Aaron Boone’s contract as Yankees manager is set to expire at the end of the 2021 postseason, and at this writing he and the club are yet to agree to a new deal. However, sources tell ESPN’s Buster Olney that owner Hal Steinbrenner is leaning toward bringing Boone back as manager.
“He likes [Boone], and I don’t think he blames him for what happened,” one of Olney’s sources said of Steinbrenner.
What happened is that the Yankees fell to the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Game and thus once again failed to reach the World Series under Boone. Boone, 48, has enjoyed much success during the regular season in four years as Yankees skipper. Over that span, he’s guided the Yankees to a 328-218 (.601) record with four postseason appearances, including a division title in 2019. In the playoffs, however, the Yankees under Boone are just 11-11. They’ve advanced past the Division Series only once. That was in 2019, when they fell to the Astros in six games in the ALCS.
While the Yankees have of late adhered to a somewhat tight budget by their usual standards, they’ve still run high payrolls. That plus the usual standards for success in the Bronx have increased the pressure on Boone to pilot the team to the World Series, but that evergreen Yankee objective has thus far eluded him.
While Boone by all accounts is liked by his players and runs a smooth clubhouse, fans and observers of the team generally think he leaves something to be desired from a tactical standpoint — particularly when it comes to his bullpen decisions.
All that said, as Olney notes signs point to Boone returning for a fifth season in Bronx and under a new contract.
