As the Yankees get camp underway, they’re likely to prioritize hammering out a new contract with Aaron Boone. Owner Hal Steinbrenner told the YES Network last month that the team planned to open extension talks with their eighth-year manager, whose deal expires at the end of the season. Those discussions have begun.
Boone revealed earlier this week that he and the Yankees have had some conversations about an extension (relayed by Brendan Kuty of The Athletic). General manager Brian Cashman confirmed that this afternoon, saying that negotiations are ongoing (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). It seems inevitable that they’ll work something out, with Cashman indicating a deal could get done before Opening Day (relayed by Chris Kirschner of The Athletic).
Teams typically prefer to avoid having managers or top front office personnel working on expiring contracts. The Yankees bucked that trend in 2021, when they allowed Boone to manage as a lame duck for nearly the entire season. With his deal set to expire at the conclusion of that year’s World Series, the sides hammered out a three-year extension in the middle of October. That included a ’25 club option on which Boone is currently set to manage. It doesn’t appear we’ll get a repeat of that scenario.
As is the case for many teams, the start of Spring Training also brought a few injury and position battle updates. Most notably, Boone revealed that righty reliever Jake Cousins suffered an offseason forearm strain (link via Greg Joyce of The New York Post). He is midway through a 3-4 week period where he’s completely shut down from throwing. Cousins could start a throwing program as soon as next week, but the delay raises the possibility of a season-opening injured list stay.
New York acquired Cousins in a trade with the White Sox just after last year’s Opening Day. The righty had signed a minor league deal with Chicago but didn’t break camp. The Yankees immediately called him up and were rewarded with a career-best season. Cousins pitched to a 2.37 ERA with a massive 34.2% strikeout rate across 38 innings. Initially consigned to mop-up work, he pitched his way into increasingly higher-leverage spots in the final couple months of the season.
Cousins has missed a lot of bats throughout his four-year big league career, which he has split between Milwaukee and New York. He’s been held back somewhat by scattershot command, but his injury history has been the biggest obstacle. Cousins missed time in 2023 with shoulder inflammation and lost a good chunk of the ’22 season to an elbow effusion. That required a platelet-rich plasma injection and an extended shutdown, though he didn’t need surgery.
If Cousins opens the season on the IL, he’ll be one of at least two Yankee relievers to start the year on the shelf. Jonathan Loáisiga is still rehabbing from the UCL procedure that he underwent last April. The Yankees knew he wouldn’t be ready for Opening Day but nevertheless brought him back on a $5MM free agent deal in December. Pitching coach Matt Blake said at the time that the team was targeting a return sometime in late April or early May.
It seems that timeline has been slightly pushed back. Loáisiga told reporters via an interpreter yesterday that he’s shooting for a return in late May or the beginning of June (via Joyce). That makes it likely he’ll land on the 60-day injured list once the Yankees need to create a 40-man roster spot. Injuries have kept Loáisiga to 20 appearances over the last two seasons. He’s a hard-throwing grounder specialist when he’s healthy and owns a 3.44 ERA across 219 2/3 career innings.
In one non-injury related camp note, Boone said this week that the Yankees will get Ben Rice catching reps during the spring (relayed by Hoch). A bat-first player, Rice played almost exclusively first base during his 50-game rookie season. He started 31 games behind the dish in the minors last season. Rice has nearly 1000 career minor league innings as a catcher, though most scouting reports question whether he can stick there.
Austin Wells will get the majority of the catching work. The Yanks have an open battle for the backup job after dealing Jose Trevino to Cincinnati. J.C. Escarra, who turns 30 in April and has yet to play in the majors, is the top depth option on the 40-man roster. The Yanks have Alex Jackson and former top prospect Ronaldo Hernández in camp as non-roster invitees.
Sucks for Cousins, hoping for the best for him.
And as I’ve been saying Rice is most likely our backup catcher/1st baseman. He’ll get into a fair share of games that way.
The one (really two) negatives working against Rice is he’s a lefty better, as is Wells. The second one is he needs more seasoning behind the plate. Will they give that to him on the MLB level?
@Lord
The lefthandedness doesn’t really work against him because it is not really a platoon. It’s simply giving him Wells some rest. The fact that Rice is a lefthanded power hitter is what makes him an asset they should try to fit in for 500 AB.
I think at this point, it seems like they want Rice on the roster. Not everyone starts full time. The more he hits the better his chances are to get more PT. Getting at bats at Triple A won’t prove he can hit at the MLB level. His first stint wasn’t awe inspiring. He needs to impress with whatever they give him.
Rice could certainly play his way into a platoon at first base while being a back up catcher, for sure. I bet the Yankees will like the flexibility.
Rice’s Baseball Reference photo makes him look like a child!
Personally I like Boone as well as Cashman I hope they give him a nice extension so that all the haters will have something to talk about or should I say complain about
We aren’t “haters”, we are fans who have watched him mismanage the team for years. I’ve lost count of the number of games he cost the Yankees a victory because of his terrible bullpen management or his stubborn reliance on washed up vets.
