Yankees manager Aaron Boone is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, although the Yanks can retain him through 2025 through a club option. Boone told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (X-link) yesterday that he was focused on the World Series and had not had any recent contract discussions. Jon Heyman of The New York Post writes that the club is expected to “at least” pick up that option, suggesting Boone will likely be back next year.

Boone, 51, is in the final days of his seventh season as Yankee skipper. The club has had plenty of success in that time, reaching the postseason in six of those seven seasons. Nevertheless, many fans are dissatisfied with his tenure, perhaps due to the lack of postseason success or the fact that the club fell to an 82–80 record in 2023 and missed the playoffs entirely.

But the 2024 campaign was a major recovery for the club. They went 94-68, won the American League East and had the best record in the AL. After receiving a bye through the Wild Card round, they defeated the Royals in the ALDS and the Guardians in the ALCS.

The World Series has been challenging so far, with the Yanks dropping the first three games to the Dodgers. They managed to stay alive last night with a win in game four, but still face a steep path to victory.

Many will be unhappy if the Yankees can’t pull off an unprecedented comeback, but it’s not terribly surprising that Boone has seemingly earned himself some extra job security. The extent to which a manager can influence on-field performance is endlessly debateable, but there is usually a rough correlation between positive results and job retention. With the strong regular season in 2024 and the club reaching the World Series for the first time since 2009, it would be a shock if Boone is not invited back for 2025.

Even if he is back in the dugout next year, it has yet to be decided what the contract will look like. In general, teams don’t like their managers or front office members to be in lame-duck status, so the Yanks might not pick up this option. The Yankees and Boone could agree to an extension of some kind, perhaps adding another guaranteed year or another option for 2026.

However, the Yankees let Boone walk around like a lame duck once before. His original contract was a three-year deal that started in 2018 with a club option for 2021. They eventually picked up that option and he managed the club in ’21 with an uncertain future. It was not reported until October 19 of that year that he would return. He and the club agreed to a new three-year contract for the 2022-2024 seasons, with the aforementioned option for ’25.