World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Yankees – Game 3 / Luke Hales/GettyImages

The New York Yankees made it to the World Series for the first time since 2009, but were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. There was a lot that went wrong for the Yankees, whether it was manager Aaron Boone’s decision to go to Nestor Cortes in the tenth inning of Game 1, to the base running errors, to the three errors in the fifth inning of Game 5 that blew a 5-0 lead. Even so, the Yankees can say they were just three games away from hoisting their 28th World Series title, no matter how weak the field in the American League was.

With an important offseason ahead of them, highlighted by the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the Yankees decided to make a move to add stability.

The Yankees announced on Friday that they were picking up Boone’s club option for the 2025 season. This isn’t necessarily a surprise, but The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner points out that there are expected to be conversations about a long-term extension as well.

Boone is a polarizing figure in the Yankees fanbase. He does have a winning regular-season record (603-429), but his lack of playoff success, barring this season’s run to the World Series, his positive evaluations after brutally played games, and being overly defensive of the players, haven’t made him a universal fan favorite. With that, there were Yankees fans not excited about this news.

Yankees fans weren’t thrilled with news of Aaron Boone’s return for 2025 season

General manager Brian Cashman handpicked Boone to be the manager of the Yankees after they moved on from Joe Girardi after the 2017 season, despite the latter bringing the team one win away from the World Series. While fan’s may not like his positive attitude after, say, an 18-strikeout game from his batters, he has led the team to the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons. Not only that, but the team prioritizes his ability to make relationships with the players and set the culture in the clubhouse, whether fans agree with the team’s mindset or not.

Look no further than Cashman’s statement after the news of Boone’s return, h/t MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch:

“Aaron is a steadying presence in our clubhouse and possesses a profound ability to connect with and foster relationships with his players. Consistently exhibiting these skills in such a demanding and pressurized market is what makes him one of the game’s finest managers. Our work is clearly not done, but as we pursue the ultimate prize in 2025, I am excited to have Aaron back to lead our team.”

The first sentence says it all. Boone is beloved by the players on the roster, and one player who is his biggest supporter is team captain Aaron Judge. Perhaps most importantly, Cashman and team owner Hal Steinbrenner are fans of his approach. So, it’s not necessarily shocking that a long-term contract extension could be in the works.

But make no mistake about it, next season there will be much more pressure on Boone. Even if Soto is on the roster or not, the expectations are high in 2025. With various members of the Dodgers calling out the Yankees lack of fundamentals, Boone needs to make sure that area is all tightened up, because it did cost them in the World Series. Can he do it, remains the question.