Yankees fans who want manager Aaron Boone fired may need to put their trust in owner Hal Steinbrenner. Per SNY’s Andy Martino, general manager Brian Cashman will only fire his manager if his owner orders it.
Martino was quick to note that not once has Steinbrenner been involved in managerial changes. Every staff decision has been left entirely up to Cashman.
Now, it sounds as though Boone will serve out the last year of his contract in 2024. The Yankees, meanwhile, are last in the AL East at 62-68 and are near-last in every hitting category. Yet, according to Martino, a “Yankees official” has called Boone “an asset, not part of the problem.”
Funny how this report comes not long after the Yankees’ players overwhelmingly endorsed Boone in a piece from The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner. DJ LeMahieu cited managing the team as “not an easy job” and that Boone “handles it great” while still having the players’ respect. Isiah Kiner-Falefa went a step farther, lauding Boone for “willing to do anything he can for his players.”
That’s all well and good, but the fact remains that the Yankees measure success in results. The 2023 season is thus a failure by every stretch. This news broke and the reaction was, well, interesting from some:
And to think I've been in a good mood the last few days. Why don't the Yankees just announce lifetime contracts for the entire braintrust while we're at it… If you don't make any changes after this 💩 show szn… 😡 https://t.co/tmFiKnIQmm
— John Jastremski (@john_jastremski) August 28, 2023
Is it a smart move to keep Boone? Probably not. Bless the guy, but he can only spin something out of nothing so many times.
But unfortunately for #YankeesTwitter, it makes sense for Brian Cashman to keep Aaron Boone and not fire him. Boone is 11 wins shy of 500 for his career and would probably already be there if not for the short 2020 season. That looks more like a manager who’s succeeded despite his front office’s mistakes as opposed to magnifying them.
And it’s not like there’s a shortage of candidates. We’ve discussed plenty. Brian Cashman firing Aaron Boone would only net someone new who could do a better job as opposed to someone who will.
Boone isn’t perfect, but it’s hard to find a successor who’s more than a lateral move. Cashman had better hope that Hal Steinbrenner feels similarly.
