Aaron Boone is coming back as Yankee manager on another three-year contract with an option for a fourth season.
The Yankees announced the move Tuesday, two weeks after their season ended in a wild-card loss to the Red Sox in Boston.
Boone’s contract was set to expire at the end of the World Series after another disappointing postseason exit.
“We have a person and manager in Aaron Boone who possesses the baseball acumen and widespread respect in our clubhouse to continue to guide us forward,” managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. “As a team and as an organization, we must grow, evolve and improve. We need to get better. Period. I know Aaron fully embraces our expectations of success, and I look forward to drawing on his intelligence, instincts and leadership in pursuit of our next World Series championship.”
Boone’s deal now runs through 2024, with general manager Brian Cashman’s contract set to expire at the end of next season. Steinbrenner has been consistent in his praise for both Boone and Cashman over the years.
Following the loss in Boston in the AL Wild Card game, Boone expressed a desire to return to The Bronx, but it was unclear whether that would happen following a wildly inconsistent season in which the Yankees underperformed.
“I love being here,” Boone said at Fenway Park. “I love going to work with this group.”
Asked if he felt it would be “unfair” to be let go, Boone said: “We’ll see what happens on that front. But whatever does happen, I’m at peace with, and I know I can hold my head high.”
Boone entered the 2021 season seemingly on very solid ground, with Cashman saying prior to the year he hoped Boone would remain at the helm for another 10 years.
But that was before an ugly start to the season, when the Yankees were 6-11, leading to a .500 mark on July 4 and a scramble just to get into the wild-card game.
And the Yankees’ time in the playoffs was brief, as Gerrit Cole struggled, the offense didn’t do much and the bullpen wasn’t good.
The results of the up-and-down season caused three of Boone’s coaches to be let go: hitting coach Marcus Thames, assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere and third base coach (and Boone’s close friend) Phil Nevin.
Ultimately, though, the Yankees chose to bring back the 48-year-old Boone after he put together a 328-218 record in the regular season, four consecutive postseason berths and the division title in 2019.
He was first hired as the Yankees’ manager in December 2017, when Boone replaced Joe Girardi following the team’s surprising run to the ALCS that season. At the time, Cashman said he was looking for a different message from his manager, and the ultra-positive Boone got the job.
Four years later, Cashman and Steinbrenner have decided to stick with him. The Yankees can now turn their attention to hiring new coaches, and what to do about the roster that Steinbrenner said during the season was not living up to expectations.
The futures of Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres, both coming off disappointing seasons, are undetermined. Aaron Judge is now just a year away from becoming a free agent for the first time. They also have some free agent decisions to make – like whether to re-sign Corey Kluber and Anthony Rizzo.