Aaron Boone Must Change the Yankees’ Culture to Take the Next Step

“Run it back” is a phrase Yankees fans have heard far too many times over the last few years. And it’s one they’ll be hearing again as it relates to the manager position heading into the 2027 season.

Reports emerged Monday evening indicating that manager Aaron Boone would be back in his role next season, marking his 10th season at the helm in the Bronx. Despite a tremendously disappointing no-show by the Yankees in the ALDS against the rival Rays, Boone’s return to the organization always felt like the most likely outcome.

Boone has been the Yankees’ manager since 2018. He owns a 790–565 record in the regular season and has led the team to the postseason in eight of his nine years as the skipper. In the playoffs, however, he has a 27–30 record and has reached the World Series just once despite making four trips to the ALCS. It’s now been 17 years since New York has claimed a World Series title, which is the longest drought in franchise history.

Frustration among the fan base has never been higher, and there’s no shortage of impatience with Boone’s inability to produce a championship throughout his tenure. Still, owner Hal Steinbrenner continues to express belief that Boone is the right man for the job, despite the fan base longing for a change in leadership and making that abundantly clear with the “Fire Boone” chants that rang out across Yankee Stadium during Game 3, shortly before the Rays celebrated their series win on the Yankees’ field.

Fans aren’t the only ones that have been critical of Boone’s Yankees. In the aftermath of their humiliating defensive performance in the ALDS against the Rays, franchise legends such as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have been vocal about the team’s appalling fundamentals and the need for an improved clubhouse culture.

“We’ve been watching the same movie for over a decade, and nothing changes,” Rodriguez said on Fox’s postgame show after the Yankees were swept by the Rays.

Manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees talk during spring training — Boone (left) and Yankees GM Brian Cashman have won three AL East titles and one pennant in their nine years together. | Getty Images

It’s been the same recipe for the Yankees throughout Boone’s tenure. The team prioritizes power at the plate, frequently ranking among the top teams in home runs and slugging. This year, with Aaron Judge on the shelf for more than half of the regular season, they leaned more on their elite pitching to navigate the regular season. But their deficiencies remain true; the team continues to struggle with fundamentals, particularly on defense, the lineup is strikeout prone and overly reliant on home runs, and despite assembling a roster worth north of $300 million, there are still some glaring holes at the bottom of the lineup. Just about every year, the Yankees start strong, slump over the summer, reach the postseason and are outmatched by a more complete team in October. This year, that team happened to be the Rays, who, along with the Brewers, showcased why thorough roster construction is far more important than throwing money at big names in free agency.

The team’s inability to win in different ways has been a thorn in their side under Boone, too. And it’s a big part of the reason he is the only Yankees manager in history to be in his role for more than five years and still not win a single World Series. Boone has enabled the Yankees to coast by off of their power at the plate, but they often struggle to convert with runners in scoring position, which makes it difficult for the team to rally back in games in which the home run ball hasn’t been a factor. The team ranked 22nd in RBIs with runners in scoring position and 18th with a .246 batting average in such situations. The little things, both offensively and defensively, haven’t been hammered home enough during Boone’s tutelage, and that presents itself in October on a semi-regular basis.

“We were teams that focused on all the little things. We would beat you with a home run, but we’d also beat you 2–1,” Jeter said of Yankees teams during his tenure throughout the late 1990s and 2000s. “There’s different ways of winning games when you’re not swinging the bats well. But we didn’t beat ourselves, and I think in this particular series, there are a lot of games where the Yankees beat themselves.”

Boone is entering the final year of his contract, so there’s a real chance that the two sides will part ways at the conclusion of the 2027 season, barring a new deal being reached. Considering there’s a possible lockout looming, one that could extend well into the regular season, it’s not a huge surprise that Boone wasn’t let go. Navigating a managerial change while the league is locked out is an extremely difficult task because all club business must be halted. That would limit the amount of time Boone’s replacement had to get familiarized with the clubhouse and implement the changes necessary to turn things around for the team.

The potential for a lockout likely worked in Boone’s favor as it pertains to his job, but unless he shows some dramatic signs of improvement, the ‘27 season may well be his last. Bringing Boone back without a new deal in place will also create a new sense of urgency. He’s a lame duck heading into next year, which will put some pressure on him to get the most out of this team and finally get over the hump and back to the World Series.

Boone needs to make some changes his to approach as manager. The team is “stuck in a rut,” as put by former pitcher C.C. Sabathia, and it’s long past time Boone made an active effort to alter the clubhouse culture by holding players accountable for their shortcomings and honing in on the fundamentals to bring this team back to its glory days.

This is a Yankees team that is consistently very good, having earned eight playoff berths in nine years, but they haven’t taken the steps necessary to be great, reaching the World Series just once in that span before getting outclassed by the Dodgers in 2024. Boone’s seat is hot, yet he’s secured himself one more season to try to get New York back in the Fall Classic. Failure to do so should mark the end of his time in the Bronx.

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