If The Yankees Don't Fire Him, Boone Needs To Walk Away!

Let’s start with a truth bomb wrapped in pinstripes and frustration: Aaron Boone has to go. This is not a hot take. This is a baseball fan’s plea, born from years of empty promises, hollow pressers, and the slow, joyless decay of a team that used to breathe fire under the Bronx lights.

Yes, Boone owns a .581 winning percentage across eight seasons. And yes, that’s the fourth-best among active managers. But guess what? That number is as empty as the Yankees’ trophy case since he took over. A good regular season record doesn’t mean squat when your October resume reads like a disappointment reel. Ask any real Yankee fan—Boone doesn’t lead this team. He babysits it.

Boone’s relationship with his players feels more like a group therapy circle than a baseball team. He coddles. He protects. He nods empathetically when guys boot grounders or forget the number of outs. When Jazz Chisholm Jr. made a brutal baserunning mistake, Boone publicly called it “aggressive baseball.” Privately, according to Athlon Sports, he admitted it was dumb. You know what that is? Cowardice with a side of sugar-coating.

Leadership means calling out nonsense when you see it—not whispering it behind closed doors like you’re afraid of hurting feelings. Boone leads like a middle school vice principal who just wants everyone to get along and eat their orange slices at snack time.

Baseball isn’t a spreadsheet. It’s instinct, pulse, momentum. I caught something the night of August 4th when the Yankees lost 8-5.  During the game, David Cone set of Aaron’s brother Bret Boone and I’m paraphrasing, that Bret wasn’t the type that used an iPad to go over baseball players and techniques. Cone suggested that Bret Boone goes by gut and feel and “that’s why Bruce Bochy“ swept him up.  In other words, that’s why Bret coaches with Bochy… cause he’s smart.  Cone can’t talk trash about Aaron Boone in public, but I can guarantee you that was a subtle shot at Aaron Boone because he doesn’t use his gut. 

He and the Yankee cronies in the front office us iPads and projection analytics.  That’s how I interpreted it. I could be wrong, but that’s how I feel. Boone clings to analytics like they’re the Rosetta Stone. He’ll pull a pitcher who’s shoving because the iPad says so, only to put in some reliever who last pitched during the Paleozoic Era. You’re left wondering if Boone is managing the Yankees or simming a game on MLB The Show with auto-manage turned on.

Let’s not dance around it—this team forgets how to bunt, move runners, or even play heads-up baseball. And that’s on Boone and his staff. We’ve seen more cohesive strategy in beer league softball games. 

You think Billy Martin would’ve let this slide? Earl Weaver? Heck, even Joe Girardi would’ve flipped a table by now.  Under Boone’s watch, talent rots and hustle dies. The Yankees can go from world-beaters to bottom-feeders over the course of a single series. They’re not bad because they lack skill. They’re bad because they lack urgency. And urgency starts at the top.

Here’s the cherry on top of this stale sundae: Boone has had a Cy Young winner and an MVP on the roster. And what does he have to show for it? A 22-23 postseason record and not a single World Series appearance. That’s a historic waste of firepower. He’s the first Yankee manager to hold both of those trophies on his roster and still be home in November. That should be a felony in the Bronx.

Even as the Yankees stumble and bumble, you’ve got the usual suspects running interference for Boone. Michael Kay, for one, seems to think Boone is just misunderstood. Why do fans hate him so much, he wonders?

Gee, Mikey—maybe it’s because the Yankees have been underachieving for years, and you’re more concerned about keeping your YES Network paycheck than speaking the truth! And that IS the truth! Kay will never talk about of turn against Boone… because he doesn’t have balls. So what does he do? He picks on the fans. 

On the other end, you’ve got Evan Roberts on WFAN telling it like it is—Boone needs to go now. Finally, someone with a mic and a pulse. That God someone else is calling for Boone’s firing that Bleeding Yankee Blue.

And so, if the Yankees won’t fire Boone. Maybe Boone needs to look in the mirror and recognize that maybe he needs to walk away from the team.  Even in the loss to the Rangers tonight. Boone has Mark Leiter and Dave Bednar up in the pen and Williams pitching to Tellez with the bases loaded. He had an opportunity to take out Williams, but he froze.  Well, Williams pitched and gave up 2 runs. Is it Williams fault? Negative. It’s the manager’s fault for not reacting and not using his gut. He thought with his stupid iPad.  

I often think about the Ted Williams blueprint.  In 1969, Ted Williams took over the lowly Washington Senators and dragged them to 86 wins, earning AL Manager of the Year. But when things soured and his team nosedived into a 54-100 record in 1972 and they became the Texas Rangers, Williams didn’t hang around like a barnacle. He left. No fuss, no delusion, just dignity. He understood… the leader of the club, him, wasn’t doing his job. Ted Williams had the self-awareness to walk away when he knew he wasn’t helping. Boone? He’s clinging to this gig like it’s the last churro at a ballpark stand.

Look, after tonight’s loss and just awful managing once again, Aaron Boone must know it’s time. Either he needs to be fired, or he needs to walk away.  You don’t need to wait for Hal Steinbrenner to grow a spine or for Brian Cashman to stop rearranging the bullpen like it’s fantasy camp. Do what’s right. You’ve lost the clubhouse. You’ve lost the fans. You’ve lost total control and much like I’ve been preaching here since 2020… you’re a terrible leader. You manage in fear.

Just leave. Because leadership isn’t about buddy-buddy relationships. It’s about winning, demanding greatness, and knowing when the team needs something different. And the Yankees, right now, need something very different. So go Boone… go away.