Thoughts after the Yankees re-sign Aaron Boone

When the grift is good. (Presswire)

It had become increasingly clear the last two weeks the Yankees would retain manager Aaron Boone, and they made it official Tuesday morning. Boone is back on a new three-year contract with a club option. The contract extends beyond Brian Cashman’s deal (his expires after 2022), though that was inevitable. No manager signs a one-year contract.

“We have a person and manager in Aaron Boone who possesses the baseball acumen and widespread respect in our clubhouse to continue to guide us forward,” Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. “As a team and as an organization, we must grow, evolve and improve. We need to get better. Period. I know Aaron fully embraces our expectations of success, and I look forward to drawing on his intelligence, instincts and leadership in pursuit of our next World Series championship.”

Had I not known better, I would have assumed the “As a team and as an organization, we must grow, evolve and improve. We need to get better. Period” line came from a Boone postgame press conference. That’s not an accident. The Yankees preach the same message from every level of the organization. The quote is meaningless. It’s out of the PR playbook.

Boone returning was always the most likely outcome. Hal and Cashman put the blame on the players all season long, though apparently they felt the need to make changes above the roster because third base coach Phil Nevin and hitting coaches Marcus Thames and P.J. Pilittere were let go. Boone will return with a new set of training wheels I mean coaches.

"Aaron Boone is part of the solution. He wasn't the problem or the problem. I think Aaron brings a lot of great qualities,” Cashman said at today’s press conference, adding he never doubted Boone would be back, and that the two-week delay was due to contract negotiations.

If Boone did not return, the Yankees would have looked for a manager with the same qualities: affable, liked by players and management, willing to go along with the front office, and cheap. I don’t know what Boone’s contract looks like, but he hasn’t been at this long enough (or won enough) to be among the highest paid managers yet. That absolutely matters to Hal.

That all said, the Yankees have largely unperformed during Boone’s four years, and especially the last two years. Too many prized young players have regressed, and the sloppy play and seeming unpreparedness that popped up as soon as Boone was hired has yet to be corrected. Have we seen any growth from Boone at all the last four years? No. I don’t think so.

The Yankees are trying to make Boone into a good manager instead of hiring a good manager. The best case scenario here is Dave Roberts. The Dodgers hired Roberts in Nov. 2015 and he was on the hot seat every single year until finally breaking through in 2020. Like the Dodgers and Roberts, the Yankees hope the well-liked but otherwise unremarkable manager will validate them for sticking with him after years of falling short.

That’s the best case scenario. The Yankees are not the Dodgers though. They should be, but they aren’t. They’re not nearly as good at drafting and player development, for starters. The problems with the Yankees start at the top, with an ownership that is happy to throw away the franchise’s inherent market advantages and a front office that has grown complacent.

Boone is not the problem with the Yankees but he hasn’t shown enough for me to consider him part of the solution either. He didn’t put Rougned Odor on the roster. He didn’t gift the Red Sox their two best relievers. But he hasn’t shown himself to be a manager who moves the needle either. The whole is less than the sum of the parts and that reflects poorly on the field manager.

I’d like to think the decision to re-sign Boone indicates the Yankees realize they need to make changes to the roster. Fairly significant changes too. If they make significant changes, it’ll be a departure from the last few years. The Yankees have been comfortable running back the same core roster and it’s grown stale. Roster changes are needed. Will we get them? Unclear.

This should be Cashman’s last managerial decision. I said a few weeks ago that I think hiring Boone is Cashman’s biggest mistake, and now that has been eclipsed by retaining him. You better be right when you double down on a manager after these last four years, and if you aren’t, you shouldn’t get another bite at the apple. The Yankees didn’t lay the blame for this season on Boone. Cashman put the blame on himself. He is now in the crosshairs.

At best, the Yankees will move forward with the third best manager in the AL East, and Boone might be lower than that for all we know. It’s difficult to evaluate Charlie Montoyo and Brandon Hyde. The Blue Jays have been nomads the last two years (and right behind the Yankees anyway) and the rosters the Orioles put on the field are an insult to paying customers. The Yankees shouldn’t have the third best anything, particularly within their own division, and yet.

Boone’s expiring contract was a chance for a clean break. I wish the Yankees had conducted a proper managerial search, but I understand that’s not a thing that happens when a team intends to keep the same guy. The Yankees have played below their talent level too long for me to be on board with keeping Boone, but ultimately I don’t have a say in the matter. It is what it is.

Boone is the first Yankees manager to return for a fifth year after failing to win a World Series in his first four years, so congrats on making history. For better or worse, the Yankees are sticking with him. At least he won’t be able to distinguish between the boos and the Boones when he’s introduced on Opening Day.

“I think I can help lead us to the top. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I came back. That’s why I originally signed up,” Boone said today. “... I feel very confident in my ability, and still do, in getting the most out of people. That is on me, to help them reach their potential. One of my jobs is tapping into that, and that is one area I need to continue to get better."

(Send your requests for Tuesday's random Yankee series and questions for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com.)