Yankees: Possible replacements for Aaron Boone as manager

Like Mattingly, Paul Molitor, who will be 65 in August, was a star MLB baseball player. During his 21-year career (1978-1998), he played with the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins. Molitor was a seven-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and MVP of the 1993 World Series. He has a lifetime batting average of .306, and he’s in the Hall of Fame.

Between 2015 and 2018, he managed the Minnesota Twins. During that time, his teams compiled a 305-343 record (.471), but he was named the American League Manager of the Year in 2017.

Following the 2016 season, Molitor received a three-year extension keeping him in the Twin Cities through 2020. One year later, the Twins’ brass inexplicably decided to fire him. The club’s executives explained that they wanted the team to move in a different direction.

Those who closely follow the Twins felt it was a peculiar move, especially for a cash-strapped team. Just one year earlier, the Twins’ leadership was extolling Molitor’s virtues. There were rumors that Molitor was having trouble engaging his young stars and that this might have led to his firing.

Given Molitor’s overall record as both a player and a manager, he’s certainly worthy of becoming the next Yankees’ manager. Further exploration into exactly why the Twins fired him abruptly should be pursued, however.