A number of New York Yankees supporters are urging owner Hal Steinbrenner to dismiss manager Aaron Boone during the team’s summer slump.
There is no indication that Steinbrenner will make such a move unless the Yankees collapse completely this month, but Jimmy Hascup of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com believes the Yankees may approach current Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora this winter.
“Crazier things have happened, but if there’s one certainty, it’s that Cora has proven to be one of the game’s best managers,” Hascup told me. “Cora’s career record is 489-410, with a World Series and two playoff appearances. But after two consecutive playoff-less seasons, Cora has the Red Sox at 49-40, surpassing many preseason forecasts as Boston remained quiet in free agency and appeared to be in a transitional year.
While Boone is in his final guaranteed year of a contract with a club option for 2025, Cora appears to have increased his worth during a contract season. According to MassLive reporter Chris Cotillo, “the overwhelming belief in industry circles is that [Cora] won’t return, instead hitting managerial free agency and finding a lucrative deal with a team willing to pay him a big contract.”
Craig Counsell reset the market for MLB managers by signing a record-setting five-year, $40 million deal with the Chicago Cubs this past fall. In comparison, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe noted that Alex Cora is earning $2.75 million this season as Boston’s manager.
Aaron Boone, popular among key Yankees players like captain Aaron Judge, led the team to the playoffs every year from 2018 to 2022. However, the Yankees haven’t reached the World Series since their 2009 championship and recently lost 16 of their last 22 games before starting a series against the 44-46 Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
With the All-Star break beginning this Sunday evening, the 55-37 Yankees may get the reset they need to turn things around and secure Boone’s job through 2025. However, if the Yankees fail to make it to the World Series this fall, owner Hal Steinbrenner might consider replacing Boone with Cora, assuming the 48-year-old becomes available.
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