Some around the game believe it is more likely that the New York Yankees will make major roster changes rather than fire manager Aaron Boone if they disappoint in the 2026 season.
The NY Yankees are down in Tampa right now to begin the build for the upcoming MLB season. And just like the last 20 years, the standards are high in the Bronx heading into the spring, especially since the legendary franchise is in the midst of a 16-year World Series title drought.
That is why there has been a lot of talk since the team lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 Divisional Series about the future of skipper Aaron Boone. While he has only missed the playoffs once during his first eight seasons, just making the postseason isn’t enough for NY Yankees fans and analysts.
However, in the offseason, the club showed its support for Boone by giving him a new extension that runs through the 2027 season. It begs the question of whether all the pressure in 2026 is on the manager or maybe the roster? Well, that seems to be the belief of executives, coaches, and managers around MLB.
Pressure on NY Yankees players, not management in 2026?
On Friday, The Athletic released results from a new survey of 36 MLB executives, former executives, managers, coaches, and scouts. On the question of which rosters/core groups are feeling the most heat heading into this season, the NY Yankees players earned the second-most votes (10), only behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who got 18 votes.
However, that doesn’t mean fault will fall on NY Yankees long-time general manager Brian Cashman for putting this team together. On the question of which teams/front offices/managers are under pressure in 2026, the Pinstripes finished seventh with just six votes. Both the New York Mets and San Diego Padres got double the votes of the Yanks.
Furthermore, in the instances where managers were specifically mentioned, Boone was only named dropped once in the various responses from those surveyed. New Los Angeles Angels skipper Kurt Suzuki was mentioned the most (5) because of being on a bizarre one-year deal in 2026.
So, it looks like if the NY Yankees underperform this season, the roster being blown up is more likely than a manager change.
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