Another crushing playoff exit for the New York Yankees has not imperiled the job of manager Aaron Boone. At least that's the word from the man in charge, owner and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner.
"Aaron Boon will be back next year. That's just a fact," Steinbrenner said on Michael Kay's ESPN radio show Tuesday afternoon.
This isn't exactly surprising, but hearing it from the top of the organizational chart is notable.
Boone, 47, has just completed his third season as Yankees manager. Over that span, he's guided them to a record of 236-148 (.615), including a 33-27 mark in the 2020 season. Those three seasons under Boone have yielded one division title, three postseason berths, and an 11-10 record in the playoffs.
However, the Yankees have failed to advance to the World Series and have lost in the ALDS in two of those three seasons. This postseason, they fell to the division-rival Rays in a hotly contested five-game ALDS.
The Yankees with their strong core and vast resources are poised to remain contenders for the foreseeable future. Our own Mike Axisa recently estimated that the Yankees have another two years to win with the current core. For Boone to remain the dugout throughout that window and beyond, he may need to guide his team deeper into the postseason in 2021.
In some ways that's not a fair standard, since the MLB postseason is so heavily influenced by random outcomes. However, as we've seen time and again failing to meet October expectations is a fire-able offense for major-league managers. Boone's safe for now, but the championship demands of his job loom increasingly large.
