Yankees make one Aaron Boone decision — but not the big one

For at least one more season, Aaron Boone will be back. 

What was assumed became official Friday when the Yankees announced they exercised their 2025 club option on the manager. 

Boone will return for an eighth season after taking a large step — guiding the Yankees to the World Series for the first time in his tenure and the first time for the club since 2009 — but the title drought remains after a five-game Fall Classic loss to the Dodgers. 

There was little doubt Boone would return for next season.

There is and was more doubt whether he would return as a lame-duck manager whose contract would expire at the end of 2025.

GM Brian Cashman said this week that the organization and manager would at least discuss an extension, which remains a possibility. 

Boone will speak with media Monday. 

“I am grateful for the trust placed in me to lead this team. It’s a responsibility — and an opportunity — that I will never take lightly,” Boone said in a statement. “It’s a great privilege to show up for work every day and be surrounded by so many determined and talented players, coaches and staff members. Starting with the Steinbrenner family, there is a collective commitment to excellence within this organization that is embedded in all that we do. I’m already looking forward to reporting for spring training in Tampa and working tirelessly to return the Yankees to the postseason to compete for a World Championship.” 

The Yankees have gone 603-429 (.584) under Boone, the fourth-best record in the majors in the span.

Since 2018, Boone has led the group to the postseason in six of seven seasons. 

“Aaron is a steadying presence in our clubhouse and possesses a profound ability to connect with and foster relationships with his players,” Cashman said of the 51-year-old. “Consistently exhibiting these skills in such a demanding and pressurized market is what makes him one of the game’s finest managers. Our work is clearly not done, but as we pursue the ultimate prize in 2025, I am excited to have Aaron back to lead our team.” 

Boone’s regular-season success and his players’ love for him are his strongest selling points.

Excluding the 60-game 2020 season, the Yankees have averaged 95 wins per year during Boone’s tenure.

His clubhouse has consistently stood by a manager who has consistently publicly defended his players. 

“He’s always had our back. He’s always been there for us,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said at the end of the season. “He tries to put us in the best situations day in and day out. He’s a guy that every single person in this room will run through a wall for. 

“The culture we have here, the something special that we have going on here, it starts with him at the top. We wouldn’t be in the position, we wouldn’t have the guys that we brought in fit in so well if it wasn’t for a manager like him to bring all of us together.” 

Critics would point to Boone’s spotty résumé in the postseason and the fundamental issues that have cropped up too often.

With a roster that consistently ranks among the most expensive, Boone has gone 22-23 in the playoffs and did not win a pennant until this season, an October run through the American League that included only AL Central opponents.

Against the Dodgers, the Yankees sometimes looked overmatched and sloppy. 

According to FanGraphs, the Yankees were the worst baserunning team in baseball.

Their fielding was erratic, which culminated in a three-misplay fifth inning in Game 5 of the World Series that tanked the game and title hopes.

Crisp fielding and baserunning — matters of attention to detail — often reflect on the manager. 

This week Cashman acknowledged the fielding and baserunning weaknesses but pointed blame toward the players rather than the culture or coaching staff. 

Boone’s 603 wins rank seventh on the Yankees’ all-time list.

The top six (Joe McCarthy, Joe Torre, Casey Stengel, Miller Huggins, Ralph Houk and Joe Girardi) all won championships during their reigns. 

Boone will have one more chance, at the least, to ensure he is not the winningest Yankees manager to never win a World Series.