The New York Yankees on October 19 confirmed something baseball fans everywhere expected. Aaron Boone will return as the Yankees' manager in 2027. Many Yankees fans are unimpressed with the decision, which means Boston Red Sox fans are celebrating it.
If Boone was going to be fired, it probably would've happened shortly after the Tampa Bay Rays' ALDS sweep of New York. Though, Boone actually managed the series quite well, and there isn't much he could've done about the Yankees' .431 team OPS and .125 batting average with runners in scoring position.
Boone has been the skipper in the Bronx since 2018. They've made the playoffs in all but one season since then, made the World Series once but have no titles to show for their efforts. For the "27 rings" Yankees, that's a long drought. Though it wasn't started by Boone, his past managerial efforts haven't helped.
The 2027 season is the final one on Boone's contract. The Yankees haven't offered him an extension, so they could be ready to move on next year. They might be wise to hold onto Boone — the manager options available this year aren't the most inspiring, and some reporters, including Jon Heyman of the New York Post, believe that New York could be the next team to hire Alex Cora. The longtime Red Sox manager is taking the 2027 season off and the Yankees could be waiting out Boone's contract to land a highly coveted skipper next year, which would be a gut punch to Sox fans.
Red Sox fans laugh as Yankees confirm Aaron Boone's return as manager amid organizational culture drama
As Yankees fans debated the degree of fault than can be placed on Boone for the team's playoff struggles in recent years, former Yankees players have taken the conversation in a different direction. They've largely had nothing but praise for Boone, but critiqued the larger culture of the organization.
CC Sabathia has said the Yankees' "standard" hasn't been upheld — whatever that means. Nick Swisher believes the players in the locker room need to take accountability, form a bond and get it together. Alex Rodriguez said the front office needs a "philosophy change." Even David Ortiz has made comments about the degradation of the Yankees' culture and attitude from the late 90s and early 2000s. Yet, none of the issues are Boone's fault (at least, not his alone) and he's been a great manager in their eyes.
Regardless of what's wrong with the Yankees and who's to blame for their mediocrity, Red Sox fans are happy they're seemingly uninterested in figuring it out. Boone and Brian Cashman remain for at least one more season and that probably means New York's season will end the way it always has under their watch — without a title.
Add us as a preferred source on Google