Aaron Judge Doesn’t Mince Words Regarding Yankees’ Slow Offseason

Aaron Judge did not seem too pleased with the slow offseason of the New York Yankees as they kept on trying to re-sign some of their core players.

Aaron Judge Doesn’t Mince Words Regarding Yankees’ Slow Offseason

Aaron Judge (Image via Imago)

The New York Yankees did not have the best of times during the offseason. Instead of adding some new names, the team mostly spent their time trying to re-sign some of its core guys. On Monday, Aaron Judge spoke about this and did not mince his words.

The Yankees first re-signed outfielder Trent Grisham, who accepted the $22.05 million qualifying offer. Then the team turned their attention towards Cody Bellinger.

There were several ups and downs in the Bellinger free agency saga. The former National League MVP and his agent were seeking a long-term deal.

After weeks of negotiations, they finally reached an agreement. The Bronx Bombers brought him back on a 5-year, $162.5 million deal.

In their pursuit of Bellinger, the team lost out on some other top talents. Kyle Tucker, who was one of the hottest free agents, would end up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 4-year, $240 million deal.

Since Bellinger’s deal, the team re-signed Paul Goldschmidt and brought back his veteran presence to the team. The other names the team re-signed were Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn and Amed Rosario.

The Yankees fans were left upset following this slow offseason. On social media, they would voice their displeasure over this. When asked by a reporter about his thoughts on the offseason, Judge claimed that it was “brutal” and sounded off.

It was brutal… I’m seeing other teams around the league get better. They’re making trades, they’re signing big prospects or big players and we kind of were sitting there for a while, kind of making smaller moves.

Aaron Judge said as per SNY

While Judge later claimed that the team was in a good spot, he admitted that it was “tough” to watch his team’s slow progress in the offseason.

I think we’ll be in a good spot. But early on, it was pretty tough to watch. I’m like, ‘Man, we’re the New York Yankees, let’s go out there and get the right people, get the right pieces to go out there and finish this thing off.

Aaron Judge added

The pitching department was one area that the team was looking to strengthen. With starters Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt set to start the season on the injured list, the team were reported to look at starting pitchers.

One name they were heavily linked with was Tatsuya Imai. However, the Japanese pitcher ended up signing with the Houston Astros. It was later revealed that the Yankees were not seriously interested in him.

The American League side was then reported to be looking at Miguel Cabrera and Freddy Peralta as potential trade options. Cabrera would be traded to the Chicago Cubs by the Miami Marlins, while Peralta joined the Mets through a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers. This led to the Yankees bringing in Ryan Weathers from the Marlins in a trade deal.

Aaron Judge wants to put Yankees back on top of MLB

It has been 16 years since the New York Yankees last won the World Series. As Aaron Judge prepares to enter his 10th season, his aim is to put his team back on top of the MLB mountain.

Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge (Image via Imago)

The Yankees, who are the most successful team in MLB with 27 World Series titles, have not tasted Fall Classic success since 2009. In 2024, the did reach the World Series but ended up suffering a crushing 4-1 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Judge, a 7-time MLB All-Star and 3-time American League MVP, expressed that he will not be satisfied unless the Yankees win go out and win it all.

I think I’ll never be satisfied until we go out there and finish it, no matter the awards, MVPs, All-Stars, any of that stuff doesn’t matter… What matters is putting New York back on top and putting this organization back where it belongs.

Aaron Judge told the reporters

The Yankees captain was once again the standout performer for his team in the 2025 season. After hitting 58 home runs in the 2024 season, he once again crossed the 50-home run mark and joined an exclusive club of players to hit 50 home runs in back-to-back seasons.

He finished the regular season with a .331/.457/.688 slash line while hitting 53 home runs and having 114 RBIs. While he batted with a .500 average in the offseason, he hit just 1 home run. The Yankees ended up losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series (ALDS).

Following the end of the season, he edged out Cal Raleigh in the AL MVP race. He received 17 first-place votes and took home this crown, leaving the Seattle Mariners catcher empty-handed. With Shohei Ohtani winning the NL MVP award, he and Judge became the first duo to win the MVP award in back-to-back seasons.

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