The New York Yankees’ dream season turned into a nightmare almost overnight. Game 3 of the World Series was depressingly more of the same, as New York’s offense was once again silenced in a 4-2 loss that gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a commanding 3-0 series lead and more or less turned on the lights went out during the match. The Yankees’ title hopes. While the season isn’t technically over yet, most fans are more than ready to turn their attention to what will be a crucial offseason.

Juan Soto’s free will is the (600) million dollar question, but Brian Cashman still has at least one pressing matter to address: the future of embattled manager Aaron Boone. It’s unclear if Boone will return to the Bronx for an eighth season, but after several blunders in this World Series, it feels like it’s long past time to make a change. That begs the question: Who should the Yankees look to as a replacement? Here are three names the team would be crazy not to mention.

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This may not be the flashiest name for Cashman to consider, but it would be wise. Duncan was a former second-round pick of the Yankees in 2001 and spent three years with the team as a player from 2007 to 2009. After retiring in 2014, he immediately went to work as a coach, moving from the Diamondbacks to the Blue Jays to the White. Sox. He returned to New York last winter, when Cashman named him manager of the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Duncan’s first season in Scranton was a bumpy one, but he led the RailRiders to an 89-60 record in 2024 while helping develop players like Ben Rice, Everson Pereira and Jorbit Vivas. Duncan knows the organization’s development methods and priorities, and he seems to have a knack for running a clubhouse. He also has a pretty impressive background: Duncan’s father Dave was among the best pitching coaches in the sport for decades and provided the quality arms that fueled Tony La Russa’s run with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Schumaker fell victim to the Miami Marlins’ sweeping organizational purge, but their loss could be the Yankees’ game. Just last year, Schumaker took home NL Manager of the Year honors for helping an undermanned Marlins squad all the way to the postseason, and for that he was apparently beloved as the bench coach for the Cardinals. Schumaker’s desire to win clashed with Miami’s Skinflint front office, but he wouldn’t have such problems in New York. Maybe he wants to sit out a year and see if St. Louis, for example, looks for a new manager next winter. However, if he is interested, the Yankees should give him a chance because of his mix of clubhouse presence and analytical bent.

If Schumaker isn’t the biggest name right now, Venable is. He is reportedly a finalist for openings with both Miami and the Chicago White Sox, and his post-playing resume is impressive: Venables began his coaching career as a special assistant to then-Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein, then served as Red Sox bench coach before winning a ring as part of Bruce Bochy’s coaching staff with the Texas Rangers in 2023. Venable played his college ball at Princeton, so he’s at least familiar with the tri-state area, and like Schumaker, his background is an enticing combination of old-school (Bochy) and new age (Epstein).

Blowjob dream? Sure, but hear me out. Before leading the Philadelphia Phillies to three straight postseason berths and one NL pennant, Thomson was a Yankees lifer, spending nearly three decades with the organization from 1990 to 2017. He bounced between minor league coach and front office executive before getting the call. was Joe Girardi’s bench coach prior to the 2008 season and was an integral part of the last New York team to win a title in 2009.

Thomson and the Phillies agreed to a contract extension a few weeks ago, and Dave Dombrowski gave his skipper a vote of confidence entering this offseason. But things are a bit fraught in Philly right now amid dwindling playoff returns, and Thomson undoubtedly still has plenty of connections to the Yankees from his time there. He speaks their language, and it is clear that his players enjoy playing for him; New York should at least let him say no.