Yankees insiders suggesting Aaron Boone could be on hot seat is wild twist
Fans wish this were the case two years ago, but better late than never, right?
Hmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmm. HMMMMMMMMMMMM. That's the sound of every New York Yankees fan having their attention diverted as this article gets spotted on their timeline. After the team's embarrassing loss on Sunday, it appears a lot of important people have been ticked off.
On Sunday evening, it was announced Dillon Lawson would be relieved of his duties as the Yankees' hitting coach. General manager Brian Cashman said the team would be looking outside the organization for help, and eventually landed on MLB Network analyst and former slugger Sean Casey less than 24 hours later.
But is this the last of the team's turnover this year? Typically, the dismissal of a very unsuccessful assistant coach doesn't usually portend a house cleaning, but when Yankees insiders speak, fans must listen, especially when it comes to drastic decision making.
Didn't Joel Sherman of the New York Post hint at Lawson's firing a day before it happened? That's because he knew something was up, and when stuff like this starts making the rounds, it's legitimate.
So late Sunday night when The Athletic insiders Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty questioned whether manager Aaron Boone had to worry about his job security, everyone's ears perked up.
Is Yankees manager Aaron Boone on the hot seat after Dillon Lawson firing?
Kuty said, "Boone has to be on alert," with Kirschner adding, "Boone should be very concerned." This certainly wasn't the same tone when the Yankees cleaned house with the coaching staff after the 2021 season!
Kirschner added this haymaker to close out his response to the question as well:
The firing of Lawson likely won’t be the only power shift the organization makes in the aftermath of another October dud. Their next hitting coach will be their sixth in the past 10 years. At some point, Steinbrenner may realize that cycling through hitting coaches isn’t helping the Yankees get to the World Series and more drastic measures are necessary, including finding a new manager.
Boone is in the second year of the contract extension he somehow earned after one of the worst 92-win seasons in history back in 2021. He's technically signed through 2024 with a club option for 2025 ... which is exactly why it's more palatable for him to get the heave-ho if things continue to go south in 2023.
Boone ran this ship on autopilot in 2018 and 2019, then put forth a managerial disaster class in the shortened 2020. Injuries plagued the Yanks in 2021 yet again, but Boone was directly responsible for not elevating his squad, and the difference was one win between the Yanks and the Red Sox.
Yes, Boone is likely "safe" right now. This decision wouldn't come until after the season, assuming it ends in more disappointment. That is, unless there's a massive collapse to kick off the second half, which should trigger a fire sale at the trade deadline.
Maybe that would snowball into a change in leadership? The sooner this happens, the (likely) better off the Yankees will be if this is what the organization believes needs to be done.