The New York Yankees split five straight losses between the Miami Marlins and Texas Rangers, putting the Bronx Bombers at risk of falling out of the AL Wild Card race. There's still a lot of season left, but New York's foray into a post-Juan Soto world has been turbulent, to say the least. This team isn't short on talent, but it has too infrequently resulted in consistent winning baseball.
I'm not sure we can earnestly blame Aaron Boone for everything that has gone wrong with the Yankees this season, but he's the natural scapegoat. This is the worst defensive team in MLB most nights. The offense runs cold for weeks at a time. The bullpen, even after a seemingly productive trade deadline, is feeble at best. Boone's ability to navigate a fragile bullpen and to hold his players accountable for gaffes in the field has left a lot to be desired.
Should New York continue to spiral, it's fair to wonder if Boone will receive his pink slip at season's end. Here are a few potential options, ranging from simple to galaxy brained.
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3. Brad Ausmus, New York Yankees bench coach
The Yankees aren't exactly known for brave, outside-the-box thinking when it comes to hiring managers. This is an organization steeped in tradition and they like to project a sense of organizational continuity. Boone spent (a brief amount of) time with the Yankees as a player. Brad Ausmus did not, but he is New York's bench coach, so he's a familiar face in the clubhouse.
Ausmus is pretty much your prototypical player-turned-manager. He didn't have much success in past stops as the head honcho in Detroit and Anaheim, but he's a former All-Star and Gold Glove catcher with intimate knowledge of how to call a game and quarterback the defense on the field, to the extent any one player can.
The 56-year-old is still fairly early in his coaching jouney, all things considered, so the Yankees can view him as a long-term option. His established relationship with Aaron Judge and other New York stars ought to help him — both in the interview process and once he assumes Boone's mantle. Time will tell if Ausmus can succeed with the power of Hal Steinbrenner's checkbook behind him, but he's a perfectly adequate and safe option. The easy pick, so to speak.
2. Skip Schumaker, former Miami Marlins manager
The Miami Marlins and Skip Schumaker parted ways after only two seasons together. He led them to 84 wins and a surprise postseason berth in 2023. Then Miami undercut the front office with Kim Ng's firing and the team fell apart. It's rather difficult to pinpoint exact managerial tendencies in today's game, but Schumaker has proven that he can rally a group of underdogs to outperform expectations. Just imagine what he might do with a team of high-paid stars and the Yankees logo across his chest.
Schmaker, a 10-year MLB veteran and World Series champ, not to mention a former Manager of the Year, has all the necessary credentials. He's only 45, so there's a longevity factor the Yankees ought to appreciate. There's a world in which Schumaker comes in, connects with all the right personalities, and winds up managing the Yankees for another 30 years.
His success in Miami made Schumaker the most sought-after managerial candidate of those currently in between jobs. He's not the sexiest name, perhaps, but if Schumaker can lift the Marlins out of purgatoy, he can probably help cement the necessary vibe shift in New York after this miserable season.
1. Ron Washington, Los Angeles Angels manager
This would not be a very popular move. Fair enough, as Ron Washington's most recent stint as a manager has underwhelmed across the board. Tasked with bringing the Los Angeles Angels back to relevancy after Shohei Ohtani's departure, Washington has done little but extend the Angels' postseason drought.
Before landing the Angels job, Washington's only prior managerial stint was an eight-year run with the Texas Rangers in the late aughts and early 2010s. He finished with a winning record in five of those seasons, including four straight 90-plus win campaigns from 2010 through 2013. Texas won back-to-back AL pennants in 2010 and 2011, but failed to scale the mountaintop in the World Series.
In terms of reputation, Washington probably isn't what Yankees fans are looking for. But he has tons of clubhouse experience dating back to his time as a player in the 70s and 80s. He is also a minted genius when it comes to coaching infielders. There's a lot more to successfully managing a team, but Washington can at least provide valuable guidance to Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm and other struggling Yankees defenders. That can't be the worst thing.