3 managers Yankees could’ve hired better than Aaron Boone
By Mark Powell
The New York Yankees signed Aaron Boone to a three-year contract extension despite ending their season in disappointment. There were better options available.
Boone has made the playoffs in each of his three seasons in charge, but the Yankees don’t settle for postseason play. No, New York aims for World Series or bust.
Yet, after the 2021 campaign, the Yankees seem far removed from World Series contention, with their last championship coming in 2009 in six games over the Philadelphia Phillies.
New York spent a ton in free agency last offseason, adding the likes of ace Gerrit Cole and trading for Jameson Taillon with the hope of reshaping their starting rotation. Sadly, that did not work, and postseason failure returned to the Bronx this October in painful fashion — a Wild Card game loss to the rival Boston Red Sox.
With Chaim Bloom, Alex Cora and the Sox on a postseason run of their own, surely Brian Cashman and Co. would have some offseason answer for their failure to reach in-season expectations. But instead, they re-upped Boone for three more seasons, with a fourth-year option to boot.
Considering there were arguably better, more seasoned options available, Yankee fans have every right to be upset in the aftermath.
Yankees: 3 better managerial options than Aaron Boone
The Yankees have the name brand to attract pretty much any managerial option on the open market. Considering how early the Yankees would’ve been looking for a replacement for Boone, they could have started with a veteran managerial mind, in either Bruce Bochy or Ron Washington.
Bochy is the more seasoned hire, and has far more success on his managerial resume. He won two World Series with the San Francisco Giants, and has already been targeted to replace Jayce Tingler of the San Diego Padres. Bochy was already Padres manager before finding success in the same division in San Francisco, so he’s favored to return there if the opportunity is granted. However, it remains unknown if Bochy really wants to return to the managerial ranks, let alone the pressure of coaching in New York City.
So, had Bochy rather stayed on the west coast, Braves third base coach Ron Washington could’ve been a better option once Atlanta’s postseason run had finished. Washington had plenty of success leading the Texas Rangers in recent years before resigning due to personal matters.