Hal Steinbrenner has seen enough, apparently.
The Yankees owner has already decided to retain general manager Brian Cashman, according to an NJ.com report. And he’ll probably keep manager Aaron Boone, too, as long as he can figure out a way for the Bombers to avoid the AL East cellar. And even then, it will probably be OK. Because Steinbrenner does not really want to do anything that might be hard and/or force him to, you know, act like a guy who runs a storied franchise in the world’s greatest city.
Columnist Bob Klapisch writes:
Despite the mounting pressure, a source familiar with Hal Steinbrenner’s thinking says the owner has already decided one of the two will be back in 2024.
Cashman is safe.
According to the source, “the idea (of firing Cashman) isn’t even on the table. It’s not up for discussion.”
(…)
Boone’s fate is less certain, in part because he has only one year remaining on his contract. That, and the Yankees’ lackluster play throughout the 2023 season, have left Steinbrenner “deeply frustrated” according to that same source. … The safety net, according to another voice in Steinbrenner’s orbit, is the owner’s wish to avoid tough choices and stay out of the spotlight.
“Firing people is not in Hal’s nature,” the person said. “To this point he’s been content to let Cashman make the decisions; he trusts him. And he happens to like Boone personally, too.”
Good to know.
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The Yankees are 59-55 after Tuesday’s win at the White Sox. They’re a half-game up on Boston for fourth place in the division and 4.5 games back of the final AL wild card spot with the Blue Jays and Mariners ahead of them. And even if they manage to rally and make the postseason, they will go nowhere when they get there. Mainly because Cashman has built a wildly-flawed roster to continue years of mismanagement. But Steinbrenner is fully devoted to a guy who has not made the World Series in over a decade for some strange reason. Beats us.
If Boone ends up getting the boot — and the seeds for Cashman to throw him under the bus have been planted for some time — no one should shed many tears. But it is hard to blame him alone. The Yankees’ hopelessness is a partnership.
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
