After casually hinting at starting a Yankees podcast, a former outfielder has made it official—launching with an episode centered around the current state of the Yankees. Speaking of which, their stunning 35-20 start and a seven-game lead in the AL East have gone by the wayside over the past few months. Since that lead plateaued on May 28, the Yankees are 27-36, third-worst in the American League. Consequently, skipper Aaron Boone, the man at the helm, is under intense scrutiny.

As the club is facing its toughest stretch, Clint Frazier has come forward to offer insights into what really happens inside the Yankee world. Frazier had donned pinstripes between 2017 – 2021 and was one of the top prospects in the club’s system. And when it came down to speaking on the Yankees’ current state, he didn’t hold back. “They suck right now.”

Why? Well, terrible bullpen performance, an offensive output, pitching depth gaps, and defensive lapses. However, while all of that is resolvable, the core problem feels deeply rooted and unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Amidst the mounting calls to fire Aaron Boone, Frazier offered an inside scoop on the organization‘s inner workings.

“If you fire Boone, you’ve got to fire a lot of other people, too. Because Boone is just the mouthpiece for a lot of other things that are happening inside that organisation. So if you want to see Boone gone, others have to go with him because there’s a lot of times that Boone has predetermined things that are going to happen in the game, right?”

Frazier recalled that Boone would write his own lineup, the analytics team would produce theirs, and the two sides would merge their versions to create the day’s official order.

If both parties had comparables they liked, then they’d stay on the same page. However, they would go back and forth multiple times. As he sees it, Boone cannot be held responsible for every single decision. Boone is handed the plans in advance, be it the seventh inning roles or the hitting order or any decision around it. In a nutshell, he’s a figurehead bound by an organizational structure that controls the moves fans think he’s making by himself.

Boone is expected to follow what he has been told. That’s why Frazier doesn’t see much change in the organization even if the current skipper is fired. The next guy that comes in is probably going to be in the same scenario.

As per the Wall Street Journal, the Yankees currently look like a $300 million disaster. They have invested monstrously in roster and managerial roles, yet as of now, there are no plans for a managerial or front office shift. Clearly, Boone is operating under a rigid system.

Despite piled-up losses, Boone has expressed bleak optimism towards the team. Time and again, he has claimed, “We’re in playoff position right now,” he shared even after the latest loss to the Astros. Given the current state of the Bombers, it’s been hard to believe Boone’s vision lately. But then again, the Yankees’ front office is stacked with seven key executives in the organization chart. And where their role ends and Boone’s begins is far from clear.

Meanwhile, the latest debacle on the diamond took things even further downward.

Aaron Boone’s ejection made things worse for him

During the third inning of the Astros-Yankees finale, Ryan McMahon was called for a low strike. And it didn’t sit well with manager Aaron Boone. He argued over the call and was tossed out of the game by home plate umpire Derek Thomas. To make it worse, it was Boone’s fifth ejection of the season. It happens the most in all of Major League Baseball. After the ejection, the Yankees trailed the game to the Astros by 2-0.

Amidst all the mounting calls for his firing, this ejection brought Boone’s career total to 44. It led to fans having a party on social media, as they believe this ejection will play a role in Boone getting fired earlier than they expect.

However, if we were to see Hal Streinbber’s ways, he’s not known to fire people from his organization. Boone’s contract keeps him in the Bronx until 2027. The Yankees will need to miss the playoffs to increase the chances of Boone’s firing. Well, while he’s taking all the heat, do you think his firing will be all that’s required to turn things around?