It’s easy to forget how fast things move in New York baseball—until you see someone thriving in a different uniform and realize your team almost had him. That’s exactly where Yankees manager Aaron Boone found himself recently, watching Griffin Canning deal from the mound in Queens. Once a frustrating opponent during his AL days with the Angels, Canning is now putting together a breakout season for the Mets, and Boone isn’t hiding the fact that the Yankees tried to land him first.

Canning’s $4.25 million deal didn’t make national headlines, but insiders knew he was a high-upside play—someone who just needed a tweak or two to become a serious mid-rotation weapon. Aaron Boone knew it, too. He’d seen it firsthand. The Yankees faced Canning three times in recent years, and Boone still remembers the sting. This offseason, they made a move: conversations were had, interest was real. But ultimately, Canning went across town.

“He’s a guy we had interest in, I know, this winter and spoke with him,” Boone revealed. “I’m not overly surprised by the success he’s having. I feel like he’s flashed some of that over the last few years out in L.A. The Mets have done a good job tightening up the arsenal and optimizing him.”

And yet, while one target slipped away, another rose from the waiver-wire ashes. Enter Luke Weaver—a pitcher who once bounced between teams, now thriving in pinstripes. Boone doesn’t just like what he sees from Weaver; he sounds downright thrilled.

“Terrific,” he began, before adding that Weaver has been “shutting down everyone from jump” this year. But lately, it’s gone from good to better than expected.

“He’s really starting to look like the guy we had at the back end of last season,” Boone remarked. “The velocity’s ticking up, command’s excellent, he’s efficient, and the changeup’s in a good place.”

So while Canning shines in Queens, the Yankees aren’t exactly empty-handed. Weaver—acquired quietly in September 2023—has become a reliable bullpen anchor and possible multi-inning weapon.

Aaron Boone’s comments reflect a manager who knows how quickly the market moves and how vital it is to hit on the pieces you do get. New York may have missed out on Canning, but Weaver’s emergence offers more than consolation; it offers confidence.

Aaron Boone on the ban: Respecting the past, embracing redemption

When MLB commissioner Rob Manfred officially lifted Pete Rose’s lifetime ban, Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t just see a headline, he felt the weight of it. For Boone, Rose isn’t just a name from baseball’s complicated past. He’s a piece of his own story. Growing up in a baseball household where his father, Bob Boone, played alongside Rose on the Phillies, Aaron developed a personal connection with the hit king. “I have a long history with Pete and the family,” Boone said. “I even talked to Junior today.”

The moment was personal, not political. Boone has long argued that the Hall of Fame should be a museum, one that reflects the game’s full, often messy, legacy. “At the end of the day, I’ve always felt like the Hall of Fame’s a museum,” he explained. “I’ve always felt like he should be in there, while understanding the ban from baseball.”

That nuance isn’t lost on Boone. He respects the gravity of Rose’s 1989 betting scandal but believes time, accountability, and contribution should matter just as much.

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“I think it’s a good thing,” Boone said of the reinstatement. “He should have been in there. His impact on the game is undeniable.” For Boone, this is about more than just forgiveness, it’s about recognizing the man who shaped a generation of players and fans, including himself.

At last, in Aaron Boone’s eyes, the Hall of Fame isn’t about perfection. It’s about baseball, in all its flawed brilliance.