Insider Addresses Job Security of Yankees' Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal offered a hint of what Aaron Boone needs to stay with the New York Yankees.

Sep 11, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) looks on during batting practice before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

When it comes to Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman's respective fates, it's up to you ... New York, New York.

As the 2024 MLB playoffs loom, some are already looking toward the offseason: considering the club option that hangs over his future, certain viewers are wondering about the road ahead for New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone. The seventh-year skipper has had his share of success in the Bronx, but a 28th World Series title ... or even a 41st appearance ... has proven elusive.

Anything short of a Commissioner's Trophy likely won't be enough to assure Boone full immunity or the exercising of his option. But The Athletic's MLB insider Ken Rosenthal did offer a landmark of safety for both Boone and general manager Brian Cashman during an appearance on The New York Post's "The Show" podcast with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman.

"Let’s say he doesn’t get to the ALCS, let’s leave it in those terms," Rosenthal said. "Then there’s going to be noise there’s going to be frustration not just with Boone but Cashman too.

"The way they play the game, it’s not clean. It’s been curious to me that they have not been a cleaner team, that they’ve been so sloppy, and that does reflect on the manager," he continued. "I don’t know that I’d bet on a change in the manager, and certainly not the general manager. But if they get knocked out quick again, there are going to be some questions asked.”

Questions continue to linger as the Yankees (90-64) continue to succeed yet fall short of the gargantuan expectations that the franchise places upon its employees. This year has carried more of a rollercoaster aura than usual, as the Bronx Bombers let a brilliant start go to waste, landing themselves in a dangerous divisional chase.

They've recovered well enough to build a four-game lead over second-place Baltimore but their recent moves ... or lack thereof (i.e. struggling to upgrade the bullpen at the trade deadline) ... have led some to wonder if they should truly be considered the American League favorite despite their status as the top seed.

The Yankees have reached the ALCS twice in Boone's tenure, falling to the Houston Astros in 2019 and 2022 (getting swept in the latter set). If Rosenthal's words prove prophetic, getting an eighth season could well hinge on landing a third ticket to the de facto semifinal round.