Yankees: 3 replacements for Aaron Boone in 2021

2. Will Venable

Cubs third base coach Will Venable will be another hot commodity for the Yankees to consider.

Like Lombard, but wish the 45-year-old was even younger? Allow us to reintroduce you to Will Venable, who’s about to turn 38 and who you probably remember as a San Diego Padre from the previous decade. The managerial wheel is weird at this point!

Venable has been involved in every prominent search of the past year; he was nearly an Astro before Baker, nearly a Cub before David Ross snagged his promotion, and was involved in the Giants’ conversations as well, before they wrecked their fan base’s expectations with the Gabe Kapler hire.

The manager-in-waiting got applause from Cubs fans at the team’s convention last winter when he emphatically announced he’d be staying on Ross’ staff for the time being, but there’s a reason he piled up as many interviews before the age of 40 as he could. His time will come.

Will the Yankees dismiss Boone and immediately target another young, impressionable manager? Quite possibly. Isn’t every managerial hire these days some variety of Venable, after all? And wouldn’t Cashman and Co. want to maintain the advantage they cultivated under Boone?

Of course, if the analytical Yankees wanted to reverse course entirely and allow an old-fashioned field general to blend old school with new school, there’s another direction they could take.