Yankees Rumors: Aaron Boone to Return as Manager, Sign New 3-Year Contract

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Aaron Boone will be back as manager of the New York Yankees on a new three-year contract, Jack Curry of the YES Network reported Tuesday.

The Yankees went 92-70 in 2021 and claimed one of the American League’s two wild-card berths, but they were eliminated by the rival Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Game.

Still, their surge in the second half of the season may have saved the manager’s job.

Boone’s original contract expired with the conclusion of the 2021 MLB season, and the absence of an extension seemed to indicate he was on shaky ground from the first pitch on Opening Day. At the least, he had to convince ownership he was worth bringing back for 2022 and potentially beyond.

At the All-Star break, the 48-year-old had the look of a lame-duck manager. The Bronx Bombers were 46-43 and in danger of missing the playoffs entirely.

General manager Brian Cashman had indicated in June that Boone wasn’t going anywhere but may not have used the most complimentary metaphor.

“We made this bed and we are going to sleep in it,” he said. “We are in this together.”

Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner was at least a little more emphatic in early July:

He proceeded to point the finger at the Yankees players for the team’s underwhelming start:

“They’re the ones on the field. They’re a group of very talented, professional athletes that [are] playing this game at the highest level in the world. They need to fix this problem. They need to fix the problem, because everyone, including our fanbase, and rightfully so, has had enough, quite frankly. It’s enough, and they know that, and you’re seeing them say that.”

A manager is tasked with getting the most out of his roster, so he can’t avoid blame entirely when it isn’t delivering. But the arrivals of Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo ahead of the MLB trade deadline were evidence of a lineup that wasn’t getting it done.

Gleyber Torres slugged below .400 for the second straight season. Gio Urshela saw his OPS fall from .858 in 2020 to .720. DJ LeMahieu also returned to his pre-New York days with 10 home runs in 679 plate appearances. Gallo batted .160 in 58 games with the team. The Yankees’ two best hitters, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, missed 37 combined games as well.

And if Boone was on the hot seat for how the Yanks played in the first half, then he deserved some share of credit for how they fared in the second half.

He hasn’t been faultless in his four years in the New York dugout. The absence of an American League pennant is glaring given the team’s overall talent and regular-season success. Perhaps not coincidentally, bullpen management was one of his Achilles’ heels, and that’s an area where adept managers can gain the kind of edge that makes the difference in a playoff series.

But Boone’s .601 winning percentage is better than that of Joe Girardi (.562) and only marginally worse than Joe Torre’s (.605). Four straight postseason appearances is an achievement, too, given the competitiveness of the AL East.

The Yankees may come to regret extending Boone if they get off to another slow start in 2022, but it’s difficult to disagree with the choice right now.