The Yankees are facing some head-scratchers, and the whole MLB world is taking notice. Think about it: their starting rotation’s slipped from solid to mediocre, and their offense has dialed back from elite to mid-pack. Before June 13, New York boasted the ninth-best batting average with runners in scoring position. Since then, they’ve tumbled to 28th in that stat. Still, the Yankees can flat-out hit (most times, at least). So if the lineup’s not the problem behind their recent slump, then who is?

Aaron Boone, the team’s manager, appears to be the problem. At least, partly. Or, so says a huge part of the baseball world. And that means his future with the Yankees is anything but secure. Recently, during a discussion on Locked on Yankees, co-host Brian McKeon said, “I think if they missed the playoffs, there’s a legitimate chance that the outcry from the fan base would be so loud that Hal [Steinbrenner] would almost have no option but to fire him [Aaron Boone].” 

The Yankees alternated losses with wins over the Miami Marlins and Texas Rangers in a five-game stretch, putting their grip on an AL Wild Card spot at risk. With plenty of season still ahead, New York’s navigating a post-Juan Soto era has been a wild ride.

So, whether Steinbrenner does that or not is another question, but the Yankees face another problem: the ‘$330 million’ gamble, as McKeon points out, “Uh, and I don’t think he’d want to fire him, but I almost think you’d have no option because if they missed the postseason with a $330 million payroll, and basically no injuries other than Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton, who came back and played well, it’s really hard to justify, uh, keeping that manager,” added McKeon.

But even the injured players have returned to the team only to play well, and that adds to McKeon’s frustration. “I got to be honest with you. I don’t know what roster moves there are to really make. Like, where’s the glaring hole in this team? But where’s the, where’s the unbeknownst weak spot on this roster? There isn’t one.” He is right. The Yankees are shelling out big bucks: a staggering $297,822,907 in payroll this season, per official reports. They’re in the top tier of MLB spending, ranking third behind only the Dodgers ($340,511,169) and the Mets ($339,421,107).

So, at this point, can changing the managers again be the solution to this slump? Well, it did work out in 1978. After firing Billy Martin, Steinbrenner brought in Bob Lemon, who turned the team around despite being 14 1/2 games back of the Red Sox. Lemon told the team to “play the way you did last year” and he’d “stay out of the way.” The Yankees played beautiful baseball, closed in on Boston, and had a wild September series at Fenway where they outscored the Red Sox 42-9.

Should the 2025 team look to a similar fix? Well, only time will tell. Meanwhile, the MLB scene is already buzzing about potential changes for the team, particularly with giving Skip Schumaker a shot.

The MLB world has a new favorite for the Yankees: Skip Schumaker

By Thursday, the Yankees had fallen to third place in the AL East but clung to a slim 1½‑game advantage for the league’s final Wild Card berth. It’s mind-boggling that they once topped the division and looked like they’d cruise. However, the team’s recent funk has fans fuming, with some baying for Aaron Boone’s head.

MLB insider Jon Heyman says the Yankees aren’t going to fire Boone, but FanSided‘s Christopher Kline tossed out former Marlins skipper Skip Schumaker as a possible Boone replacement. “The Miami Marlins and Skip Schumaker parted ways after only two seasons together,” said Kline. “He led them to 84 wins and a surprise postseason berth in 2023. Then Miami undercut the front office with Kim Ng’s firing, and the team fell apart… It’s rather difficult to pinpoint exact managerial tendencies in today’s game, but Schumaker has proven that he can rally a group of underdogs to outperform expectations. Just imagine what he might do with a team of high-paid stars and the Yankees logo across his chest.” 

Schumaker grabbed 2023 National League Manager of the Year honors. Schumaker, an 11-year player with the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Reds, snagged a World Series ring with St. Louis in 2011. His managerial ledger is 146-178, but he steered the Marlins to the playoffs despite them being no contenders.

With the Yankees’ front office being balls-to-the-wall aggressive, Schumaker could make it happen. Boone’s deal runs through 2027 with no hints of a shakeup… unless the Yankees bomb out of the postseason, which would crank up Boone firing talk. Essentially, it’s thinkable that Schumaker sticks with Yankees personalities and winds up helming the team for decades.