627. Boone has won three AL East titles in seven seasons as Yankees manager, while his predecessor, Joe Girardi, also won three AL East titles, but in 10 seasons.
The biggest difference between Girardi’s and Boone’s resumes is, of course, the 2009 World Series title won by the former. Boone does have the support of key figures inside the clubhouse, namely Yankees captain Aaron Judge. Embattled left fielder Alex Verdugo, the hero for the Yankees’ Game 1 win over the Kansas City Royals, mentioned how Boone’s support helped give him confidence heading into the postseason.
“If you really want to have a real conversation with him, he’ll do that for you,” Verdugo said of Boone. “If you have anything you want to address or, you know, stop beating around the bush and just go straight to the source, he will always have that conversation with you, to talk to you and let you know what’s going on behind those decisions.”
The Yankees won’t decide on Boone’s future until the season is complete, but at least publicly, he has the backing from multiple parties.
“Great job — the best record in the American League, won the American League East and now we’re trying to win in the postseason,” Cashman said of what he thought of Boone’s year. “We’re trying to find a way all the way to the top.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had his back against the padded railing of the third-base dugout at Kauffman Stadium, chatting with different team personnel during batting practice before Game 3 of the Division Series on Wednesday night.
A Yankees road jersey screamed out from the field-level seats, yelling, “Mr. Cashman!” the fan called out. “Great job this year!”
Cashman turned and waved.
Cashman and the Yankees’ front office arguably deserve credit for changes that were made this past offseason. It wasn’t perfect, but they helped to take a flawed 82-win team back to the playoffs in division-winning fashion, making moves to improve this roster with urgency, like the acquisition of Juan Soto.
What happens if the Yankees lose two of their next three games and don’t win this series?
How would that affect manager Aaron Boone’s job status?
For what it’s worth, Cashman endorsed the manager prior to Game 3.
“[He did a] great job,” Cashman told a group of reporters. “Best record in the American League, won the American League East and now we’re trying in the new season — the postseason — to try to find a way all the way to the top.”
But judging by some of the receptions Boone has been having at Yankee Stadium, a chunk of the fan base won’t be praising him if the Yankees get eliminated in this series.
Boone is signed on a three-year contract that will expire at the end of the season, but he does have a club option for 2025.
Is he managing for his job in this series?
“I think it’s important for all of us to obviously try to advance and keep our season going because our ultimate goal is a world championship,” Cashman added. “After that, when the winter starts, the winter starts. We’ll deal with the winter when we deal with it. Hopefully it’s a lot later than another week.”
It’s a fair question. Those in the Yankees’ clubhouse love to play for Boone, but this would be the seventh season in a row with him at the helm where the Yankees haven’t gotten over the hump in October if they can’t win this series, advance and continue playing deep into this month.
The New York Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009, putting immense pressure on the organization in 2024. No person in New York is under more pressure than manager Aaron Boone, who has seen Yankees rumors all year regarding his future with the club.
Boone was hired before the 2017 season after former Yankees’ skipper Joe Girardi was unable to win the World Series. New York lost Game 7 of the ALCS in 2017, which is the closest this team has been to the World Series in more than a decade.
If that wasn’t enough pressure on Boone, it’s been amplified because of the Wild Card round. Both the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles, viewed as New York’s biggest threats for a first-round knockout, were eliminated. Instead, the club will face the Kansas City Royals.
Appearing on Bleacher Report, the Yankees’ matchup against the Royals will put even more pressure on Boone from the fans for this club to advance to the American League Championship Series. As for how Boone is viewed inside the organization, that’s where he has the most support.
While Boone has strong support from the front office and ownership, that might not carry as much weight depending on how far the Yankees advance. At a minimum, it’s believed that New York must reach the ALCS for Boone to keep his job in 2025.
However, losing in the ALCS would extend the Yankees’ drought without a World Series appearance to 15 consecutive years. It could be even worse depending on the series results, as New York has won just two of its last 10 ALCS games since 2019.
For New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, there is more pressure than ever to succeed in this year’s MLB playoffs.
However, Martino also noted that Boone's ability to handle his players and create a strong clubhouse bond is a skill that would be difficult to replace.
The Yankees hung on for a win against the Royals in Game 1 of the ALDS thanks in part to a huge game at the plate for outfielder Alex Verdugo. Before the game, though, Boone’s decision to play Verdugo over rookie phenom Jasson Dominguez to start the series was controversial, especially with how much Verdugo has struggled offensively this season.
