For the last two seasons, the New York Yankees have totalled 191 wins, making the postseason in both seasons. That means… absolutely nothing to the Yankees. The organization is one made off of the motto, “titles or bust.” They took the world champs of last year to game seven of the American League Championship, and ran up against a historic 108 win Red Sox team this year in the Division Series, losing in four. All that means, it has been a failure.
Following 91 wins in 2017, Joe Girardi was fired from the manager’s role of the Yankees after ten years without a losing season. This isn’t the first time Girardi was fired from a team after success as their manager, as he was fired in 2006 by the Florida Marlins (now known as the Miami Marlins). He won the Baseball Writers Association award for manager of the year, as he led the team to a 78-84 season with a payroll slashed from $60,408,834 to $14,998,500 between the years 2005 and 2006.
His second go around as manager in the league lasted a lot longer, but resulted in a similar premature firing. Especially when the new direction the Yankees headed in was hiring former Yankees corner infielder Aaron Boone, coming right out of the booth.
While Girardi was managing the play-in game to the World Series, Aaron Boone was in the booth with Jessica Mendoza and Dan Shulman calling the ESPN Sunday Night Games. The most historic organization in American sports, with the twenty-seven rings, the Steinbrenners went out and signed a first time manager with the team a year removed from playing game seven in the American League Championship Series.
Nothing new however. This is an organization that flies through managers, including 20 times their managers were fired in 19 seasons spanning from 1974 through 1992. This is an organization with a win-now attitude.
So with Boone’s inability to get past the Red Sox in the American League Division Series, is that regression in turn the short hook for Aaron Boone? Most likely not, as his ability to deal with players and the New York media with 100 wins under his belt will give him security to start as manager in 2019.
But the team is fully invested into their current construction of the roster, with a young position player core in Aaron Judge, Gary

Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, and Miguel Andujar as well as an ace in Luis Severino. Being so early into their careers leaves these players under arbitration, saving the Yankees immensely in their salaries. The Yankees were able to keep their salary under the luxury tax, ranked seventh in team salary in the league, at $173 million.
This sounds great, winning 100 games while staying under the luxury, but that window is only open for so long. As these players blow through their arbitration years, their salaries will steadily rise, and finally hitting free agency will force the Yankees to dive deep into their pockets to resign this core. And with the massive $231 million left on Giancarlo Stanton’s massive deal through 2028, the Yankees ability to win for cheap is not for much longer.
This year’s free agency class is loaded with top-heavy talent with stars like Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, and Patrick Corbin. The Yankees front office is left with the decision of either going all in with long term deals on major stars now, or piecing together role players to surround the young core in hopes the young players take another step forward in their careers.
Either way, the must next year is making the World Series, and Boone must find a way with whatever group of talent he’s provided with to accomplish this. With hated rival, the Boston Red Sox, ability to capture the title this year, and now four in the last fourteen years, the Yankees one championship in that time frame leaves fans impatient with the lack of titles. Especially when another first year manager in Alex Cora was able to lead this Sox team to the success, Boone has to be able to find the same success next season.
Besides the Red Sox, the American League has another superteam in the Houston Astros. With no end to these two front-runners reign over the league is just the beginning, with the majority of both team’s talent being young and controllable talent. With both teams willing to spend.
Pinstripe faithful are tired of 27, tired of the nine year drought. The Yankees have the talent, so now is the time to take it to the next level, get over the hump, and win a World Series.