The New York Yankees are sticking with Aaron Boone next season after all.
After speculation that the team would move on following their latest postseason exit, Boone will return as the Yankees manager in 2027, according to USA Today’s Pete Caldera and the YES Network’s Jack Curry.
Boone signed a two-year extension through the 2027 MLB season in Feb. 2025, months after the Yankees lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After two straight eliminations in the ALDS, many expected his time would be up in New York after nine seasons. Instead, Boone will now manage through the end of his current deal.
The 2026 season saw the Yankees finish second in the AL East for the second straight season and win 90 games for the seventh time over a full season under Boone. It's been the postseason where the Yankees fell short more often than not under the 53-year-old.
The Yankees hold a 27-30 playoff record under Boone, which included three trips to the ALCS and one World Series appearance. His teams were 18-5 as the higher seed in a series and 9-25 as the lower seed. The Yankees were the No. 4 seed in 2026 and beat the No. 5 seed Boston Red Sox in the wild-card round before being swept by the top-seeded Tampa Rays in the ALDS.
Without Aaron Judge and with Giancarlo Stanton only available as a pinch-hitter, the Yankees batted .130 in the ALDS, and three of their five RBI came from Ben Rice. Their pitching was what kept them in games, as evidenced by a 1.88 team ERA, 0.81 team WHIP and a .173 opponent batting average.
Other teams picked up on the weaknesses of Boone's Yankee teams. The Dodgers told their players their 2024 World Series opponents were "talent over fundamentals" and were bound to self-destruct. Toronto Blue Jays announcer Buck Martinez labeled the AL East rivals as "not a good team" last season, saying they were mistake-prone in the field and on the bases.
Those criticisms were only hardened after seeing Austin Wells' baserunner mistake in Game 1 against the Rays and then the Yankees' defensive breakdown in Game 2.
General manager Brian Cashman has been in charge for 29 seasons. Boone is just the third manager to work under him. The Yankees last won the World Series in 2009 and are in the midst of a 17-year championship drought. The boos heard after Trent Grisham's series-ending strikeout against the Rays showed how frustrated the fanbase is with the team's current state.
But regardless of their feelings, Cashman isn’t ready to hire a new manager just yet. It’s unclear what changes he will make this winter, if any major ones at all, in hopes of returning the franchise to contender status.