Fire Aaron Boone (Update)

By E.J. Fagan

July 4, 2025

***

NOTE: The following comes from EJ Fagan's substack page and is shared with permission.

Please check out EJ's substack page for more great articles.

This article was written before today's game.

***

The Yankees are in the middle of another horrible losing stretch. For a fourth straight summer, a good to great Yankees team has become a bad one. They lost a 7 game lead in the American League East to teams that aren’t all that talented or hot, despite an easy schedule. And unlike previous summers, it’s hard to blame the difference on health. The team is about as healthy as any contender in either league.

Aaron Boone doesn’t deserve all of the blame, but he’s done his best to make the situation a lot worse in June.

Here are his newest sins:

Jazz and DJ

The LeMahieu at second, Jazz at third lineup never made any sense. Chisholm did not prepare to play 3rd this offseason, talked all Spring about how comfortable he was at second, and was arguably the best defensive second baseman in baseball in April with a +3 OAA.

Then, DJ LeMahieu came back from injury. Jazz was hurt and Oswaldo was still healthy, so LeMahieu slotted in at second. That was a defensible lineup at the time. Then, Oswaldo gets hurt and Chisholm suddenly returns at third base. The results have been predictable awful; Chisholm has looked like an athletic player fielding a position he is unfamiliar with. OAA thinks that he’s one of the worst 3rd basemen in baseball at -4 OAA.

And LeMahieu? He’s been a below average second baseman and nothing bat.

It is absolutely indefensible that this infield alignment has lasted as long as it has. The Yankees should have an excellent defensive infield, but instead they have been giving away games on defense. I’d rather see Oswald Peraza out there than LeMahieu, but I guess seniority is more important than winning.

Giancarlo Stanton, Cleanup Hitter

He’s been awful:

It’s pretty hard to have a .269 xwOBA with a 13.5% walk rate, but Stanton is doing it. He’s the slowest runner in the league, so his powerless .346 OBP plays down.

I understand giving Stanton a chance to demonstrate that his 2024 playoff magic represents some kind of untapped potential. But why bat him fourth? Especially when it’s clear that Stanton isn’t hitting yet.

Giancarlo Stanton is not a major league player right now, let alone one worth playing over the four Yankee OF/1b/DHs when healthy, and definitely not one worth batting cleanup. While 50 plate appearances aren’t a lot, we’re getting very close to the end of the fair audition period.

If Stanton doesn’t go off real soon, he needs to be DFAed. I doubt that any good team would give him a starting job if he were a free agent tomorrow, so why is Aaron Boone batting him cleanup?

Paul Goldschmidt Against Righties

We’ve been talking about Goldschmidt’s splits all season, but the bottom really has fallen out. He’s hitting .148/.235/.246 against right-handed pitching in June, yet continues to start against most righties. Cardinals fans are saying we told you so. We’re witnessing a great player at the end of his career who should be a pure platoon player, especially with Ben Rice kicking around. Heck, TJ Rumfield might be a better MLB hitter right now. Like Stanton, he’s batting high in the lineup whenever he plays.

What is behind Goldschmidt’s slump? I would say he isn’t injured, but Boone’s past experience includes playing another veteran first baseman through a terrible injury. Maybe, like Stanton, he’s just old and cooked. How he isn’t a pure platoon player or on the phantom IL right now is beyond me.

Bullpen Manageent

The Yankees entered today with a +103 run differential, putting them right up there with the Tigers, Dodgers and Cubs for the best expected run differential in baseball. Yet, the Yankees are struggling to beat teams with half the run differential in the standings. When the score is close, they are losing.

Maybe it’s just bad luck. One run winning percentage is generally pretty volatile. But managers can impact how teams do in close games by making the right choices with relief pitching. Boone has made wrong choice after wrong choice this season, whether it was sticking with Devin Williams for a week too long or treating 2025 Jonathan Loaisiga like he’s his 2021 self. Much of the blame for the Yankees underperforming their expected win-loss record lies on his shoulders.

What Are We Even Doing Here?

You might think that Aaron Boone isn’t the problem here. Even if I think that Brian Cashman has put together a pretty good roster in 2025, he sure problems from 2021-2024.

But what is Aaron Boone good at? What does he bring to the table that a replacement level manager doesn’t? I have never seen a single argument in his favor. He’s not a fundamentals teacher. He’s not a guy who develops young hitters. He’s not a strategic genius. He’s not a disciplinarian.

What is the best argument for continuing to retain Aaron Boone’s services?

I can’t even make a Devil’s Advocate case for him.