But along with Yankees’ captain Aaron Judge, Boone supported Verdugo through his struggles, allowing him to stay committed to improving his game. Verdugo hired a private chef to improve his nutrition and made strides in improving his swing with the team’s hitting coaches.
“This team, they really, really care for me,” Verdugo said. “They have my back. I appreciate it a lot, and it goes a long way.”
Regardless of how strong of a culture Boone has built, playoff success ultimately comes first for the Yankees. Leading up to this postseason run, New York has yet to reach the World Series since the 51-year-old took over in 2018, despite making the postseason every year except 2023. While the great camaraderie in the clubhouse is a feather in his cap and benefits the team in several other areas (such as making New York an ideal destination for top free agents and/or trade targets), it has yet to produce the ultimate result that Steinbrenner and the Yankees are hoping for.
For Boone, the path to returning next year is simple: just win. But even so, if management were to move on from Boone next season, it would be hard to find a candidate with the same balance of empathy and fiery competitiveness.
Let’s begin this positively — that like, say, Bill Walsh in the NFL or Gregg Popovich in the NBA, the Yankees have done a good job with a managerial/coaching tree.
That 107 miles away from where the Yankees will begin their playoffs Saturday, two of their former longtime employees — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and Phillies manager Rob Thomson — will be meeting in a Division Series of their own. Another guy who apprenticed on staffs in The Bronx, Joe Espada, has already come and gone from these playoffs, but just to get here after a 12-24 start made his first season as Houston’s skipper a successful one.
Brian Cashman has long accentuated that the Yankees are teeming with quality employees —and this is just another example.
But there is another way to look at this. These are men who have been passed over in some form so Aaron Boone can manage the Yankees — or keep managing the Yankees.
And if there weren’t enough pressure on Boone this postseason, there is this:
The AL portion of these playoffs have opened up for the Yankees. They have home field and after the elimination of Houston and Baltimore, all that remains are the kind of AL Central opponents that the Yankees have been using as sparring partners for years.
They are heavy favorites to reach the World Series for the first time since winning it all in 2009. So what would falling short bring? Hal Steinbrenner greatly appreciates and likes Boone. So does Cashman. Heck, everyone likes Boone. That is his grace.
But Steinbrenner has a business to run and can he just do the status quo yet again? It is why in this postseason where players like Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge have large legacy issues, they also have long-term job security.
“No,” Cashman told me when asked if Boone was managing for his job this October. He explained that Boone is signed beyond this season. But that is an option. Are the Yanks really just going to pick up an option and make Boone the lame duckiest of lame ducks?
“That [is he managing for his job?] was your question and that was my answer,” Cashman said.
As for Boone, when I asked if he felt he were managing for his job, he replied, “I don’t care.” I asked why, he said, “Because it is out of my hands.” But it really could be in your hands, depending on how the team does? Boone countered, “You are always managing for your job. I didn’t get into it for that and I am at total peace with whatever happens.”
Look, there is no joy in plumbing this subject. The fan base might want red meat, especially if another October goes wrong. But this is not some bad guy anyone is hoping fails. To know Boone is to like Boone. One executive who debriefs players who join his team about experiences elsewhere told me, “Every ex-Yankee tells me the same thing — Boone is a great guy.”
That is a clubhouse consensus. They know Boone always has their back publicly. This would be a good time for them to have his.
Because this is not a traditional Yankee team. Boone is going to have to do a lot of managing about who is playing first base, left field and closing. He will have to pick when to deploy pinch hitters for his southpaw-challenged offense against a Royals pen with four lefties going well. There are players to defend for and run for.
And he has a team that has played sloppy — on the bases, in the field. The greatest baseball charity was the Yankees just giving away 90 feet on both sides of the ball. Those are areas that traditionally are seen as the manager’s responsibility. Sure, the Yankees see hitting it hard and throwing it hard as more central to winning. But for $300 million-plus, the Yankees should have it all.
The Royals are big underdogs and will wage a guerilla operation built around challenging Jazz Chisholm Jr. in his third base infancy with bunts and running, running, running at every opportunity. The Yankees need to be fully alert and at high baseball IQ for the Royals — and also for the manager.
He has had their back. Are they going to have his?
