MLB insider thinks Aaron Boone needs veteran coach to help him with Yankees bullpen

After six years on the job, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone still feels more like a competent caretaker rather than a master strategist. According to one MLB insider, this offseason represents the perfect time for the Yankees to take the next step and ... level up his skills with an outside hire.

God, six, where does the team go? Ah, right, down the waste bin as the Yankees regress, I forgot.

In a twist of fate that seemed impossible mere days ago, Boone's 2023 Yankees might finish the campaign with more optimism than pessimism, thanks to the onrushing wave of kids that have suddenly made Anthony Volpe a "veteran voice in the clubhouse."

Even before the Astros series, it seemed likely both Boone and Brian Cashman would be back, and that Hal Steinbrenner would instead undergo a thorough audit of the team's other processes. Now, thanks to The Martian and Austin Wells, that appears to be a certainty. But will the Yankees finally try to attack Boone's shortcomings head on, rather than pretending they don't exist?

That's exactly what MLB insider Jon Heyman believes they should do. Heyman pitched an experienced sidekick for Boone to help him through his bullpen usage issues, which would be in stark contrast to his original bench coach (buddy Josh Bard) or current staff (43-year-old up-and-comer Carlos Mendoza and his old Reds teammate Sean Casey).

Yankees need to hire Aaron Boone his own Don Zimmer to help with finer points of bullpen

As Heyman writes, Joe Torre himself would be perfect and would be able to do for Boone what Zimmer once did for him (remember the "Clueless Joe" headlines?). That said, he's overqualified and 83 years old. The sentiment is spot on, but the particulars need to be ironed out.

Of course, some of Boone's bullpen malfeasance is on his shoulders. His bizarre inclination to pull a hot hand too soon or take a starter out early so he can "feel good" only to make him feel bad with a loss is his and his alone.

But some of the bullpen machinations of the Yankees -- who's down, who's half-down, and who's an emergency option -- come from above, and an old school Zimmer type probably would clash with that logic rather than help alter it.

Boone should treat his eventual return in 2024 like a gift from above and a last chance, whether or not he's given an insurance policy and a hand to hold. Heyman's pitch is three years past due, and hopefully Steinbrenner's audit tells him what the rest of us already know.