Tuesday Discussion: Is it Time?

May 9, 2023

*** This week we asked our writers:

If you were the general manager, at what point would Aaron Boone's job be in jeopardy, if at all, in 2023?

Here are their responses:

***

Paul Semendinger - I never felt that Aaron Boone was the right man for the job. I never understood making him the manager of a team that was one win from the World Series. He was supposed to be the guy to get the Yankees to the next level. He hasn't. (Yet?) I never understood why the Yankees took a team on the precipice of greatness and gave the job of managing that team to a man who had zero coaching or managing experience. It made no sense. None. At all. It still doesn't.

We're now in the sixth year of Boone's tenure. We see the Yankees making the same kinds of mistakes they made in his first year. We see him making the same kinds of mistakes. Every year seems like a repeat of the year previous.

I know there are still many who are optimistic about 2023. "Bader will be a star!" "Stanton will return!" "Once Sevy is back, the rotation will be great!" We're told to get excited about Franchie Cordero. And Willie Calhoun. And Jake Bauers. On and on. It seems we have been hearing the same things about this team for years.

I think 2023 will be the year that the Yankees' overall poor approach sinks the team. This is not a playoff team. And it won't be one.

And yes, many of those poor decisions fall on the general manager, but Aaron Boone hasn't helped. He has not proven to be a great tactician. Every manager makes blunders, of course, but Boone's seem to be the same ones year-after-year.

I would have never given him an extension at the end of last year, but th Yankees did. They made their bed. I'd let him manage the rest of the year. Let's see what he can do with a very flawed team. (I'm guessing not much.)

By season's end, we will know if this is a club that is a player or two away, or if this team needs a completely different approach. It might be time to start fresh. If that's the case, I certainly don't think a smart club builds a new core, filled with young talent, around Aaron Boone. He has never demonstrated an ability to nurture kids.

***

Tamar Chalker - If they are still playing like this a few weeks after some key players get off the IL, I would then say that Boone’s job should be in jeopardy. If injuries continue to be such a massive issue, however, I think it may be time to cut ties with Cashman.

***

Ed Botti - I'm repeating myself, but its the GM who needs to go!

My date is 11/1/18. Approximately the date he fired Girardi, and a month before he saddled the team with 11 years of the Stanton contract, and then hired an ex player/broadcaster with absolutely zero coaching or managing experience, than allowed that manager to build a staff entirely made up of inexperienced coaches, asst. coaches and staff.

It's been at least 6 years since he forced analytics on his team, and made excuse after excuse for their failures, instead of ending it and moving forward with winning ball players and winning baseball.

Boone will never be confused with Billy Martin as far a managing goes, but my biggest gripe with Boone is he is afraid of his boss and afraid to manage the way he played, his father played, and his grandfather played.

He needs to lead, not follow.

***

Derek McAdam - If I was the general manager, the team has to still be in contention in the AL East by the end of mid-June. If this is not the case, then he would receive the boot. And while it all isn’t his fault in terms of the injuries, he’s made some very questionable decisions that have cost the Yankees a few games this season.

***

Mike Whiteman - Yankee players like and play for Boone. Should that change then I think the team would have to consider firing him.

*** Tim Kabel - This should come as no surprise. Aaron Boone’s job would have already been in trouble if I were the general manager. In fact, he would have already been relieved of his duties. I think it’s a matter of win, not if, Boone is fired.

***

James Vlietstra - Let me start by saying how glad I am that YankeesTwitter is not running the organization. There’s be a new manager every other week. And to those that always yearn for the days of George, let’s not forget that the late 70s championships as well as the late 90s dynasty only came about because he was suspended the years previous. The years in between were pure chaos. Several managerial changes in the same season. I believe having stability within the organization is important.

I’m not looking to replace Boone unless he does something egregious. And putting the pitcher with the role of closer in to pitch in the 9th is not that. It’s playing the people on your roster. Same goes for the current cast of outfielders. He can only play the players he has. Nothing he has done has been a serious mishap.

If the Yankees were to replace Boone, they would need to have someone better in mind. Don’t tell me it's Don Mattingly, because if they wanted him, they would have brought him in when Joe Torre left. I don’t see any free agent manager stud sitting on the sidelines.

I don’t see Boone getting fired mid season. If he has such a terrible year that he somehow misses the playoffs, perhaps they put some thought into it during the offseason. But let’s not forget that it’s never been harder to win a championship than now. Now, 7 teams make the playoffs.

Basically it comes down to who is healthy and who is hot once October comes around. So if leaving players on the IL longer as a precaution is what needs to be done, do it now, upgrade any glaring needs at the trade deadline, make sure you are one of those seven teams, and then roll the dice with what you have. If at this point I decided that the manager cost us a title, then I would be in position to possibly relieve Boone of his duties.

***

Ethan Semendinger - I have never seen as much vitriol towards the front office- specifically Brian Cashman- as I have seen now. Thus, this makes it a perfect time for Cashman to try and shift blame towards Aaron Boone through firing him. Through that, Cashman could also try and shift the blame of his players getting injured to poor management of the players workload, instead of them being huge risks to begin with. When you're the boss you have be accountable...except when you can blame a subordinate for making a mess of things, even when you put him in charge.

Yet, he already made the mistake in giving Boone a contract through the end of next season. And the Yankees are- for good or for bad- extremely loyal to their personnel. Think about it. Aaron Hicks- who hasn't been good since 2018 (when he had an OPS+ above 100 and played in more than 81 games) and yet they are still keeping him around. It took them until September of 2016 for the Yankees to finally admit that Alex Rodriguez was cooked. (And, I firmly believe they should've let him finish out the year and go for 700 home runs. They treated him incredibly poorly.)

Aaron Boone should be canned today. He should've been canned yesterday. They should've canned him before his extension. But, it's not going to happen. Or, at the very least, I'm not getting my hopes up.