The New York Yankees and Manager Aaron Boone have agreed to a new three-year contract with a club option for 2025 ¹ ². Boone has led the team to a 328-218 record and four postseason appearances but just one AL East title ¹ ². General Manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner, who succeeded his father as controlling owner in November 2008, hired Boone ¹ ².
Before the 2018 season, Boone replaced Joe Girardi, who had led the Yankees to a World Series appearance in 2009 ¹ ² ³. Boone was an ESPN broadcaster and had never managed when he was hired by the Yankees ¹ ². He was among six people interviewed for the job and won out over Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson, former Cleveland and Seattle manager Eric Wedge, San Francisco bench coach Hensley Meulens, Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward, and former Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltrán ¹ ².
Boone was a big league third baseman from 1997-2009 and an All-Star in 2003, when New York acquired him from the Reds at the trade deadline ¹ ². His 11th-inning home run off Boston’s Tim Wakefield won Game 7 of the AL Championship Series for the Yankees against Boston ¹ ².
Boone’s grandfather, Ray, was a two-time All-Star infielder from 1948-60 ¹ ². His father, Bob, was a four-time All-Star catcher from 1972-90, then managed Kansas City from 1995-97 and Cincinnati from 2001-03 ¹ ². His brother, Bret, was a three-time All-Star second baseman in a big league career from 1992-2005 ¹ ².
Steinbrenner said he questioned current and former players and staff on whether to keep Boone before deciding the New York manager will return next year ³. The team is relying heavily on a pair of former general managers who were hired last offseason, Omar Minaya and Brian Sabean ³. Steinbrenner said he had 40 pages of notes following the team’s end-of-season meetings, which he said at times were heated ³. New York has hired Zelus Analytics for a yearlong review of its practices ³.
