The New York Yankees re-signed skipper Aaron Boone to a three-year contract on Tuesday. And while some fans wish the club moved on, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters he believes Boone would have been a top managerial candidate if New York let him go. 

"If he was entering the free-agent market, I believe he would be the No. 1 managerial candidate in baseball," Cashman said, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. 

He is probably right, too. Boone has led the Yankees to a winning record in each of his four seasons in the dugout, with New York going 92-70 during the 2021 campaign. 

Cashman has always been high on Boone, too, saying in June that the fourth-year manager wasn't going anywhere, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. 

However, the 48-year-old's job was seemingly in question after the Yankees were eliminated by the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game. 

Boone is 11-11 in the postseason as New York's manager and has only led the club to the AL Championship Series once: the 2019 season when the Bronx Bombers fell to the Houston Astros in six games. 

Overall, Boone is 328-218 as manager of the Yankees. His .601 winning percentage is the second-highest in the majors among active managers behind Dave Roberts' .622. However, New York hasn't been to the World Series in 12 seasons, which is the third-longest drought in franchise history, per ESPN. 

The Yankees did not renew the contracts of hitting coach Marcus Thames and third base coach Phil Nevin following the 2021 season, and some believed Boone was next. He would not have lacked for opportunities after several teams have already fired their managers after disappointing seasons, including the San Diego Padres, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. 

If the Pinstripes fail to make a deep playoff run next year, the Yankees could still opt to move on from Boone. With players like Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu on board, there's no excuse for New York to be underperforming.