Yankees Owner Wasn’t Totally Sold On Aaron Boone Returning In 2024

It wasn't official until Tuesday, but New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is confirmed to be returning for a seventh season leading the club in 2024.

There was reason to believe a change might be made, though.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, who has long been a fan of Boone's, announced Tuesday that New York would be retaining the 50-year-old manager. Steinbrenner did admit that there were discussions regarding Boone's status with the club, however.

"I've asked a lot of questions, so I wouldn't even know where to begin, but the first question I asked was, 'Should Aaron Boone be our manager next year?'" Steinbrenner admitted, per SNY. "I believe, based on a lot of things, that he's a good manager, but I didn't want to take my opinion this time around.

"I wanted to talk to a number of people, which I did. I talked to our players, I talked to ex-players like (Andy) Pettitte and (Nick) Swisher, who spent a lot of time in our clubhouse this year. ... They all came to the same conclusion, which is that Aaron is a good manager and he should be our manager in 2024."

Things didn't go to plan for the Yankees in 2023, as they finished fourth in the American League East and had their worst winning percentage (.506) since 1992. It was a performance that drew a strong reaction from Steinbrenner.

"It was awful," Steinbrenner said. "We accomplished nothing. The fans didn't get anywhere close to what they deserved."

It's been reported that Boone's managerial tendencies have been the subject of scrutiny, with Jon Heyman of The New York Post reporting New York would ask Boone "to instill more discipline" with his team. It remains to be seen whether that's possible, or could the Yankees be too far gone under Boone's direction?