Few people understand Aaron Boone’s journey with the Yankees better than CC Sabathia. From playing as teammates in Cleveland to playing under his management, Sabathia has a unique perspective on Boone’s career. A long World Series drought and the recent inconsistency in offense have intensified the scrutiny around the team and the Yankees manager. But when the Hall of Famer was asked about the franchise moving on from Boone, he had a different response. 

Sabathia simply laughed off the question before saying, “That’s way above my pay grade.”

Aaron Boone was hired to lead the Yankees in 2018. Since then, he has a 751-539 record and has managed to reach the playoffs every season but one. But a great regular season record or even leading the division is like the bare minimum when you are discussing the Pinstripes. And the Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009. So there are naturally some questions about Aaron Boone’s managerial skills. 

On top of that, New York has been walking a thin line between contender and concern this season. Although they are 2nd in the AL East with a 54-43 record, they aren’t in their best shape. They went through a rough stretch in June and early July, winning just 5 of 20 games. While they ended the first half with a 4-game winning streak, they have again lost momentum and lost (2-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers) the first game of the second half. 

And while the Yankees remain firmly in the playoff race (5.0 games ahead for a Wild Card spot), their inconsistent offense is worrying. Boone’s boys have a .237 batting average, standing 23rd in the league. Despite a +90 run differential, they don’t look like a lineup ready to win the ring this year. 

That’s why Boone has faced a lot of uncomfortable questions of late. But Sabathia wasn’t ready to throw his teammate-turned-manager under the bus. Boone was a big reason for him to join the Yankees, and he even finished his career under Boone’s management. 

Hence, instead of giving a straight answer about the “great people person,” Sabathia turned the response in a different direction. 

Sabathia focuses on Yankees’ bullpen issues

He admitted that New York is still one of the better teams in the American League. That’s true, as they are second in the division and in the AL. But Sabathia thinks they’re “going to need bullpen reinforcements.”

The Yankees have a 3.38 ERA that’s the best in MLB. Even the relievers have the best numbers in the league with a 3.07 ERA. That’s why they have been able to maintain such a huge run differential. But a closer look exposes a concerning view. 

The Pinstripes entered the second half with the bullpen having just an 8.41 K/9 rate (17th in MLB). Hence, CC Sabathia turned the conversation to the deadline priorities. And Brian Cashman, the American baseball executive for the New York Yankees, has recently reflected the same outlook. 

“I think we’re open-minded at the Deadline to try to improve ourselves, period, end of story,” Cashman said. “We’ll evaluate what’s available and try to push in on anything that makes sense, whether it’s pitching or offense.”

Relievers like Camilo Doval have a 5.09 ERA, which doesn’t reflect the dominant pitching from the Yankees. Plus, they wanted to bring in flame-throwing prospect Carlos Lagrange to reinforce the bullpen. But he has been sidelined with a right capsule strain. 

And the Yankees also have 4 more pitchers on the injured list. Moreover, Boone has recently revealed that Aaron Judge, the biggest offensive power of the team, is still unable to start any baseball exercises. And this might push his return beyond August. 

This means the Yankees can go shopping before the trade deadline. And according to the Fireside Yankees, Sabathia even hinted toward Tarik Skubal but mentioned that it’s still speculative. 

While fans and media have already started questioning Aaron Boone’s tenure, Sabathia focused on strengthening the roster for a deeper October run.