SAN ANTONIO — Several of Aaron Boone’s postseason decisions backfired, but it’s unlikely that will prevent the Yankees from picking up his 2025 option to return as manager.
On Tuesday, general manager Brian Cashman defended Boone’s handling of the team in the postseason, which ended with a loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series.
“The manager’s job is so impossible that you can play the game of second-guessing because you are either going to make a move and it will be right or make a move and it will be wrong and then have at it, right?” Cashman said at the GM meetings. “I think he’s a really good manager.
“We’re lucky to have him, he’s done a great job. It’s a very hard job to do and it gets harder in the postseason, because whatever you do either works or it doesn’t and there is no gray area.”
Most notably, Boone summoned Nestor Cortes (who hadn’t pitched in five weeks) for the 10th inning in Game 1 of the World Series.
The lefty intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases before Freddie Freeman blasted a walk-off grand slam.
“Nestor belonged on that roster and he was there for a reason for certain matchups,” Cashman said. “And then managers, whether it’s Aaron Boone or anybody else on other teams, they have decisions that are either going to be viewed at the end with the results, which is it either worked and you are smart or it didn’t work and you live with the rebrand.
“I support Aaron Boone with every decision he made, every step of the way, the way he managed the postseason for us was exceptional. Clearly the Nestor situation didn’t work out on that particular day for us, but that is just the nature of the beast.”
Cashman said team brass will discuss Boone’s future by this weekend.
Among the possibilities is the Yankees will pick up Boone’s option and extend his contract.
“I’m a big Aaron Boone fan,” Cashman said. “Let’s go walk through the process and have the conversations that haven’t been had with the people above me.”
