Aaron Boone Hasn’t Had ‘Any Conversations’ With Yankees On Contract; ‘We’ll See’

The New York Yankees’ 2021 season came to an end Tuesday with a 6-2 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game, but the uncertainty surrounding the team’s immediate future may be just beginning.

Manager Aaron Boone told reporters, “Obviously, my contract is up. I haven’t had any conversations about that with anyone, so we’ll see. I love being here. I love going to work with this group of players.”

If Tuesday was the final game for Boone in the Yankees’ dugout, it wasn’t one he will remember fondly.

Ace Gerrit Cole struggled from the start and didn’t record an out in the third inning before Boone had to pull him. The lineup never got going against Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi, and the bullpen failed to keep the Yankees within relative striking distance after Cole exited.

Xander Bogaerts and Kyle Schwarber each went deep for the Red Sox, and solo shots from Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo weren’t enough for the Bronx Bombers.

Boone—who played from 1997 through 2009 for the Cincinnati Reds, Yankees, Cleveland, Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals and Houston Astros—started his career as New York’s manager in the 2018 season.

He has a 328-218 record and helped guide the Yankees to the playoffs in each of his four seasons.

Unfortunately for a franchise that is accustomed to winning in October, Boone has been unable to translate that regular season success into a deep playoff run. New York has advanced past the Division Series just once under his watch and lost the 2019 American League Championship Series to the Houston Astros when it did.

Postseason success is the ultimate measuring stick for a team that has 27 World Series rings, and it is still looking for its first championship since 2009.

It remains to be seen whether Boone will be the one tasked with leading the Yankees’ title pursuit next season.