Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Brian Cashman Endorses Aaron Boone: 'He's Really Good'

Brian Cashman evaluated the performance of his manager, Aaron Boone, during New York's postmortem press conference this week.

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was pleased with the performance of manager Aaron Boone this season despite another early exit in the postseason.

"I think Aaron did a great job," Cashman said on Friday during his end-of-season presser at Yankee Stadium. "I think he's got a great demeanor, a great rapport with his players. When we were firing on all cylinders—and healthy—we were tough to beat. It was fun to watch."

Cashman is referring to New York's historic first half. The Yankees roared out of the gates in 2022, winning at a historic pace. On the morning of July 9, New York had a 15.5-game lead in the American League East with a 61-23 record. From that point, the Yankees played sub-.500 baseball, finishing the season with a 38-40 record before going 3-7 in the playoffs.

"At the worst time possible, in August and September, a lot of wheels started falling off with injuries. Timing is everything," Cashman added. "So that kind of changed the equation and ultimately, we didn't get as far as we hoped we could with the entire crew we wanted. But [Boone] never wavered and his staff never wavered in terms of we can still figure this out."

Boone signed a three-year contract to stay with the Yankees after the 2021 season. That campaign was also full of inconsistencies and injuries, culminating with a loss in the Wild Card Game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Boone will be entering his sixth season as New York's manager in 2023, holding a 427-281 record (.603) since taking over in 2018. The Yankees have made the playoffs and finished in the top two spots in the AL East in each of Boone's five seasons as manager.

Cashman explained that Boone has put the Yankees in the best position to succeed over these last few seasons, reiterating that he has faith in the skipper's process. The GM thinks Boone is proficient at making in-game decisions as well, despite criticism surrounding some of the manager's choices down the stretch and in the playoffs.

"I think that when you have success, there's less second guessing and when you have failure, there's a lot of second guessing," Cashman said. "You can pick apart anybody at any time. I do not question his process. I do not question his commitment with his staff and being in the best position they possibly can to make in-game decisions. They're not easy."

Cashman is in contract limbo at the moment, continuing to work even after his deal with the Yankees expired on Monday. All signs point toward these two running it back in 2023 and beyond, though. The focus will quickly shift from their futures (and that of the coaching staff) to Aaron Judge and other players set to enter free agency this winter.

"He's really good," Cashman said of Boone. "I support him 110 percent."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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