Brian Cashman’s Aaron Boone Defense Adds Fuel to Yankees Fire

There aren't many things the New York Yankees brass can say to ease the frustrations of fans who have watched the team fail countless times in the postseason, other than to win a World Series finally. In many ways, they did it to themselves. The frequent espousing of the organization's championship pedigree around Yankee Stadium makes winning seem like a birthright.

This isn't to say they should wave a white flag to start every season, but if they're going to walk around with the attitude that it's championship or bust, and there is more bust than championship, frustrations will set in and they can’t be mad about it. It's the sports version of love bombing, with the inevitable letdown that will follow.

This failure to deliver on their promises is how someone like Anthony Volpe becomes the whipping boy. Outside of Volpe, one of those hit hardest by fans and critics has been Aaron Boone. Boone took over for Joe Girardi, the manager and elder statesman who led his team to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series with a young roster.

It was a lot to live up to for Boone, and, despite a World Series appearance and a winning record on his resume, he has been at the center of the blame for their World Series drought alongside Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner.

Not a Puppet

The one attack that Boone frequently gets is that he is under the control of a front office that tells him what lineups need to be pencilled in for the night and who needs to come out of the bullpen at a given time. Brian Cashman told Fox Sports' Deesha Thosar how frustrating it is to hear such a narrative.

"Like, at the end of the day, I know all that's going to matter is if we're winning games. And even when we are winning games, it still won't matter," Cashman told Thosar. "Because there's a lot of narratives out there that just aren't the case. Like, to this day, I'm definitely frustrated with the one narrative that the manager is the puppet, and we're dictating his moves. None of it's true."

Oct 11, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, left, and general manager Brian Cashman watch batting practice before game one of the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Even with all that said, if there is one thing Cashman understands in this market, he won't change anybody's mind with words alone. It will take a little more than that.

"I can't change people's minds. They want to believe what they want to believe, no matter what," Cashman continued. "It's like politics and conspiracy theories. You can try to prove it scientifically, prove it with people testifying under oath, or, like, I can roll out former managers, you can ask those guys. It doesn't matter. It doesn't mean anything. People still say it. So it's like, well, then what am I going to do?"

The one PR Fix

So what can the likes of Cashman, Boone, and Steinbrenner — whenever the son of a beloved owner decides to show up and get some sun — do to get this monkey off their back? The answer is what Cashman mentioned.

That's to finally win a championship, which is easier said than done. Until then, any defenses of one another by this triumvirate will fall flat. Fans don't want to hear it, and the questions from the media, by those willing to challenge them, will only grow more intense every season another year is added to this World Series drought.

It's hard to say what they think will be accomplished by repeating year in and year out that Boone isn't a puppet, but, in a lot of ways, it comes off the way Mark DeRosa has come off for Team USA. He put his foot in his mouth by doubling down, telling the public that he, in fact, knew the United States didn't "punch their ticket" to the knockout round, and all that has gotten him is more criticism.

Mar 3, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Team USA manager Mark DeRosa against the San Francisco Giants during a spring training game at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Shooing away criticism comes off as a lack of understanding of the crux of everybody's frustration in the first place. That makes everything worse.

For Cashman to get on fans for being frustrated, when the most recent memory everybody has of the previous season is Vladimir Guerrero spraying champagne and celebrating with David Ortiz at Yankee Stadium, feels like a lack of understanding of why everybody is mad. They pushed this championship mentality out for decades, just to consistently be less than that.

The fact is, this regime needs to win. And they need to win sooner rather than later.

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