4 replacements for Aaron Boone as Yankees manager if predicted firing occurs

David Cone

At first blush, hiring Cone would fit in a worrisome bucket for a lot of fans recently scarred by Aaron Boone going directly from the broadcast booth to the dugout. Cone is a drastically different orator with a wealth of pitching knowledge, whereas Boone's only pedigree was his "baseball family" (which hasn't seemed to help his instincts much).

Additionally, analytics are in Cone's blood; he constantly spices up the YES Network broadcast by melding stories of his old-school approach on the rubber with the information he's gleaned in recent years from poring over analytics data and learning the "why" behind his natural instincts. The lack of experience in the dugout is a factor here, as well as the fact that Cone interviewed for the pitching coach gig a few years back and finished behind Matt Blake, one of the few pieces of this modern regime that seems to be working.

Would it be awkward and/or redundant having Cone in the same dugout as Blake? Would the Yankees be better suited with someone who brings a different emphasis to the table? That would seem like a far bigger drawback than the troublesome association with past participants in the "announcers-to-managers" pipeline.

And the hammer? What about Jorge Posada as his bench coach? For years, this modern Yankees team has tried to emulate the Derek Jeter-forward approach of the '90s dynasty with Aaron Judge at the "helm." But Jeter had an enforcer in Posada during those glory days; Judge does not. Posada could help lead a return to form from inside the dugout.

Troy Snitker

Perhaps the most likely managerial hire in 2023-24's field, Houston Astros hitting coach Troy Snitker possesses every trait modern teams prize.

On-field success? Clearly; as the hitting coach of the relentlessly successful 2022 World Series champions (he's been on staff from 2019-present), his bonafides are easily Google-able. Legacy? His father, Brian Snitker, is the remarkably successful old-school-meets-modernity manager of the Atlanta Braves, the current model organization. Youth? Snitker's just 34 years old, which would've been unprecedented in the era where everyone was expected to "wait in line," but completely acceptable (and encouraged) now.

Snitker has both successful ties and pedigree of his own. It's hard to tell from the outside looking in what exactly a hitting coach is responsible for, and what you can ascribe to the Astros' talent. To paraphrase Don Draper, though, that's what the interview process is for, and the younger Snitker is at least worth a look.

Raul Ibañez

It's going to be difficult to convince Raul Ibañez to leave his cushy job as Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations for MLB, but if the league (and the person) are both willing to listen, the Yankees should make overtures.

Who knows? Maybe they're able to steal one of Ibañez's coworkers, Theo Epstein, as well.

Ibañez's post-playing career has featured a number of different hats. He served under Andrew Friedman in the Dodgers' front office as a "special assistant" in 2016. He was a part-time ESPN analyst. He's overseen umpiring, discipline, and special issues with the league office since 2021 in a senior role. Perhaps most importantly for this process, he was one of the Tampa Bay Rays' three finalists in their 2014 managerial search before he'd even officially retired.

Ultimately, the Rays went with Kevin Cash and Ibañez ascended elsewhere, but that sliding doors moment could eventually pay off for the Yankees.

Ibañez is beloved by the league, still in tune with the Yankees' concerns (he made some interesting statements this offseason about keeping Aaron Judge fresh through the end of his contract), and recently got back in the dugout, managing a team of youngsters in the All-Star Futures Game in Seattle.

That was ceremonial, of course, but if he still has the itch that drove him to that Rays interview, the Yankees have to tempt him.