We all know DJ will be the starting 3b this year. And I’m guessing if Dominguez gets off to a slow start he will be benched for whatever castoff signing the yankees make right before the season started.
@scott
Would it shock you that Boone has the 3nd highest winning% among current managers just behind David Bell @ .584? He doesn’t control the players on the 25-man roster, and I’m sure at times Cashman might play his hand a little heavy to get certain guys a nudge to play if they’re earning a lot. If DJ is starting at 3b then I don’t think it’s fair to blame Boone.
you are correct on all counts. I also am sick of watching him, mismanage the team and lose untold number of games for them, which were winnable by his stupid decision-making. But I guess it doesn’t matter what the fans think, because they know. It will be, but how long do we have to be stuck with this baboon managing our team? i’ve been watching this team for at least 50 years, but it makes me want to select a different team already.
@DR2025
So kick rocks then. His winning % has him 2nd in all of baseball right now. How dumb is it to die a coach with good winning % that has shown he can handle managing big stars in the biggest media market?
dude, that might have more to do with having a $300 million payroll every single year more than anyone else than his great managing skills, how long have you polluted by drinking the Kool-Aid or is it your brain damage that is making you say this, but you do youlol
His weakness was on display in game one of the World Series when he brought in a rusty Cortes to face Freeman when he should have brought in Hill with his 65% ground ball rate. Boone is fine managing the players over 162-game schedule, but in a tight postseason game, I generally feel that Boone strategically is always the lesser of the two managers, and that will hurt when the differences in teams is razor thin.
Beyond that, I’m surprised they’re having discussions at this stage. Despite Anthony’s view, the Yankees rarely extend their managers or GMs until their contracts are completed. Odd they’re breaking form here.
@Lord
You have to keep your relief pitcher in to face a minimum of 3 batters. Cortes is better vs. lefties than Hill is and is also better vs. righties than Hill is, too. Hernandez and Muncy are both righties coming up after Freeman. It was smarter to go with City’s despite the outcome. At the end of the day, it’s game 1, and if you’re not ready to pitch, then you shouldn’t be on the World Series roster.
Nestor was cooked by the ASB. Everyone knew that! Boone looked totally helpless and without hope against a mediocre manager like Dave Robert’s. That’s freaking sad when you stand at the top of the dugout steps and spit seeds and pout instead of going out and actually managing your team. He has no freaking clue how to situationally plan a bullpen. He had no clue what to do when a group of overpaid children melted down right in front of him and hand delivered a WS to the Dodgers. Dave Robert’s even expected more of a manager’s duel than what he got. It is obvious that the players make the decisions, especially Judge. Should he even be captain after his error and pouting is what started the iconic meltdown heard around the world? Judge is just like most hitters in the 90’s. He’s good during the regular season and will post great numbers. Put pressure on him in the playoffs and he becomes just like Bonds, Giambi, Sosa and the majority of these “elite” hitters, nonexistent. Judge doesn’t have the backbone to be a captain and Boone doesn’t have the ability to make decisions on the fly. These two deserve each other and will never enjoy a championship team together because neither have the heart nor desire to win.
@baseball
You call Robert’s mediocre and Boone worse but they’re 1 and 2 in highest winning % among active managers. You say Boone doesn’t know how to handle a bullpen but the pen has been top 5 in WAR, ERA and FIP in the last 5 years. What CAN be do when usually capable defenders in Judge, Cole, Volpe and Jazz make uncharacteristically bad plays? You can’t lay ever bad incident at the feet of the manager or GM.
this was a nice summary, and I mean i’m in complete agreement. this clown should not be managing a baseball team, he should be in the booth where he can be safely away from our team yet they’re talking about bringing him back again. Truly mind-boggling he could be out managed by a two year-old and that’s the literal truth not only does he look clueless during most of the games where you watch them, just spitting out seeds, but his post game remarks are baffling also as they usually award salad of psychobabble that make no sense as he attempts to justify the unjustifiable and his explanations making you more buffer than you were before.
Key and the rest of the Yankees organization at this point in time it’s a sad commentary. They are good losers. As George Steiner went once said he was not a good loser and a good loser was just a plain loser. True words all these guys are just good losers unfortunately. It is unlikely anything will change under their stewardship.
it’s context dude also, or do you not take that in consideration, the only thing you look at is winning percentage like that’s the only number in the world. anyone could do that with a 300+ million payroll every single year let’s face it. process that, if you can. It’s more about that, than anything else. Do you think Boone and Cashman will be doing that with the payroll of the Rays? $50 million a year payroll or something instead of 300 million, don’t tell me you don’t think that makes a difference if you don’t, you’ve been drinking toxic Kool-Aid for too long.
listen, if you watch any games at all, don’t even have to watch them, if you listen to them, or even just read comments and watch the box scores, you can see the extent of his ineptitude. It is on full display every game unfortunately that is our curse.
They’re both mid as a manager and a GM. Especially Cashman who should’ve been fired years ago. Living off championship teams that were built by Stick Michael and Bob Watson. Yankee fans complain to me about Boone mis managing games on a regular basis
True words.
