It's not easy to fill the shoes of a manager like Joe Torre. After all, he spent 12 seasons in New York, won four World Series rings and two additional pennants, never missed out on the postseason, and compiled an incredible record of 1,173-767 throughout his regular season tenure.
But Joe Girardi filled them admirably, winning a World Series in just his second season with the team and compiling a 910-710 record over his ten-year stint in pinstripes. Thus, his shoes weren't easy shoes to fill, either.
It seems, then, that General Manager Brian Cashman has a knack for filling shoes. Because if Girardi's transition into a managerial role after Torre's dominant tenure came to an end was seamless, then Aaron Boone has done a pretty good job as well.
It was apparent from the very first interview that Boone was the right guy for the job, according to Brian Cashman, who joined Jon Heyman for an interview on the RADIO.COM Sports podcast "Big Time Baseball."
"The Yankees are the Yankees... we're about trying to have great players and great people, so we're lucky about Aaron Boone," Cashman said. "When I went through and opened up an interview process, I was very fortunate to be open-minded to interviewing him. (We) had a lot of people suggest him and so we went through the process and it was like, wow, can this be real?
"And he's, I think since we've hired him, proven that it is real."
Does two consecutive seasons of 100-plus wins count as enough proof? Heck, he's even gone viral and become the face of the franchise for a solid span of games with an epic rant... how many managers can you say that about? All that's left is that 28th World Series ring, which is certainly in the sights of the 2020 Yankees, especially after a torrid run throughout mid-September.
It's this type of fire and success that Boone has brought to the club, even after two fantastic, long-lasting managers, that makes Cashman want to keep him around.
"Obviously, we have a club option for him and certainly hope that we can have him for a long time," Cashman said. "I had a chance to work with Torre for 10 years, Girardi for 10 years, and I'd love to be in a position that Aaron Boone could be here for a similar type of timeframe.
"I'd say he has a more likely chance to last more than me, because 10 years is a lot longer for me, I guess," Cashman added, with a chuckle.
You can listen to the entire interview with Cashman, including an inside look into the talk he gave the Yankees and how they'll operate through free agency, through the link below.
