The New York Yankees’ annual summer swoon could be bad news for manager Aaron Boone come the fall.
Although Boone signed an extension earlier this year and ranks among the winningest managers of the last decade, he’s running out of time in the Bronx. The national media has called Boone out over strategy and loyalty to players, particularly shortstop Anthony Volpe and now-departed infielder DJ LeMahieu, amid a frustrating 2025 season.
If the Yankees did fire Boone, who could they choose as his replacement? General manager Brian Cashman has only hired two managers: Joe Girardi after the 2007 season, and Boone ahead of the 2018 season. Both were ex-Yankees who played under Joe Torre, though Boone had never managed or coached when the Yankees appointed him Girardi’s successor.
Let’s look at which figures leaguewide make the most sense as the Yankees’ potential next manager.
Honorable mention: Miguel Cairo (Washington Nationals interim manager)
We must note that Cairo is only an honorable mention because he held another managerial job at a publication. The Nationals named Cairo their interim manager following the mid-July dismissal of Dave Martinez (more on him later). Washington also fired general manager Mike Rizzo, which could work against Cairo, depending on who replaces Rizzo.
Otherwise, the 51-year-old Cairo checks every box the Yankees should have in their search. He’s been an interim manager twice and had two playing stints with the Yankees during the mid-2000s. In fact, Cairo is an Immaculate Grid legend because he played on nine teams in 17 seasons.
To be clear: if Cairo didn’t have what we believe is a realistic opportunity at the Nationals’ job, he’d easily be a top-3 candidate here. If and when the Nationals decide to go in another direction, the Yankees would be wise to hone in on Cairo as a potential Boone successor.
5. Dave Martinez (former Washington Nationals manager)
Martinez’s case is simple enough: does Martinez’s one playoff run and 2019 World Series ring counter his six losing seasons? And if so, why? It’s always troubling when a manager has six straight losing years, even if the Nationals traded superstar Juan Soto amid that stretch.
In fairness, Martinez’s experience is also what propels him up this list. There are plenty of previous managers who could work their way into the interview process, but can the Yankees realistically call someone like Derek Shelton an upgrade? At least Martinez won a World Series in Washington.
This is also an instance where Girardi and Boone’s respective tenures also arguably hurt the Yankees. Girardi wasn’t a retread — in fact, it’s widely agreed that the Marlins dismissed him after his only season in 2006 because of a feud with then-owner Jeffrey Loria.
(And no: the Yankees should not bring Girardi back. Very rarely is the second time as good as the first.)
4. Eric Chavez (New York Mets hitting coach)
Even the most loyal Yankees fans might forget that Chavez spent two seasons in the Bronx, batting .274 with 18 homers, 63 RBIs, and a .783 OPS from 2011-12. He also infamously went hitless in 16 at-bats during the 2012 playoffs. More recently, Chavez joined the Yankees as an assistant hitting coach in December 2021 before the Mets hired him away two weeks later.
Chavez has been both a hitting coach and bench coach with the Mets, and he’s previously publicly expressed a desire to manage. With that said, we need to ask if the Yankees would again consider someone with zero managerial experience. In fairness to Boone, his managerial issues had far more to do with personality and loyalty to players than him having never coached before.
Chavez checks most boxes, though, and he doesn’t turn 48 until December. Perhaps age would work in his favor.
3. Don Mattingly (Toronto Blue Jays bench coach)
The Yankees really wouldn’t bring Mattingly home, would they? Mattingly remains a beloved Yankees legend, one who hit .307 with 222 homers and a .830 OPS in 14 seasons. He also spent multiple years as an assistant coach under Joe Torre, eventually following the Hall of Famer to Los Angeles and later becoming the Dodgers’ manager.
Although Mattingly has a lifetime 889-950 record, let’s not forget that he survived — sorry, we mean spent — seven seasons managing the Miami Marlins. You don’t make it that long by accident, especially not with Jeffrey Loria and Bruce Sherman running the team.
The 64-year-old Mattingly has spent the last three seasons as Toronto’s bench coach, and there’s no indication that he wants to manage again. However, as much sense as this makes, it also admittedly feels unrealistic. The thought of Mattingly, a finalist for the Yankees’ job following the 2007 season, returning nearly 20 years later sounds too good to be true.
2. Jeff Banister (Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach)
In Banister, the Yankees would get someone well acquainted with managing and coaching on playoff teams. Banister spent nearly four seasons managing the Texas Rangers, accumulating a 325-313 record from 2015-18. Texas won the AL West in Banister’s first two years before losses and an aging core accelerated the need for an inevitable rebuilding period.
Banister has served as the Diamondbacks’ bench coach in 2022, and it doesn’t appear at publication that Arizona will fire Torey Lovullo. Although the 61-year-old Banister lacks ties to the Yankees, maybe that’s good.
One potential problem: Banister has an extensive history with the Pirates, who fired manager Derek Shelton in May. If Pittsburgh doesn’t offer interim skipper Don Kelly the full-time position, could the Pirates pursue Banister — and would he want to rejoin an organization that has only a single winning season since the start of 2016? Banister makes sense for the Yankees, but would that be enough?
1. Scott Servais (San Diego Padres special assistant)
Servais went 680-642 in nine seasons managing the Mariners from 2016-24, leading Seattle to a 2022 ALDS appearance. The biggest problem that Servais ran into in Seattle, though, was the Houston Astros. Remember, Houston has won the AL West in every non-shortened season since 2017, helping 90-win and 88-win Mariners teams miss the playoffs in 2021 and 2023.
Servais is another candidate with no Yankees connections, which likely hurts his chances before it even begins. However, Servais’ resume speaks for itself, even after the Mariners fired him midway through 2024. He frequently kept the Mariners in the playoff hunt, which in itself is remarkable given how the Astros have dominated the AL West.
It may also help the Yankees that Servais has legitimate front office experience, serving as an Angels’ assistant GM from 2011-15. He’s a former catcher who has seen teams from the playing side, the front office side, and the managerial side. What more could the Yankees want in a candidate?