The Yankees are finishing up their most disappointing season in three decades. But with one more win in their final five games, at least they’ll guarantee not having a losing record! That’s better than what the Mets can say across town. The upcoming offseason should include changes in the Bronx, but it’s not looking like manager Aaron Boone will be losing his job.
And if he does at this point, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic pointed out that it’d be pure scapegoating. The MLB insider spent time discussing the murky futures for 10 MLB managers. Boone was one of them. Here’s what he said:
Firing Boone would be pure scapegoating, and the Yankees do not seem inclined to do it.
The front office allowed Boone to hire his friend Sean Casey as hitting coach at the All-Star break. Aaron Judge repeatedly has expressed his support for Boone, as have other players. Most important, general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner seem firmly behind their manager.
The Yankees will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and could finish below .500 for the first time since 1992. No matter. Boone’s predecessors, Joe Torre and Joe Girardi, each were allowed to finish out their contracts. Boone, 50, appears likely to get the same chance.
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As usual, Ken’s not wrong. About a month ago, it seemed all but certain that Boone would be given his pink slip once Game 162 was in the books. That’s no longer the case. With one year left on his contract (and an option for 2025), it looks like Boone will get one more shot to extend his stay in the Bronx.
But what if the much-publicized third-party audit suggests a change in manager? That probably won’t happen based on the specifics that have been shared about that process. The Yankees and Mets are in two very different positions overall. However, one club has decided to play things much closer to the vest.
We don’t know much about what incoming President of Baseball Operations David Stearns will do. Will he let Buck Showalter manage the final year of his contract? Is Buck thinking about retiring, or will Stearns let him go with hopes of bringing old friend Craig Counsell to Queens? Billy Eppler and Steve Cohen have been supportive of Showalter, but they’ve also left the skipper’s future up in the air enough for us to wonder.
In the Bronx, we’ve seen several reports of the front office wanting to keep Boone around. And although the season officially crashed and burned in August, New York has played better of late (17-9 since August 28th). Changing course and deciding to let him go wouldn’t look great from an optics standpoint.
That’s probably part of the reason why Steinbrenner wants to add a “bad cop” to the 2024 coaching staff.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
