5 managers Yankees missed out on by re-signing Aaron Boone

Truth be told, it’s a tad shocking the New York Yankees’ decision to re-sign Aaron Boone backfired after less than a year. It wasn’t the most egregious move of all time and many figured we’d at least be waiting a couple of years before one of his back-breaking decisions did the team in.

But all it took was the Yankees getting to the postseason. We should’ve known. We’ll be better next time.

Regardless of the context this is viewed in, the three-year contract (with a club option) given to Boone before the 2022 season was a mistake. He had no managerial experience coming into the job, and he showed throughout his first four-year tenure that he couldn’t elevate the Yankees despite the talent he was given.

Was some of it bad luck? Sure. Was some of it a result of injuries? Yup. Was some of it awful moves executed by general manager Brian Cashman? Absolutely. But every team deals with those outcomes to an extent. It’s no excuse for a manager not to make the right calls when it’s time to read the situation with baseball instincts.

Sadly, it seems Boone lacks in that department more that we could’ve ever imagined. This was Year 5. His postgamers are still devoid of personality and candor. His bullpen management is bad. His judgement with certain players is appalling.

And to think the Yankees could’ve had one of these five guys less than a year ago. What an oversight.

The Yankees missed out on these 5 managers after hiring Aaron Boone

5. Mike Shildt

The St. Louis Cardinals parted with manager Mike Shildt in shocking fashion last offseason … after he accumulated a 252-199 record in parts of four seasons, dug them out of the depths during a disappointing 2018 that saw Mike Matheny fired midway through, made it to the NLCS/won the NL Central in 2019, and reached the Wild Card round in 2020 and 2021. Really not bad considering he only managed two full seasons.

But there were “philosophical differences” that led to the split and the Cards hiring Oliver Marmol, who just watched his team choke massively in the Wild Card round. We sure it was Shildt that was the problem, St. Louis?

Anyway, whenever a managerial candidate of that magnitude unexpectedly hits the market, it’s probably best to conduct an interview, especially after your team fell woefully short four years in a row.

Shildt served as the Padres’ interim third base coach in 2022 and could be a managerial candidate for a few teams with vacancies this offseason. He wouldn’t have been Yankees fans’ first choice last offseason, but it would’ve been worth a call.