Yankees almost missed out on manager Aaron Boone

It seemed to some fans like Aaron Boone was the frontrunner to become the Yankees skipper as soon as the search began.

Aaron Boone almost didn’t become the Yankees new man in the dugout. He nearly took a job with another team. That’s according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports.

“[Boone] planned to switch jobs, anyway, leaving his ESPN Sunday Night Baseball gig. He was all set to join the front office of another major-league club, spending an entire day interviewing between Games 5 and 6 of the World Series.”

Nightengale says Boone had a job with another MLB team in the bag. Then the Yanks called. Boone went from a television analyst dipping his toes in baseball waters to what could be considered the deep end of the pool.

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Now, in one of the most high-stress jobs in all of sports, Boone has a gargantuan task ahead of him. He must take a team that was a heartbeat away from the World Series and reach even bigger heights.

That alone is a recipe for intense pressure for any rookie manager. Boone must handle even bigger expectations on top of that. That’s what happens when you add reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton to a roster that already included some of the game’s most exciting young stars in Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge.

There’s a lot of optimism as pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training soon. Then, the scrutiny begins for Boone and his young roster.

Boone didn’t say which team he almost worked for, and if things go well this year, it won’t matter.

Next: Joe Girardi's new gig

One thing is sure: come October, Yankees fans will either thank their lucky stars that Boone changed his mind, or wish he’d lost his phone the day the Yankees called.