Latest peek inside Yankees' locker room all but confirms Aaron Boone will return

When Aaron Boone punched the New York Yankees' ticket to the 2024 World Series, it felt like he'd finally managed to lead a cohesive unit to the season's final round. A 26-man roster that never got too high or too low, as Boone had often promised to ensure while failing to avoid the precipitous falls that defined his seasons. A group filled with belief and the ability to bounce back. A team that would make mistakes, but would not allow those mistakes to define them.

And, after Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty's recently published peek at the Yankees' collective culture -- which pairs nicely with their talent -- it's safe to say that external perception is accurate.

According to the collection of stories about how this close-knit team transcended the American League field and regrouped after difficult gut punches (like ALCS Game 3), Boone has helped make each and every unique personality feel special, from taking Juan Soto aside for a one-on-one "game ball" presentation after Game 5 to accepting and embracing Jazz Chisholm's quirks.

Not just embracing them, actually. Loving them. “I thought I was just coming to play with the baseball team, but I now have a family," Chisholm told The Athletic, a quote straight out of central casting (and Yankees fans' unrealized 15-year-aged dreams).

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has fostered championship culture, and will almost certainly return in 2025

Of course, all of this felt a lot more cohesive before Boone's excessive faith turned overly toxic once again, relying on Nestor Cortes to get the biggest outs of Game 1 after one full month in a Ziploc bag. Still, based on the contents of this piece, it does not seem like a show of faith in a core player will force the front office to upset the locker room's apple cart. Boone now has one more massive chance to steer out of a gut punch of his own making.

Still, if the Yankees end up needing a fall guy, expect it to come from roster turnover rather than a managerial change. Stars like Gleyber Torres, Clay Holmes and Alex Verdugo will likely be priced out or ushered out at season's end -- but it certainly sounds like Boone will be entrusted to build back better next winter.

It's transparently silly, but after years of watching the Yankees fall short against the real evil empire in Houston (followed by the Red Sox and Rays), hearing stories about Oswaldo Cabrera taking polaroids of "Player of the Game" WWE belt winners just feels right. This is the kind of thing that truly memorable teams do. How many champions have you heard about in recent years that don't have a quirk? That never bothered to find a commonality and uniting vision? None. That's not how it works.

Finally, Boone has his very own walk-off pie. Hopefully, it results in the same ending (yes, there's still technically hope). At the very least, it seems likely to breed a second chance next season. Sorry, everybody.