A recent Jeff Passan soundbite set off the Aaron Boone conversation all over again, but the bigger takeaway may have been hiding in plain sight: Boone’s future is tied to Brian Cashman’s.
Passan said, “I don’t see him going away, as long as Brian Cashman is there, and as long as they’re a playoff team.”
For a moment, that sounded like a long runway for Boone in New York. But the reality is less comforting for Boone supporters.
Cashman’s contract expires at the end of this season, which is only weeks away. If Hal Steinbrenner decides after the postseason that it’s time for a change, the whole setup could be blown up quickly.
That matters because the Yankees fan base has not exactly been hiding its frustration. Cashman’s recent trade deadline work and his public comments about roster moves have done little to win people back. The sentiment around him has been sour for years, and the 16-year championship drought only adds to the pressure.
Cashman and Boone have operated as a pair. Cashman extended Boone and has repeatedly stood up for him publicly.
But that bond only goes so far if Cashman is no longer in the building. Boone’s deal runs through 2027, yet that doesn’t guarantee anything.
The Yankees could decide to give him one more year, especially with a healthy Aaron Judge, or they could bring in a new general manager who wants his own manager from day one.
That’s the real danger for Boone: a front office change could lead straight to a managerial change. New general managers often don’t want to inherit a skipper they didn’t choose, especially if they’re trying to avoid wasting a year getting started.
Ownership has shown patience with both men, and the Yankees’ 2024 World Series appearance can’t be brushed aside. Still, it was Boone’s only trip to the Fall Classic. If this season ends without another appearance there, it would be easy for the organization to frame that as enough reason to move on from Boone and Cashman together.
That might sound harsh given the roster Boone has had to manage this year, but the Yankees don’t hand out extra credit for difficulty. They judge by the standard attached to the franchise, and one American League pennant in nine years isn’t close to enough.
In Other News...
Cam Schlittler Just Added More Heat To Yankees Red Sox Tension
Cam Schlittler has already learned that anything he says online can ripple far beyond the app, especially when the Yankees and Red Sox are involved. In an interview with Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, the young Yankees pitcher revisited the social media back-and-forth with Boston fans, including the deleted comment that briefly took on a life of its own after he responded to a Red Sox-themed podcast.
For a pitcher trying to settle into October baseball, the noise is part of the backdrop, but Schlittler made clear he is aware of how quickly those exchanges can sharpen the edge of the rivalry. He also pointed to past online run-ins as something he has used to fuel his work on the mound, which only adds another layer to a Yankees-Red Sox storyline that already tends to carry plenty of heat. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Have A Costly Roster Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The Yankees roster math has become hard to ignore, especially when so much money is tied up in players who have not given the lineup much return. A chunk of the 2026 salary ledger is already committed to DJ LeMahieu, Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon, and FanGraphs metric has the trio combining for only 0.7 wins above replacement. For a team that always expects to contend, that kind of production from that kind of payroll space is exactly the sort of inefficiency that turns into a larger problem.
McMahons season has been the clearest example of the dilemma, with his offense lagging even as his glove kept him in the lineup, while LeMahieu was released in midseason with nearly $22 million still owed. Grisham, meanwhile, never quite matched last years level and also had a September injury stint to deal with. Put together, it has left the Yankees paying premium prices for very little margin for error, and the roster consequences are not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Got A Tougher ALWCS Opener Than Anyone Expected
Boston is turning to rookie Payton Tolle for Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Yankees, a choice that adds a fresh wrinkle to a matchup already loaded with October pressure. Tolle has been throwing well lately, and the Red Sox clearly see enough in the young left-hander to open the series with him, especially with New York carrying a lineup that leans heavily left-handed and may be without Aaron Judge.
If that plan holds, the Yankees are staring at a tougher opener than many expected, with the Red Sox lining up Sonny Gray in Game 2 and Ranger Suarez in Game 3. Gray gives Boston a veteran edge as the staff ace, while Suarez brings postseason experience, so New York will have to be ready for a series that could demand immediate adjustments rather than a slow feel-out period. [Read more 🡒]