The New York Yankees have myriad important decisions to make this offseason, which began for them following their loss to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game on Tuesday night. Among them: Whether or not Aaron Boone will return as manager once his contract expires at the end of the postseason.
It’s to be seen if the Yankees make a change in the dugout. It is, however, worth noting that the club has not discussed an extension with Boone as of Tuesday. “I haven’t had any conversations about [my contract] with anyone, so we’ll see,” Boone told reporters, including ESPN.com. “I love being here. I love going to work with this group of players.” (The Yankees, historically, tend to wait until after the contract expires to commence extension talks.)
Boone added that he’s “at peace” with whatever happens.
Boone, 48, has been the Yankees skipper since 2018. He’s won more than 60 percent of his regular season games since, and has led the Yankees to playoff appearances in each of those years. Alas, the Yankees have advanced past the divisional round just once under Boone, with that coming in 2019.
Postseason failures are just one point in the case against retaining Boone. Tactical errors are another, and so is an apparent misread on his abilities. When Boone took over the managerial post for Joe Girardi, one of his top attributes was supposed to be his ability to connect with younger players. It may not work in his favor, then, that middle infielder Gleyber Torres and catcher Gary Sánchez have regressed.
If the Yankees do make a managerial change in the coming days, they’ll join the New York Mets, who dismissed Luis Rojas earlier this week. The San Diego Padres may still move on from Jayce Tingler, and the Houston Astros have yet to extend Dusty Baker, whose own contract expires at the end of the postseason. Detroit Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch’s contract reportedly contains an opt-out, suggesting he too could shake loose if he’s unsatisfied with the progress the organization made this year.
