BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 26: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees visits the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 26, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
The Padres reportedly have interest in hiring Yankees manager Aaron Boone, which could work out given his contract is up.
The Yankees themselves might be willing to fly Boone out on a private charter.
Brian Cashman has yet to decide to bring Boone back to the Bronx, as the last couple of Yankees seasons have ended in disappointment. Of course, the expectations are higher in New York. A change of scenery could do Boone some good, as he could be paired with a front office that is more aligned with his viewpoints.
Boone hasn’t necessarily done a bad job in New York, but his lack of player management skills and curious bullpen decisions can become an issue over the course of a long season. That makes him a tough fit in San Diego, as well.
Padres could use a veteran manager, not Aaron Boone
Hiring Boone would be an out of the box move by A.J. Preller. The consensus assumes the Padres will hire a veteran baseball mind who can hold the Padres’ stars — namely Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado — accountable.
Bruce Bochy, Buck Showalter and Ron Washington all match that description. Our own Robert Murray reported on Monday morning that Washington wants the job.
“I think I’m qualified,” Washington said. “I think I can get that team over the hump. That’s my thinking. I need that general manager to think like that. I’m definitely able to get them where they want to go.”
Boone can serve as a players’ manager at his best, but the Padres just walked all over their analytically-friendly, player-friendly manager in Jayce Tingler. When Tingler faced a crisis, he failed miserably.
Boone hasn’t done much in his time in New York to suggest he’d be any better in a division featuring the likes of San Francisco and Los Angeles.