Yankee fans overvalue their players, so all wins are on them, all losses are the fault of Boone.
i’m glad you get it, because that is quite true. But whether you realize it or not, you are describing all fan bases you think that unique to Yankees then you don’t know anything about baseball.
yes, well, although I appreciate your comments and feel sorry for your brain damage, not all of us are drinking the Kool-Aid as you appear to be. i’m sure you’ll be discussing this at your local chapter of the communists, whenever you guys meet up.
I would prefer they allow Rice to play every day at AAA than to have him play sparingly as a backup catcher and 1b. I think his bat is legit and can be a 25 hrs, 10% walk guy with a .250/.350/.450 slash of given a shot.
I highly doubt Goldy and Stanton will play a full season so Rice should get plenty of playing time between 1B and DH. Especially against righties
Looking forward to more genius decisions from Boone in the postseason, such as putting in a fresh off the IL Nestor Cortes late in game 1 of the 2024 WS. Or deciding to pitch to Jose Altuve with Jake Marisnick on deck in game 6 of the 2019 ALCS.
He’s clever like a fox, I tell ya!
You’ve got to zig when your opponents expect you to zag. Boone’s opponents are expecting him to make smart, clever decisions in the game, so he switches up on them and makes dumb ones. Totally catches them off guard.
Clever like a fox.
That 2003 ALCS game 7 walk off HR really still paying dividends for Aaron Boone clearly.
I can’t believe this is already year eight for Boone. To me, it feels like he’s been there for maybe four or five. Time flies by,
How have the Yankees managed to go the entire offseason without signing an actual backup Catcher when there were so many available? James McCann is still available
Or they see Rice as the backup. They had Trevino and were ok with moving on from him.
Probably the 110% tax penalty for anyone they sign at this point.
@rsox
they’ve brought in options. it’s not like they’re a bunch of great catchers in FA.
Feels like 80 to me, 80 looooong years. Ahahahahahaha!
Riddle me this
Riddle me that
How’s Boone gonna ruin this big at bat?
🙂
he’ll find a way, he always does, that is his talent or mostly a demonstration of his lack there of.
Boone’s contract:
We’ll pay you cash money as long as you do that thingy we hired you for until we no longer feel like it.
That’s basically every single employment agreement/contract ever.
Boone is a frustrating manager. Sometimes he’s brilliant. Sometime’s he makes the worst move possible in that moment. He’s great at mixing and matching the roster throughout the season, he’s not so great at managing in-game.
But obviously he gets along with the Steinbrenner family and the front office and we did go to the World Series last year- it’s not Boone’s fault that guys like Judge forgot how to hit when it counted the most.
Please share his brilliant moments, I need a good laugh.
@scott
2nd highest winning % among all current managers???
agree, that classic meltdown in the fifth inning of the fifth game, was not his fault. But I disagree that he is brilliant at times, I’ve never seen any demonstration of brilliance by him. I’ve seen plenty of evidence of the ineptitude though, almost every game that I watch he screws something up. So typical Yankees that they bring him back for yet more time to ruin and mismanage the team. The team could be good if it wasn’t his idiotic moves at the worst possible times. And when I asked about them, he digs in and defend them or explains them in a way that makes even less sense but that’s what the Yankees want apparently he’s the perfect manager, according to his equally moronic GM. The reality is that their boss just dislikes, change, and he’d keep Hitler and Stalin on despite the atrocities, as he would not have to make a change of any kind and adjust to it oh and his look because they were making money for him. He could care less if they were tyrant or genocidal maniacs.
Has Rice ever played 3B in the minors. Catchers usually have decent throwing arms. If you can make the throws from 3B then that position is easier to play than 1B.
How bad is Ben Rice defensively if he is being labeled a “Bat First” player after putting up a .171 average? lol
Need left handed bats in the lineup. If you research Yankee teams that won World Series they had more left handed bats than right handed bats in the everyday lineup. This is why I’m not a fan of trading for Arenado even if we get rid of Stroman. The Yankees should let Peraza and Cabrera split third and if Vivas shows he is ready he’s another left handed bat. Ben Rice can platoon at first and if he shows he’s average behind the plate than I would take him as the back up to wells and it opens up another roster spot.
If we are dealing for Arenado then it’s obvious they don’t believe in Peraza and Cabrera and than Stroman has to be in the deal and St Louis on top of that will have to eat 10m this year in order to get under the 300m cohen cap. Maybe the Yanks add a prospect in the 15-20 range in the deal to make it happen.
Angels pick up all of Stroman’s deal and the Yankees send a good but pretty far out of the Top 100 prospect like Selvidge or Pereira along with him to get a true lottery ticket like Dylan Jordan from the Angels. .
what is most shocking to me is that all these HOF worthy millionaire MLB managers and GM’s have the time in their busy schedules to post on this little ol’ website! Everyday I read their many many insightful and always prophetic comments and am simply amazed. Their hindsight is better than 20/20 every time . Well done !
Gentleman, and you all know who you are, on behalf of us lowly fans, thank you for your service.