Aaron Boone oddly pushes back on Yankees' roster questions from Jomboy and Jake

Perhaps this is the exact reason why New York Yankees fans have interminable frustration with this team. And it further goes to show that Aaron Boone either isn't fit to be manager of the team or that the organization is so disorderly and defensive that hopelessness is setting in.

The Yankees just missed the playoffs after an 82-80 finish. They had the 29th worst batting average in all of baseball. Their starters beyond Gerrit Cole were largely bad (or underwhelming). The injuries were unrelenting yet again. The roster is unathletic and lacks fundamental baseball instincts for the most part.

So, yeah, we're looking ahead to 2024! This season is done. It was terrible. There was nothing memorable about it. Why can't we ask questions or wonder what changes might be on the horizon?

Boone doesn't like that, of course. But he also said two different things when pushing back to Jomboy's question on Talkin' Yanks this week -- the manager's final appearance on the show until further notice.

Here's the back and forth:

Jomboy: "Going into spring training, how many players and positions are locked in your mind? ... Is Volpe the starting shortstop?"

Boone: "No, he's going to come in as our shortstop. Rizz will be at first. DJ will slot in somewhere, Gleyber ... but, I mean, why are we getting ahead of ourselves with this? You don't think the roster is going to change? You guys ... OK. I mean, we can go around the positions and you can kind of figure ... but one big trade, one big signing, one big subtraction moves the parts around. This is a silly game to play right now. Come on."

Very odd. So Boone gets defensive about the Volpe question, then goes off and rattles on about DJ and Gleyber having roles, but then asks why we're even discussing this matter because everything can change depending upon what the front office does? So which is it? Players are locked into spots? Or everything's up in the air? Or you just don't even want to think about what a mess it'll all be?

Yankees 2024 roster: Don't ask Aaron Boone

Wondering why fans would question what the 2024 roster might look like after a disastrous campaign that saw a 99-win team from a year prior miss the playoffs entirely while getting outclassed by three lesser teams in their division is a slap in the face. Sure, it might be a bit raw since the campaign just ended on Sunday, but Jake is right: fans have been thinking about this since the trade deadline, when it was evident this team was going to sink after Brian Cashman opted not to upgrade.

Then to get prickly about a question concerning players being held accountable when we've seen ... nobody except Aaron Hicks held accountable for mishaps/wrongdoings under Boone's tenure? We'll rebut that with a "come on," just like Boone did to the roster question.

Boone's job isn't easy. He's been put in an unfavorable spot, and the shots keep on coming as the Yankees continue to tumble. But his responses just go to show that the Yankees operate very, very distantly from the pulse of the fanbase. That plays right into Aaron Judge's comments about urgency, something else Boone tried to downplay.

All we're asking is for some honesty, candor and understanding. Nobody's putting anybody on trial. But the fact Boone appears to think that's the case probably provides accurate insight into why the Yankees are who they are at the moment.