On Wednesday night, the New York Yankees were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series.
For an organization as proud as New York, the recent playoff failures have frustrated both the front office and the fanbase. This story is not too far off from the one being experienced in Philadelphia. The Phillies have had their fair share of expectations over the past several seasons and, like the Yankees, have failed to win a World Series.
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone is now the target of attention in New York. Boone has been with the organization since 2018, when he took over for former Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
If the Yankees move on from their longtime manager, Boone then becomes a potential target for the Phillies, who are in search of their own managerial move.
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Since taking over the Yankees in 2018, Aaron Boone has led New York to a 790-565 record in the regular season. New York has made the postseason in eight of those nine seasons, including a trip to the World Series in 2024. New York has won three American League East championships in that same span. They appeared in three championship series, winning one (2024).
Boone oversaw the growth and development of a very young Yankees core in 2018 and helped navigate the organization into its latest era.
Managing in New York, especially for the Yankees, brings the toughest media pressure possible. While managing in Philadelphia is not much of a treat either, being the skipper for the Yankees is arguably the toughest job in baseball.
Not only has Boone won a lot since taking over the Yankees, but he has done so with grace, never finding himself in moment of weakness during the team's latest struggles.
Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Yankees ace Cam Schlittler spoke highly of Boone after the club's elimination. Hoch quoted Schlittler by saying, “He’s someone that’s going to put his players first, and I think that’s very important,” Schlittler said. “He’s been great to this team and to the guys in here. We trust him. There’s not a single day where I haven’t trusted him or a decision he’s made. I have a great relationship with him, and I’ll back him up."
Again, the New York Yankees would have to move on from Aaron Boone to make this potential fit a reality for the Phillies.
Boone would be a strong fit in Philadelphia and not just because he is an Eagles fan.
The longtime Yankee skipper is a player's manager, and that is exactly the type of fit that would play well in the veteran locker room that the Phillies currently have.
Having the respect of players like Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole would likely transfer when it comes to players like Bryce Harper and Zack Wheeler.
Boone's experience in a market like New York would allow him to transfer his media skills to Philadelphia rather smoothly. The pressures of the job would be nothing new, allowing Boone to operate as needed.
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Dealing with the Yankees' President of Baseball Operations Brian Cashman, a very demanding front office figure, would also translate to Philly. Instead of Cashman, Boone would be dealing with Dave Dombrowski, a Hall of Fame executive in his own right.
Boone has never had a losing record and, by all accounts, is a winning manager. The only missing piece to his resume is a World Series championship (as a manager, of course).
Side note: Boone's father Bob was the club's catcher when the Phillies won the 1980 World Series. Boone was seven when he watched his father bring a championship to the city.
Aaron Boone would not be the first former New York Yankee to take over the Phillies manager role.
In fact, he would continue a recent trend.
When the Phillies moved on from Gabe Kapler after the 2019 season, they hired Joe Girardi, whom Boone replaced in New York. Girardi would be the skipper for 2.5 seasons before being let go mid-season in 2022. That is where the Phillies then promoted Rob Thomson, a former Yankees bench coach, among other roles, to their interim manager.
Thomson spent three seasons as the manager of the Phillies before the club moved on from him in April of 2026. That is when they promoted Don Mattingly, former New York Yankee, to their interim manager. Mattingly at the moment is still holding that role, but it seemingly appears the Phillies are looking to make a long-term play with their clubhouse leader.
Hiring Boone would ironically be the fourth straight managerial hire that had deep ties to the New York Yankees. But the history between the two franchises goes even deeper than that.
Boone would be the seventh manager to have managed both the Yankees and Phillies. He would be the third to work for New York first, then Philly.
From 1915 to 1917, Bill Donovan managed the Yankees and would later lead the Phillies in 1921. George Stallings and Art Fletcher both spent time with these clubs in the early 20th century, a different era than the modern game.
The most recent example before Girardi was 1980 World Series champion Dallas Green, who managed the Phillies to their first title that season. Green later would manage the Yankees in 1989 but spent just 121 games before George Steinbrenner decided to make a move.
Time remains to see how the Yankees and Phillies handle the managerial position for their respective clubs. If New York makes a move, maybe the Phillies will be waiting in the wings to make their own.
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